Last But Not Least

The fact that you want to retire early, you probably have amassed a pile of money from a high-paying job or from a lucrative business (both also garnish you with the trappings of power and status). And of course from your smart investments as well.

Before you plunge into the next phase of your life, thinking that you would be heading for happy and carefree days, think carefully and plan out real serious first.

This is because you aren't just retiring from a full-time job per se, you're also giving up a major productive part of your life that's been the trademark that identifies your "self worth". You leave it behind when you retire.

Be prepared for some emotional assault of sorts. The mental trauma and feelings of loss would surface to attack you, whether you like it or not.

You could feel fear and anxiety creeping up pretty fast because you're unsure of your future, wondering whether you're making the right decision to retire early; whether you'll be happy to settle into a life that's entirely a new ball game altogether.

Or you couldn't see yourself comfortably making changes to accommodate the new lifestyle.

Bad news! These could be signs that you aren't mentally ready to retire, as yet. You've got more fine tunings to do....like to work through the feelings of fear, insecurity and discomfort or the dread to face the unknown changes in your life.

But these kinds of emotions are normal. Don't avoid them. Work through them. Get comfortable with them. Then move forward with your goal to retire.

For men, retire early or for that matter, retirement itself, could be a stressful thing for them because they define their life through work.

For women, retirement may not be that hard on them since besides pursuing a career, they also pour out their energies into raising children and families.

Preparation

Before you jump off the "corporate treadmill", consult some retired friends who have retired early, for their advice and guidance on matters such as:

• What emotions they had
• How did they handle the emotions
• What did they do or not do in their first few years of retirement
• What did they wish they'd done and not done

Establish your own informal support group of retired persons and seek help and advice from the group whenever you've doubts or encounter problems.

What About Human Contact & Social Life?

For the singles, it could mean not having contact with another family member at home.

Your built-in social life (that you've in your full-time job) vanishes quickly, I would say. All your friends (and former colleagues) are working and won't be available during the day. They would be tired in the evenings or weekends (anyway, their weekends would be for their families), to meet up with you.

It's not so bad if you're married and have a family. You still have human contact, in the sense that you would have your share of time having conversation and interaction with your spouse and children.

You need to recreate your social life, find new friends and establish your social support and network. One excellent way of doing this is to plan having more activities outside your home with other people. Activities like joining a fitness gym, a club (chess, singing, arts, cooking....) or your local community club.

Adjustment And Time Management?

Essentially, because of what you do in your job, you are what you are now. The identity you've now springs from what you do in your job, profession and career. And if you're very much married into that identity over your working years, it takes a while to learn to adjust to a whole new life in retirement.

This is especially so when you retire from a high-salaried, high power-and-status job or when you retire young.

One thing you need to do is to occupy all the free time you've. If you don't have many hobbies and interests, start to grow a few before you hit the retirement road.

Have your days planned and structured, similar to what you've at work.

Before you retire, plan for these activities so you can carry them out at least in the first 1 or 2 years of your retirement. The rest of your retirement years will develop from this period if the first 1 or 2 years go OK.

You would find new friends, new activities, new interests, new hobbies and new indulgences as you move on.

Retirement? What are you retiring to? Cecelia Yap has been researching on the subject for some time. She has found what she'll be retiring to and you too can do what she does, here: http://www.perfect-body-toning.com/my-passion.html

Dear Margo - DEAR MARGO: I have been working for a director for some time now -- from the time I was in school.