The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams...at Any Age You Want, 4th Edition

Chapter 10

The New Meaning of Re-tired: Your Next 100,000 Miles

“Do not think of retiring until the world will be sorry to see you retire.”

—Samuel Johnson

When you buy a new set of tires, most tire shops will tell you that they will rebalance those tires at no charge to help you get the optimum life from your purchase. How often do you take advantage of the offer? If you’re like me, you probably tell yourself that you will stop in periodically to check the balance, but actually you don’t reappear until one or more has been worn down or you’re experiencing a wobbly ride, and you are now forced to make another purchase. The analogy here is that—simply by virtue of use—things tend to go out of balance. So it is with our lives.

We’re focused on our journeys and busy with our busyness. We begin to notice that the ride doesn’t seem as stable or smooth as it once did, and we find that we are, again, out of balance. We’re working too much. We’re not seeing the people we want to see. We’re not enjoying the activities that restore and invigorate us. We don’t have any time to sit still and reflect. The balancing act of life is a dynamic challenge requiring a dynamic solution (continual reassessment). There is no such thing as a one-and-done rebalance for our lives. The tread gets worn and our alignment shifts by virtue of motion.

Achieving balance in life is a matter of constant focus and vigilance. Any good thing taken beyond the bounds of balance is no longer a good thing. Life is full ...