Everybody talks about retirement, but they only focus on the financial part. There's more to it than that.
One of the most important features of retirement is maintaining connections with people. It requires real effort, since family, work friends, and acquaintances tend to drift — or pass — away.
In fact, an 85-year study by Harvard found that across numerous cultures, social fitness was the key to a happy retirement. Almost no one wanted to go back to the work they were doing before retirement, but most missed the social connections.
Psychologists Robert Waldinger, PhD and Marc Shulz, PhD, recommend strengthening your personal connections before you retire. Ask yourself: Who are the people I enjoy working with most, and what makes them valuable to me? Am I appreciating them?
If you find yourself in retirement and wishing you knew more people, they recommend asking yourself these questions:
* What kinds of connections am I missing that I want more of? How can I make them happen?
* Is there anyone I'd like to know better? How can I reach out to them?
* Who is different from me in some way (thinks differently, comes from a different background, has a different expertise)? What can I learn from them?
Just for kicks, consider doing something you would have absolutely never done before your retirement.
The late Forbes humorist Stanley Bing once said that the best thing you can do is to establish some sort of a daily grind so you can look forward to vacations. He advised against hanging out with the kids. "Visit, give presents, and move on. You have fish to fry."
