During our transformation into retirement, Mark and I identified five pillars to focus on for success, fulfillment, and happiness. They are:

• Physical wellness
• Mental wellness
• Spouse/partner relationships
• Relationships
• Wisdom sharing

Each of these areas have equal importance and come with excellent examples of how to develop and excel.  But here’s the thing… we can tell you to walk 20 minutes a day, seven days a week and that’s going to extend your life by 5 years. And we can back it up with science, but is that enough to get you motivated?  Likely not. 

This is where exploring your curiosity comes into play. 

Let’s consider curiosity through a different lens, more like self-reflective curiosity.  It’s curiosity that you not only identify, but like a thread, weave and craft a retirement within the five pillars, that really work for you. 

Using the example of physical wellness, be curious and start to investigate activities that appeal to you. Dig deep to do some research.  What time of day is best for you to work out?  Do you like a certain type of exercise? Are you more motivated by others in a group setting? Do you want to learn a new sport or hobby to make it more fun?  The learning process and research will help you create a connection, an intention, and commit to it.

While curiosity comes naturally to some, many adults need to develop it.  Just like any other skill or habit, it takes practice.  It has been scientifically proven that curiosity is linked to success because it leads to creativity and new discoveries.

We often talk about ways we have improved our retirement journey in our Facebook Group and on social media, and our ultimate goal is that it sparks curiosity in our followers. For example, Mark has a physical wellness vision of being physically independent at the age of 90. So what curiosity looks like to him is understanding and planning how to get there; walking 20 minutes a day, going to the gym on a consistent basis, and consuming foods that are nourishing. Keep in mind that this could look very different for you! Going to the gym might not be the best solution for you. You could get more out of yoga (something a really enjoy!), or weightlifting, or Pilates. The key is to be genuinely curious in exploring what works best for you to make your retirement vision a reality. 

This is the time in your life where you can unlearn some things and relearn others. The five pillars we developed work for us, but maybe for you, there could be a sixth pillar, or maybe only four pillars resonate with you. Try to make room for potential growth as opposed to staying in your comfort zone of what has worked in the past. That’s the thing…the part most exciting about curiosity lies in its potential for future change.

Our curiosity helped us uncover how to have a different kind of retirement than Mark’s father, which in the end didn’t serve him well. He felt he deserved the right to have no plan. He had a “whatever happens, happens attitude.”  We witnessed how that took a toll on him over time… how he got lost in his retirement. We didn’t want that for us so we got really curious about what the next 30 years would look like. It’s not something that you just spend 10 minutes on, jot it down on a piece of paper and say, “All right, this is what we’re going to do.” We work on it and evolve every day.

Getting curious helps to design and plan your retired life, rather than going through the motions.

Over the years, we have been told by our peers that they are searching for a community where they can grow, develop, and find their passion and purpose.  Many retirees have planned their days around errands, as opposed to fulfillment. As you enter into this phase, plan to be the most curious person you’ve ever been in your life. Read books, connect with others in your community, inspire one another to stretch outside of your comfort zones.   

We challenge you to:

1. Have the curiosity to explore that there is something more beyond traditional retirement.
2. Change your mindset and desire change. The fixed mindset of, well, this is just the way it is, is not true. You have the power to create a different reality.  
3. Plan for the future.  Really to be curious about your future. What does the next 20, 30, or 40 years hold for you? What does it look like?

GOAL:   As you get more curious, you can uncover and decide on benchmarks and milestones within your vision.

Your lifetime potential is unlimited.