Our two oldest children turn thirteen this year and let’s just say it’s become more difficult to wake them up in the morning for school.
I realize their bodies are changing, friends are becoming more important, and looking a certain way is vital to them, but it’s still draining.
Like a typical dad, I have threatened to splash water on them, blare loud music, and even use an annoying air horn. Of course, my wife takes a totally different approach and has more patience.
However, recently, she hit the wall herself and nothing was working on a cold March morning. She had no choice but to reach deep into her bag of tricks. Instead of opening the door with a reminder to get up, she walked quietly up to our oldest child’s bed, and whispered, “Hey bud, good news, you guys have a snow day today!”
You would have thought it was Christmas morning. He shot straight up in bed, rubbed his eyes with a huge smile on his face, exclaiming “Really?”
We all know that feeling! When your situation suddenly changes, and new possibilities open up.
Let me share with you that my wife has this amazing talent of being quiet after she says something like that, in this case, turning away from the conversation to pick up some dirty laundry, which was just enough to get him to slide out of his covers and put his feet on the floor.
Once contact with the floor was made, she smiled and said, “No I was just kidding, but you need to get up and get going.”
Her reply was met with a typical teen ager sigh and an exaggerated eye roll.
But it was short lived.
They both chuckled and the day was underway.
While it’s a situation many parents and teens may have experienced, there is a hidden message in this unique wake up call for people heading into or already in retirement.
Many new and existing retirees are asleep at the wheel and they aren’t getting the message.
It’s becoming harder and harder to wake people up to the reality that you have to plan beyond the dollar and cents of life to make a successful transition from work life to home life.
Quite frankly, it’s exhausting to keep writing articles like this to nicely say, “Hey, you need a non-financial plan to replace your work identity, fill your time, stay relevant and connected, as well as keep mentally and physically sharp."
Even worse, many of the very people that retirees rely most on for retirement, financial advisors, don’t even get it.
Once again, my first inclination is to splash water on people, blare music, and even use an air horn to wake them up to this new reality.
But instead, I want to my wife’s approach to whisper something that will cause you to shoot straight up.
There is only one problem.
I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what your snow day in life is anymore. I don’t know the thing that makes you feel like it’s Christmas morning, like there are endless possibilities, and new doors are flying open.
Harsh reality is, many of you may not know what this is either. Parts of your life have been put on auto-pilot, making it hard to get up and get going. Yes, your body is changing, friends are more important than ever but harder and harder to come by, and the way you look and feel plays a vital role in how you feel about your life in retirement.
This needs to be your wake-up call to figure out what will cause you to shoot straight up from bed when you hear it.
Just as my wife turned away for that brief moment in order to create some positive action, I want you to do the same.
Take a moment to write down, “It’s A Snow Day” somewhere near you and look at it throughout the day.
Reflect on it and work towards writing down the things that will make you jump out of bed.
That one simple exercise can have a profound impact on your life because of what I know about snow days.
You see, when our kids actually have a snow day, they never sleep in and don’t have to be woken up.
They’re at the breakfast table at, or before, their normal wake up times, ready to make the most of the day.
Your days in retirement can be the same with a little coaching and planning on the non-financial aspects of it.
Are you ready and willing to be woken up?
Retirement today is more about you than your money. Take our retirement priorities quiz now, and then access our free non-financial guides & resources at RetirementProject.org.
Sometimes she walks into their rooms 3-4 different times to get them moving.
