Many new retirees are very curious and excited to do things they haven't done before or haven't had time to do while working. Many enter retirement with solidified SMART...
Planning for the future is something we all do. When you are approaching the end of your career, one thing that should be on your mind is how you will spend your retirement days. It can be challenging, especially after a career that has spanned multiple decades. Finally unlacing the boots and hanging that jacket for the last time is going to make you emotional. Still, it will also compel you to ask yourself, "How am I going to spend my time now?"
Retirement is a time to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. It's a time to do all the things you've always wanted to do but never had the time or energy for. But with so much freedom and opportunity, it can be overwhelming to decide what to do with your newfound free time. That's where a retirement bucket list comes in. A retirement bucket list is a list of goals, dreams, and adventures you want to accomplish during your retirement years. Here are 10 reasons why you should create a retirement bucket list today!
Top 10 Reasons to Create a Retirement Bucket List
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Gives You a Direction
Once you are retired, your life can feel directionless. You don't have to wake up early in the morning, dress up, go to work and do the same things over and over again. Once you are retired and have fewer things to do, you will miss your work, and you will feel that you don't have any direction. Having a bucket list with some exciting things can give you direction in life. It can help you make goals that will keep you busy and entertained even after your retirement.
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Makes You Realize Your Purpose in Life
In addition to feeling directionless, you may also feel like your life has no purpose. However, you should realize that you weren't born to work a 9 to 5 job and pay bills. There is so much more to life than work. You may even experience the best time of your life after you are retired. So, never think that you don't have a purpose in life. Start working on your bucket list months or even years before your retirement. It will help you understand and fulfill your purpose in life.
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Provides a Sense of Accomplishment
A retirement bucket list is something you plan on doing after you are retired. Imagine you work at a place for 30+ years, and then you retire. How would you feel about going through your bucket list, which you made throughout the last decades? It's finally time for you to do what you wanted to do but could not while working. So completing the tasks on your bucket list is going to give you a sense of accomplishment. -
Helps You Prioritize Your Actions
When people retire, they tend to focus more on things they couldn't do while working. So when you start making a bucket list, try to write the tasks in one sequence, so you know which task has high priority and which has low priority. You can put the task with the highest priority on the top, so you can complete that task once you retire. This will you will be able to prioritize your actions.
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Try Something New
Many people retire and look back at their lives and think they missed out on a lot of opportunities. You don't have to be that person. When you make your bucket list, try to add things that you have never tried before. Try to add something new to the mix. Don't have any regrets years down the road. If there is something you couldn't do in your youth, try and do it now. If you want to go paragliding, then go for it. If you have never flown in a plane, get a ticket and go to wherever you want to go. You are never too old to try new things.
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Perfect For Creating Excitement in Your Life
As already mentioned, retirement can make your life dull. So in order to create excitement in your post-retirement life, it is a great idea to have a bucket list. Try to add things that you have always wanted to try. It will boost the excitement level, and you will look forward to your retirement. -
Manage Your Finances Better With a Bucket List
You can manage your finances better by creating a bucket list. Once you know what you will do after you retire, you will start thinking about saving money way before you retire. Creating a bucket list will also help you calculate the amount of money you need in order to complete all the tasks on your bucket list.
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Keeps You Active
You may find many people around you who became lazy after their retirement. This usually stems from the thinking that they worked their entire life and now it's time for them to relax. However, being lazy can have adverse effects on your mind and body. Having a bucket list will ensure that you stay active and make the most of your time in your retirement. -
Makes You Interesting
Everyone has a story they feel would be interesting to one day share with their grandchildren. If you don't have one, then post-retirement is the time to create one. Imagine yourself hiking mountains and ziplining in the latter years of your life. This will make you interesting in front of your family and everyone else in your life.
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Influence Others
By creating a bucket list and working on the tasks written on the list, you can become more active, productive, and interesting. This is good for you and the people around you as you may inspire other people to create their own retirement bucket lists. This will help improve their lives for the better, and you will feel happy knowing that you are the reason for their happiness.
Are you trying to decide what to put on your retirement bucket list? Check out our post, 10 Ideas for Your Retirement Bucket List! Then check out Part 2: 10 MORE Ideas for Your Retirement Bucket List!
Let us know in the comments below - What inspired your retirement bucket list?
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