Now as I
said last week, the Pledge equals the first step on the road to happiness. To
make the most of your retirement you need to always keep in mind the fact that
you are entitled to make yourself as happy as possible. Clichéd as this may sound,
it’s important to wholeheartedly embrace changing phases in your life as
exciting new beginnings.
So let’s
jump right in with the Pledge. Repeat after me:
I hereby swear that I will
act as young as I feel.
I will not fear getting
older or accept a lower quality of life simply because of a number.
I look
forward to the stimulating opportunities that each day brings.
I will welcome
my new freedom because I deserve it.
And most
importantly... I will continue to have a great sex life and never apologise for
wanting it.
To accept
the Pledge is to actively take advantage of the power that a positive attitude
can have in life. Being open to happiness is the starting point to creating the
life you want for yourself. Not only this, but it may also prompt you to notice
and appreciate the good things you have already. These could include a loving
family, a fulfilling range of interests, or even a doting dog that loves you
unconditionally (even more so now that you’re retired and have much more time
to give love back!).
You should
also recognise that you are fully capable of changing many aspects of your life
that you don’t like, often through attitude alone. Remember, negatives are very
often positives in disguise! You just need to keep a look out for them.
Volunteering
in Israel after selling my first business, I met a number of inspiring people
who were able to do just this. I remember feeling guilty at first, for
instance, when I referred a clearly over-qualified 61-year-old former Soviet
University teacher for a cleaning job. Yet he told me he was optimistic about
the future and confident that this experience would lead to him finding much
more suitable work later. He said regaining the opportunity to work at all had
given him back his self-respect. One
year on I was delighted to hear he was now teaching in a local high school.
We can all
learn a lot from individuals like this, those who are able to view even the
worst situations advantageously. In the words of Winston Churchill, “A
pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the
opportunity in every difficulty.” I know which I’d rather be.
In my next
blog I’ll discuss how to use this positivity to fight society’s ageist
attitudes and take flight out of the pigeonhole.
