How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free : Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor

by Zelinski, Ernie J.

• ISBN13: 9781580085786
• ISBN10: 1580085784
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Visions Int'l / Zelinski

Summary

Retirement does not have to mean the end of life-in fact it can mean a whole new beginning to the life you never had time to explore. In HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE, best-selling author Ernie J. Zelinksi shows that the key to enjoying an active and satisfying retirement is dependent on much more than just having adequate financial resources. It means paying attention to all aspects of life, including leisure activities, creative pursuits, physical and mental well-being, and solid social support. With its friendly format, lively cartoons, and captivating quotations, Zelinski'?s guide offers inspirational advice on how to follow your dreams instead of someone else'?s, how to put your retirement in proper perspective, and how to enjoy life after work. A retirement guide from best-selling author Ernie J. Zelinski. Features tips for taking early retirement; in fact, the earlier the better. Ernie J. Zelinski'?s best-selling THE JOY OF NOT WORKING has sold more than 150,000 copies in 15 languages.

Author Biography

ERNIE J. ZELINSKI has an Engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Alberta. Because he is truly organizationally averse, he has not had a real job for over twenty-five years. Ernie speaks professionally on the subjects of real success, retirement, and applying creativity to business and leisure.

Table of Contents

Preface	1	(4)
Chapter 1: Thank Heaven for Retirement!	5	(32)
Perhaps it's time to tell your boss, "I'm outta here!"	5	(5)
Retirement should put a perpetual smile on your face	10	(4)
To not plan for an active retirement is to set yourself up for a difficult one	14	(4)
You are never too young to retire	18	(2)
Retiring too late means you don't get another chance to do it right	20	(3)
You can have your retirement cake and eat it too	23	(4)
A major dilemma: life is short - and so is money	27	(7)
If deep down you know you are ready, "just do it!"	34	(3)
Chapter 2: Retirement: A Time to Become Much More than You Have Ever Been	37	(38)
Retirement can set you free	37	(2)
To have no aptitude for leisure is to have no aptitude for life	39	(6)
Create a new identity because your old one won't do	45	(5)
Being on purpose is easy if you have one	50	(7)
Finding and pursuing your true calling can make retirement the best time of your life	57	(4)
Work at something that is not so much a job, but a fun thing to do	61	(4)
Reclaiming your creative spirit will put joyful purpose into your retirement life	65	(6)
Not writing a book can be more difficult than writing one	71	(4)
Chapter 3: So Many Worlds, 50 Much to Do!	75	(34)
To be bored is to retire from life	75	(5)
Plant your Get-a-Life Tree and watch it grow and grow	80	(11)
You don't have to watch one minute of TV when you retire - and perhaps you shouldn't	91	(3)
An ounce of action is worth a ton of sitting around	94	(8)
Create new structures and routines with your leisure	102	(3)
Early to bed and early to rise makes a person dull, boring, and despised	105	(4)
Chapter 4: Take Special Care of Yourself - Because No One Else Will!	109	(22)
You too can exercise your right to a healthy and happy retirement	109	(5)
Obesity is getting too widespread - avoid it if you can	114	(3)
If you don't take care of your body, where do you intend to live?	117	(3)
The shortcut to being truly fit and trim is long-term rigorous action	120	(3)
An active walk in nature is the best medicine for many of your ailments	123	(3)
Your mind needs a good run too	126	(5)
Chapter 5: Learning Is for Life	131	(10)
Commit yourself to being a lifelong learner and your life will never be without purpose	131	(1)
Become a college drop-in and stay more engaged in life	132	(2)
Take a joy course for personal growth, self-development, and lifelong learning	134	(1)
Work on a university degree and experience a sense of belonging with younger people	135	(1)
It's more fun to be wired than not	136	(2)
Elderhostel will help you discover the world	138	(3)
Chapter 6: Your Wealth Is Where Your Friends Are	141	(24)
Above all, friends make life complete	141	(4)
Two or three real friends are worth more than a hundred superficial ones	145	(5)
You can't wait at home to be discovered	150	(5)
Keep active and enjoy yourself while looking for love	155	(5)
You grow most when you are alone	160	(5)
Chapter 7: Travel for Fun, Adventure, and More	165	(18)
Take yourself out of your element and inspire yourself with new insights	165	(1)
Spend all the money that you can on travel if travel really turns you on	166	(1)
Tips on how to enhance your next journey	167	(2)
Use the Internet to make your travel adventures affordable and enjoyable	169	(1)
Travel with a difference	170	(2)
Implement something unique into your next trek	172	(2)
Become an ecotourist	174	(1)
You don't have to be rich to spend a month or two in a warmer climate	175	(1)
Enjoy yourself in a myriad of ways at a recreational vehicle retirement resort	176	(1)
Why travel alone when you don't have to?	177	(1)
Swap your house for a neat pad in some faraway paradise	177	(2)
Try a working vacation for a more satisfying traveling experience	179	(3)
Journey close to home and do the things that an out-of-town tourist might do	182	(1)
Chapter 8: Relocate to Where Retirement Living Is Best	183	(8)
Live somewhere else and do what you have always wanted to do	183	(4)
Consider moving to a college town	187	(2)
The secret to a really wonderful retired lifestyle	189	(2)
Chapter 9: Happiness Doesn't Care How You Get There	191
Retirement is not a time to sleep, but a time to awaken to the beauty of the world around you	191	(5)
Celebrate your eccentricity and you will be set free	196	(4)
If money can buy happiness, then why aren't you selling some of yours?	200	(5)
You will overlook the silver lining if you are always expecting gold	205	(3)
Be happy while you are alive because you are a long time dead	208	(4)
It's better to live rich than to die rich	212	(4)
Helping others can make life more worthwhile and you happier than you have ever been	216	(3)
Forget how old you are - this becomes more important the older you get	219	(3)
Don't leave this world with songs unsung that you would like to sing	222