crylam

Most of us are junkies for this. We thrive on at least one fix a day to stay happy. We have had this need since we were toddlers.  We are junkies for it. We like being told good things about who we are. We need the strokes.  We need to be told someone else cares, or noticed us. This force is the power of affirmation . Receiving it from others feels good. It validates much of what we do. The word, a ffirmation, means to state that something is true. In this context it means to praise someone for something. It tells you someone else noticed something positive they want to bring to your attention.  Affirmation fulfills our basic need to feel relevant, useful, and needed. So, if this is a deep seated need we all have then why is it too rare in most of our lives, most of the time? Good question.  I've given this topic some extra thought since my small group from our church had a lively discussion on the subject. All of us admitted we are quick to receive complim...

I have never met a retiree who is trying to "fail" at having a satisfying retirement . By fail, I mean spending time worrying instead of enjoying, stagnating instead of experiencing, and second-guessing major decisions. We expect retirement to be the payoff for years of working, commuting, saving, and delayed gratification. Does it always work that way? For too many of us the answer is, "No."  I believe there are five definite traits and decisions that separate the truly "successful" retirees from the rest of us. While things would run more smoothly if we exhibited these attributes well before the end of our full time working life,   the good news is that any of us can improve the quality of our retirement journey by adopting them now. 1) See retirement as a beginning not an ending. For many of us, what we do for a living defines us. Our job or career controls how we think of and describe ourselves. "What do you do" is the first question virtuall...

How many of us dream of packing up our belongings and moving to Hawaii? The lure of endless sunshine, warm temperatures, seeing the ocean every day, and living close to nature are powerful pulls. How many of us actually make that change? Blogger Laura and husband Brett are one couple that left rainy and chilly Portland for the perpetual summer of Kauai. After a few years of diligent research, serious downsizing, and a willingness to make major lifestyle adjustments, they made their dream a reality. Laura is a regular reader of Satisfying Retirement. I asked her to share her story. She graciously agreed and has provided me with a wealth of information. Her own blog, The Occasional Nomads , provides a fascinating glimpse into all aspects of living over 2,600 miles from the mainland. With her permission I am going to take parts of her past posts and e-mails to me and reproduce them here. I will add some of my own comments to her narrative. Some of what she has to share is what I expecte...

The support, ideas, and cautions have been heard loud and clear. After the post last week, you have stepped up with your thoughts on what you like and what you aren't fond of from Satisfying Retirement , what I should add, and what changes I should make to the blog. Obviously, I am very happy with the strong support that shines through the comments. It appears that the reasons I started the blog continue to be attractive and fulfilled. I appreciate the cautions about the appeal of certain topics. Betty is tickled with your interest in more of her thoughts and photos. As her projects permit, she is anxious to be a more active partner on these pages.  In summary, my response to your feedback: 1. I have absolutely no plans to discontinue Satisfying Retirement. The focus will remain on retirement in all its phases. Since there are 10,000 new retirees every single day in just the United States, and tens of thousands more around the world, the poo...