Ah... retirement. Most of us work hard and delay gratification through our entire lives to be able to get to the age where we can retire. What a magic word! Depending on your personality it may conjure up images of sleeping late, time for your hobbies, puttering around the house or catching up on the many books you've wanted to read. More adventurous folks might imagine travels to exotic places, community work, a vacation home, a new boat and/or the prosperity and time to entertain friends.

If you're heading toward retirement, you have a lot of company; about 76 million baby boomers will be joining you. Many people assume they'll have enough money to retire and don't take the time to really look at the numbers. A recent survey asked financial planners about the amount of money needed to retire successfully. The cold, hard facts were that these professionals believed that only 6 percent of Americans had saved enough for retirement. The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services reports that 96% of all Americans will retire financially dependent on the government, family, or charity.

That's rather sobering, isn't it? It helps to have a sense of humor, however. A cartoon on this topic showed a financial planner speaking to his client, saying. "If you retired today I estimate you could live comfortably until about 2 PM tomorrow."

Where does that leave you? If you're among the 96% who do not have enough to retire comfortably, you'll have to continue working. Does this mean that for the rest of your life you'll be stuck in a so-so job in order to have enough for retirement? Or is it possible to retire well and live a life you love without having a million dollars or more?!

The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Two thoughts come to mind.

1) You can begin to do what you love now and find a way to make a living at it. With this scenario, your life/work/retirement/what-you-do-for-fun can all be one and the same. (What a concept!)

2) In addition, you can determine what's important to you as you grow older, and find a creative way to fund that hobby, lifestyle or interest.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to begin living your life now as if you were already retired? What would that look and feel like to you? Jerry Gillies, who wrote the book Money Love, defined prosperity as "...living easily and happily in the real world, whether you have money or not."

Let's look at some options:

Work part-time or start your own business.
There is an overwhelming amount of research that shows that people who have an active interest in life and a support system of friends live longer and healthier lives. The reality is that while some may have the fantasy of sitting around in their rocking chair after retirement, that lifestyle gets boring fast! Now is the time to make the decision about what you've always wanted to do when you were grown up and begin to take small steps towards actualizing that vision. For example, a colleague in her 50's always dreamed of being an artist. She's partially funding her retirement by selling her oil paintings in a growing number of galleries.

Perhaps you've always wanted to write a book, be an interior decorator, run a flower shop, work with disadvantaged kids or volunteer for the Peace Corp. Whatever it is, you've probably had it in the back of your mind for years. Begin to see your retirement years as permission to do what you love. If not now, when?!

Live well on less.
Mortgages, automobiles, food and clothing are where we spend a great deal of our money. How could you downsize and still enjoy a leisurely retirement? Perhaps a move from a house to a condo might be in your future? Inviting friends over for a home-cooked meal instead of to an expensive restaurant could be a great way to showcase your passion for cooking and at the same time, save some money. Decide what your priorities are. If world travel is an absolute necessity in order for you to enjoy your retirement, what could you cut back on that would allow you to journey in style? When you identify what you want from life, look closely at "how you can" rather than "why you can't." Your intuition will begin to provide the answers.

Many people view their retirement years as a time to do something out of the ordinary. Perhaps downsizing is really not your cup of tea, so what are some ways you could continue your current lifestyle and not run out of money? Be willing to be creative! Another retirement age colleague was adamant about being able to both keep her dream house and travel in style. She ended up being able to do both by asking her best friend to be her roommate and traveling companion. They shared the mortgage and travel expenses and had a ball!

Educate yourself about money and investments
An important part of retiring well is learning about personal financial management. While the world of financial information may seem overwhelming at first, start small. Talk to a professional about your economic situation. Take a class in financial planning. Read a beginner's guide to personal finance or subscribe to one of the many good magazines on the subject. You'll also want to make sure you have financial protection for your loved ones in the event that something should happen to you. One of the best ways to help ensure your family's future financial security is to purchase life insurance. Don't allow your lack of knowledge to get in the way securing a successful retirement. You're never too old or too young to plan for your future!

Take some risks and be willing to enjoy yourself.
Retirement can be fraught with anxiety if you let it. It may seem like the height of absurdity to be asking yourself at 50+ years old, "What do I want to be when I grow up?!" However you're never too old to change and grow!

As you approach retirement your future seems so unknown. You don't have a job to go to, kids to look after or a boss to report to. Will you be healthy? Will you have friends and family around or will you be alone? No one can answer those questions for you. But how would you live your life if you knew you were going to die in a year? Is there anything left undone? How would you like your obituary to read? I'd like mine to read, in part, "She lived her life passionately and enthusiastically, encouraging others to do the same."

Perhaps this is the first time you haven't had a goal and you feel stuck and in a rut. Your intuition is always giving you clues about what to do next. Begin today by asking yourself, "What would be fun?" or "If I had an ideal life, I would?" What comes to mind when you ask those questions? Start small and keep taking the steps that your inner guidance suggests to you.

Author and mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote: "Follow your bliss and doors will open where there were no doors before." Julia Cameron, author of  The Artist's Way put it like this: "Leap and the net will appear!" But at some mysterious point, you have no choice but to go. There is an irony in following one's bliss as one comes of age. There is never a perfect time and there will never be a more perfect time. Be willing to take a risk and go for it with gusto.

See the glass half full
What are the important things in your life? A young girl was recently interviewed on television following a family catastrophe. She said, "We may not be rich in money right now, but we're rich in friends and love." Feel the blessing of all that you do have in your life.

Gratitude invites abundance of all kinds. Perhaps you have a close-knit family, good health or a profitable skill. There is always a lot to be thankful for if you take the time to look. If you're really having trouble coming up with something you're grateful for, you might take comfort in the words of one woman, "I'm sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt."

Retirement planning is something to think about at any age. As you envision your older years, rank the importance of the following:

___ Having friends and family close by.
___ Staying physically active.
___ Making a contribution to society.
___ Having unscheduled time for myself.
___ Traveling alone or with friends.
___ Continuing to work in my current career.
___ Finding a new way to make a living.
___ Devoting time and energy towards a hobby.
___ Other (describe)

Look at the above list and take some time to evaluate your priorities. What are some ways that you can begin now to plan for a happy and fulfilling retirement? The change to a retired lifestyle doesn't need to take place abruptly at a specific age. The happiest folks are the ones who have enjoyed the planning of their retired years as much as the fulfillment of them.

Lynn Robinson, M.Ed., is one of the nation's leading experts on the topic of intuition. Her most recent books include Real Prosperity, Compass of the Soul and Divine Intuition. Lynn is a popular and widely recognized author and motivational speaker, as well as a columnist and the Intuition-At-Work Expert for iVillage.com. Her free monthly "Intuition Newsletter" is available at her Web site, http://www.LynnRobinson.com.

© 2004 Lynn Robinson, M.Ed. All rights reserved in all media.