Category: Redworks Blog (all posts)

It’s time to stop being so mean to ourselves.

Let’s stop being Debbie Downers and Negative Nancy’s…?

It’s time to shut down our nasty little inner critic.

That voice will always be there…unless we start taking control of it and learn that not all our thoughts are worth listening to. ?

Our minds can be our own worst enemy and one way to battle through all the noise is to practice mindfulness and live in the present moment.

It’s time to find clarity in our heads and start catching those negative thoughts and fears when they arise, and turn them into something good. ?

You’re awesome. You can do this. You got this.

Take one minute today and be still. Just breathe in and out and focus on your breath. Then do it again tomorrow, and the day after that…and the day after that. And see what happens. ??

According to Family Service Canada, boredom is the number one reason for dissatisfaction in retirement. Without a person’s routine and social contacts of the workplace, many people feel alone and disengaged from their usual social circle.

You are going to have a lot more time (at least 8 hours / day or 2000 days / year) and anywhere from 20 – 30 years + of life in retirement available to pursue personal interests or hobbies. How will you spend all this extra time?

Now is the time to start planning now BEFORE you retire to start thinking about what you would like to do in your retirement.

What do you love to do? Is it sports, being creative, reading, travelling, gardening, volunteering? What are your interests? What did you love to do as a kid? What did you love to do when you we’re in high school? As a young adult? Or before the kids were born? How will you want to spend an ordinary day?

Fears can be debilitating as they can stop us from achieving our dreams and doing the things we want to do. So, don’t let your fears stop you from living the life you want.

Identify, understand and take action to overcome your fears. These are important steps in preparing yourself psychologically for your retirement.

Visit www.powerupyourretirement.com to watch the ‘Ten Most Common Fears About Retirement’ Masterclass video.

Marielle Gauthier, owner and principal of Redworks Communications, is a certified Results coach; an Associate Certified Coach (ACC); and a Conversational Intelligence Coach. 

To receive updates about Marielle’s retirement coaching program, training and webinars or for more information on coaching services contact Marielle at marielle@redworkscoaching.com or visit www.powerupyourretirement.com.

The “S” word is a very very bad word.

Yes, I’m talking about STRESS.

And for a lot of you, you may have spent the majority of your day today caring for everyone but yourself.

I know the other “S” word….self-care….can be a bit overused these days but honestly, caring for yourself and your needs is one of the best ways to manage stress, pre-retirement and during retirement.

If you’re getting close to retirement AKA living’ the dream, or you’re already there — you may be worrying about things like not having enough money, or losing relationships…so it’s time to take a deep breath and think of what you can do to ease these woes…

Take a bath, read a book, meditate, take a class at the gym, go out with friends…whatever floats your boat.

Other ways you can battle stress?

• Eat a balanced, nutritious diet

• Get more sleep

• Drink water

• Start a gratefulness journal

• Laugh

• Enjoy a hobby or learn a new one

And seriously, lower your expectations for that “perfect’ retirement life and take one day at a time. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Right now, I want you to take a deep breath and write down one thing you’re grateful for and it’ll be your first step in self-care today.

Being retired also means your boss can’t say to you, “Looks like you’ve got a case of the Mondays…” EVER AGAIN. #officespace

Since retirement means more time with friends and family, more freedom and a lot less stress, feeling those happy feels should hopefully come a lot easier.

It used to be most Canadians shared an idea of what retirement looked like. You worked until you were 65 and then you punched your timecard and spent the rest of your days on the golf course, travelling the world or spending time with your grandkids. If you were lucky enough to have squirreled away more money, you might have quit your job five or even 10 years earlier than you planned.

In 2019, not so much. The definition of retirement is evolving and it’s now different for everyone. One person may be able to fully retire at 55 while others are working part-time after they’re 65.

Some people are starting new businesses, going back to school or selling their homes, buying an RV and travelling. Some people are buying a recreational property down south or maybe staying close to home to be near family and friends. Some people will go back into the workforce, and some people have no idea how they want to spend the next 20 to 30-plus years of their lives.

People need to plan before they retire so they know how much money they’ll need to make their dreams come true. It’s important that people have a plan and know what they’ll need to financially support it.

But it’s not all about money. One of the most important things people can do to prepare for retirement is to deal with the non-financial side of retirement. If you’re one of these people, ask yourself:

• What will make you happy?

• What’s on your bucket list?

• What are you passionate about?

• What do you want to do less of and more of?

• What will bring meaning and fulfillment into your life?

Doing this type of planning before you retire will help you determine where you can start making changes now and will also help you reduce any fears or anxiety you may have about the transition. It will help you not to waste a minute of your precious post-career time and planning will give you the confidence that you have enough money to live the retired life you want. This all adds up to a healthy, active and meaningful second half of life.

One of the biggest challenges people face is finding their purpose and living a meaningful life. Some people experience a loss of identity in their post-career life, which is totally normal, especially if you’ve spent the majority of your career at one job.

If you’re experiencing any worries or fears about retiring, try to identify the reason behind it. Taking action to explore those fears will help you overcome them. It’s the first step in preparing yourself psychologically for your retirement.

If you need to get clarity on your purpose – create a vision for your retirement, explore what you could do and develop goals you wish to accomplish. The most important thing is to write this all down. Putting pen to paper will increase your chances of success in accomplishing these goals.

Retirement can be a little scary, but it doesn’t need to be. Planning for your retirement will help generate a deeper understanding of what is important to you, gain clarity on what you really want, and will help you focus on your desires and personal growth.

That way you can take action, get energized and start getting excited about this incredible life change.

Marielle Gauthier, owner and principal of Redworks Communications, is a certified Results coach; an Associate Certified Coach (ACC); a Conversational Intelligence Coach, and an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC).

To receive updates about Marielle’s retirement coaching program, training and webinars or for more information on coaching services contact Marielle at marielle@redworkscoaching.com or visit www.powerupyourretirement.com.

Are you one of the 400,000 Canadians who will be retiring in this year? Are you 2 – 3 years away from retirement but have many fears about your retirement or retirement in general? If you do don’t worry you are not alone!

Retirement is commonly an emotional time. Whether it’s missing the ‘comfort’ of a schedule, loss of structure and routine, dealing with the loss of work relationships, or losing a sense of purpose, it’s common for people adjusting to retirement to experience a range of worries and fears.

The impact of the non-financial issues like social and psychological factors plays a HUGE role in a successful retirement.

In fact, research has shown that almost half of people entering retirement struggle with the transition into a post-career life.

For many people who don’t plan or manage the transition well, the consequences can be significant including boredom, inactivity, isolation, depression, and even addictions.

But it’s not all doom and gloom – you can decrease your feelings of overwhelm, fears, concerns, and apprehension about retirement by working on preparing yourself psychologically.

In this ‘Most Common Fears About Retirement’ blog series we will look at the fears people have and a few tips for consideration on how to overcome those fears.

Fears can be debilitating as they can stop us from achieving our dreams and doing the things we want to do. So, don’t let your fears stop you from living the life you want.

Identify, understand and take action to overcome your fears. These are important steps in preparing yourself psychologically for your retirement.

If you are curious as to what pre-retirees are struggling with, watch the FREE Masterclass on the Ten Most Common Retirement Fears at: www.powerupyourretirement.com

Marielle Gauthier, owner and principal of Redworks Communications, is a certified Results coach; an Associate Certified Coach (ACC); and a Conversational Intelligence Coach, and an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC).

To receive updates about Marielle’s retirement coaching program, training and webinars or for more information on coaching services contact Marielle at marielle@redworkscoaching.com or visit www.powerupyourretirement.com.

She is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.