Do you know what’s next for you in retirement? We continue our exploration of self-reinvention and self-discovery today as we have during this whole monthlong series. On this episode, you’ll learn an important step in the process of self-discovery, which is how to close the book on the past. Before you retire you will want to ask yourself who you really are and who you want to be in the coming years. I interview Skip Prichard, author of The Book of Mistakes, to learn tools we can use to help reinvent ourselves. Learn how to close the door on the past and create your new identity for that new season in life on this episode of Retirement Answer Man. 

A booklist to help you determine what’s next for you

1. The Longevity Economy by Dr. Joseph Coughlin. Dr. Coughlin approaches the subject of longevity with an economic spin. This help will help you deconstruct your internal narrative on growing old. 
2. How to Live Forever by Martin Freedman. This book helps you to ponder what life is really about. It connects great stories and gives examples of how to create a meaningful life. 
3. Halftime by Bob Buford. This book is about changing your game plan for success. It will help you reset your new vision and connect with what's driving you. This is an excellent framework to help you reflect on what you can do next. 
4. Don't Retire, Rewire by Jeri Sedler and Rick Miners. Jeri and Rick provide exercises throughout the book to help you find work and a life that is fulfilling in retirement. 
5. Love Does by Bob Goff. This treasure of a book is a call to action to lean in to do amazing things.
6. The Book of Mistakes by Skip Prichard. You’ll hear more about this one in the Practical Planning segment.
7. Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud. We all know that there are different seasons to life, but finding closure can be a challenge. This book will help you identify and navigate the difficult conversations and actions to help you close out seasons of your life.

How do we define success?

The subtitle of Skip Prichard’s The Book of Mistakes is 9 Steps to Creating a Successful Future. But how do we define success in retirement? Making money is no longer a factor. What are other ways we can define success? Skip believes that success can be defined by the maximization of all of your God-given talents. He thinks the trickiest part of success is finding a balance between peace and aspiration at the same time. We’re not meant to be stagnant. We need to continue to aspire for more but still have peace in our lives. 

What is your why? 

There is so much you can do in retirement. You are no longer bound by the confines of work or family life. Now it’s time to work on your why. One idea is to take a year just to try new things. Learn an instrument, go to shows, look for the things that really drive you. This is your opportunity to design your life to your specifications. But before you do that you need to stop and reflect. Is this really where you want to go? The most important thing you can do in retirement is move toward something, not away from something. 

How do you define yourself in retirement? 

As a society, we have attached ourselves to our labels of what we do for work. But what do you do when you stop working? You don’t want to refer to yourself as a retired lawyer for the rest of yourself. Think about creating your own mission statement. What do you want to be known for? How do you achieve those things? It’s important to plan how you will go about achieving your goals and define the true you. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN HOT TOPIC SEGMENT

• [1:58] A book list for the new you in retirement

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

• [10:55] Why did Skip choose to write The Book of Mistakes in parable form?
• [14:05] How do we define success in retirement?
• [23:44] What is Skip working towards?
• [28:48] How do you define yourself in retirement?
• [32:54] How do we limit distractions?

THE HAPPY LAB SEGMENT

• [39:34] Sometimes we think things are mistakes when they really aren’t

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [42:22] Identify what you need to do to give yourself closure

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

BOOK - The Longevity Economy by Dr. Joseph Coughlin

BOOK - How to Live Forever by Martin Freedman

BOOK - Halftime by Bob Buford

BOOK - Don't Retire, Rewire by Jeri Sedler

BOOK - Love Does by Bob Goff

BOOK - The Book of Mistakes by Skip Prichard

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center