The 7 Skills That Make Retirement Better, at Any Age, That No One Tells You About (But You Desperately Need)
Ok. You've been told about a few of these but you undoubtedly need to hear them again.
Retirement is simple, right? It’s just do what you want, when you want, the way you want. It’s not age related. It’s not work related. It’s the ability and the confidence to know you can meet any challenge that smacks you in the face.
If you can handle problems with grace and focus and competence, you’re bullet proof.
It’s called freedom. It should be called retirement.
And it’s about money. Money isn’t the end-all, be-all, the Swiss-army-knife-style solution to every problem. And it’s certainly not a guarantee for happiness. But you’re going to need money. You’ll need some in the bank and some flowing in. You can’t live in the world without money. Earning and managing money is a basic skill. If you were a caveman your basic survival skills would be all about fire. Today, it’s money.
The secret is preparing yourself with the skill sets you need to thrive. The goal here is freedom. And living a life of freedom requires skills that must be earned. It’s not a longevity award. Trudging to a 9-to-5 everyday, coming home and vegging out in front of a screen with a beer isn’t an answer. You’re not moving towards a retirement.
You need to acquire ‘a particular set of skills.’ No one is handing out gold watches.
These are the ‘evergreen’ skills you’ll need before you retire regardless of how old you are:
Purpose & Meaning
You will need a purpose. Purpose creates meaning for time and effort and energy. It creates a focus. It gets you up before the alarm clock rings. It creates an identity. Identity informs your values. It guides our interactions with society and the world.
Say what you want about being all hippy-dippy but life is a mess without clarity of purpose at any age.
If your purpose was closely tied to a job you will need to create a new one. Jobs often determine how we interact with the world and the people around us. Remove it and you can feel lost. The best way to cultivate purpose is to live with curiosity, be willing to evolve, and take action toward what matters most.
Evolving is important because what no one tells you is your purpose will change. Hopefully, not the way you treat people but what you see as important. Perhaps you worked 60+ hour weeks at a job, developing new products, managing teams, and your day was filled with responsibility and creativity. Maybe now you’re interested in being a mentor or teaching or working at a community center. You have the same drive but it’s now focused on your community versus your company.
Follow your interests. Remain engaged. Purpose isn’t fixed, like some pre-written genetic code that kicks in at birth. It’s fluid—it shifts as we grow and as our circumstances change. A person who found purpose in building a career might later find it in mentoring the next generation.
Follow your interests, your concerns, your outrage to purpose.
Financial Literacy
Every financial advisor will tell you to live below your means. Put away the latte. And yes, there is some common sense in this approach. It’s always better to spend less than you make. Part of this is just delaying gratification. It’s a marshmallow test. Don’t go into debt. Be satisfied with a Honda Accord at least for now. Etc. Etc.
But you want more. This means you must increase revenue (You’ll want and need multi-streams of income. We’ll get there in a sec.). You can decrease spending and save but the pie remains the same size. Or you can increase revenue and save and create a bigger pie. Those are the only two options. Period. I want a bigger pie.
Understand compound interest (it creates exponential returns). The principle is fairly simple. Pay yourself first in the form of an investment. Put your money to work earning interest. Then your interest will begin to earn interest. And it builds. But don’t eat your children. In other words reinvest the profits. Let it grow. Marshmallows. Remember.
There are lots of methods to leverage compound interest. You could be into, high-yield dividend stocks, index funds, bonds, high yield savings accounts, or even crypto. You need to understand each of these. It’s a skill. Pick one or two and invest. Start the fire.
Time Management for Freedom
If you’re normal day began with an alarm clock followed by a morning regiment which led to you walking out the door and heading to work; you’ve led a somewhat structured life. Maybe it was driven by the job but structure is structure. We need a level or order in our lives.
Do not allow life or Netflix to fill the sudden void in your life that retirement can create. Organize your day. You’ll need to keep the same focus. Split your days between work (learning), hobbies (follow your interests), family and friends (we need social outlets), exercise (just move) and obligations (admin stuff). The blocks of time may be the same but the time allocated to each is up to you.
Create new goals. You have to be striving towards something. Learn a new skill, language, or go back and do something you loved as a child. Build your goals around your interests Read. Write. Speak up.
Secret of secrets: Say no, more than you say yes. The goal isn’t to let others fill your time slots. The goal is to manage your time in a manner that fills you with joy. Doesn’t mean every day is a happy day. Doesn't mean you don't socialize or help friends and family. But make sure it stays as ‘your day.’Social & Relationship Building
Sorry, but your work friends won’t remain your daily friends. They still got their work stuff. They’re still bouncing up at the sound of the alarm clock. You may be able to meet on a monthly basis but unless you’re acting as a mentor or consultant this will gradually wain.
It’s ok. Everything dies. It makes room for new growth.
You’re going to need to foster new relationships. You can start with family. Or reach out to old friends you’ve lost touch with (I call an old friend once a week to catch up). The critical element is to stay connected. We need our social bonds for our mental health. Do not become isolated. We’re pack animals and we need our tribe.
And even better we need multiple tribes. Multiple friend or interest groups keeps us from getting connected to unhealthy groups. Groups that only want members to support the leaders goals without questions or thought are trouble. Groups that try to isolate you are trouble. Run. Cut them out and start over.
You can use your interests here as well. Find hobbies and skills and take a class. Love chess? Or Backgammon? Or Dungeon and Dragons? I promise there is a local club you can join (in person is better but online will work as well). You’ll have fun and interact with lots of people from different backgrounds. Diversity is your friend. New is novel and our minds crave new especially in our personal networks.
Hobbies & Lifelong Learning
Become obsessed with learning. It’s a skill. It’s not about the hobby you choose. Any hobby will do. If you’re interested. Maybe not taxidermy. But if it turns you on go for it. The secret is to love learning. Get good at it. It keeps your brain sharp and active.
It’ll create new synapses in your brain.
You brain is like a gardener. It’ll snip out old or weak or little used synapses. It’s called synaptic pruning. It’ll also create new neural networks when you’re learning new skills. You need different parts of your brain to become proficient. Your brain will help. It’s a problem solver and presented with new problems it will create new connections.
But how?
Embrace the beginner’s mindset. You are not an expert. You’re not perfect. You will look silly at times. You will flop. babies will fall up to 17 times an hour every day until they learn to walk. They usually just laugh, get up, and fall again. This is how new skills are learned. This is the beginner’s mindset.
Be multi-modal in your learning. Read. Draw. Scribble note. Watch videos. Go to events. Apply multiple styles of study to your learning. You’ll learn quicker and more thoroughly. But most of all learn by doing. Don’t wait to be good. Just do.
Space your learning out. New studies show that spaced learning sessions improve retention and learning. You need a little down time to allow your brain to get to work. This method is especially effective when learning new languages or games. Study hard. Then give yourself a short break.
Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, asked to be buried in a white belt instead of a black belt. Kano wanted to be remembered as a student, not a master.Health & Longevity Planning
Let’s keep this simple. There are millions of spots on line you can learn to live a healthier, happier - and the happier part is just as important as the healthy part - that you can incorporate into your life. Seek them out. And in the meantime, this is what. you need:
Exercise right. Movement is critical. If you have an interest in some type of physical training - jiu jitsu or weight training or cross training - great, follow your interest. The learning will keep you fit. But if that’s not your thing just move everyday. Get up and walk. First thing. Outside. Stretch. Do the plank. Create your own routine. I have six exercises I do daily. Plank. Cross Arc. Pushups. Squats. Hip escapes. Lunges. Then I’ll touch my toes a few times and head out for a walk. That’s it. Find your sweet spot. Remember it’s just making sure you have enough movement in your day to day life.
Eat right. Prepare my own meals as much as possible from scratch. Start breakfast early with eggs. Cup of coffee. No carbs. Drink a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed in 24 oz. of water, later in the day. Late lunch usually a sandwich and salad. That’s it. It’s enough for me.
If we plan a dinner out, or I saw a dinner recipe that looks cool, I usually skip lunch. I’m not a slave to any of this. I enjoy food. I pay attention to prepping it. Cooking it. And eating it. I do love a chocolate chip cookie but I usually bake them myself. This works for me. Or so my doctor tells me - and please, schedule regular check ups with your doctor. Stay ahead of your health.
Find your way.
Adaptability & Tech Skills
If you’re ‘retiring’ at a young age, you likely have a set of tech skills you rely upon. Learning and operating a business today requires a level of expertise. If you’re just retiring after a long career you may need to adapt and improve your knowledge on computer and tech skills.
Be adaptable. Technology evolves at a rapid pace, and those who resist change often find themselves feeling isolated, frustrated, or dependent on others for simple tasks.
Technology can be a time saver. It can manage you finances, connect you to family and friends through video chats, and it can help keep your schedule straight. it’s a tool that can make your life easier. The good news is that learning technology doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The key is to develop a growth mindset and treat technology like any other skill—one that can be learned with patience, practice, and curiosity.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here walking among us. You are using it now whether you know it or not. It’s not science fiction—it’s woven into everyday life, from personalized health monitoring to AI-driven financial planning. It can help answer questions, plan vacations, or even recommend the best books based on your interests. AI-powered apps can transcribe notes, simplify complex topics, and provide tailored fitness routines. Embrace it. It’ll help you stay relevant and independent.
That’s It
Master these skills and you’re ready. Take the plunge. It’s amazing how many of these skills work together. Want to start your own business? One you enjoy? Adding income to your monthly revenue? Then you’ll have to study new things, learn tech skills, embrace AI, talk to new people, and reach out to new groups. These skills work together.
Here’s to your successful ‘retirement.’
Read. Study. Learn. Write. Speak up.
Think About It…
What would you say to your younger self? People always ask this. My answer is always the same.
Hey kid, you don’t know shit.
It’s not that your not smart. It’s just that you don’t know what will be important tomorrow. Change comes. It arrives welcome or unwelcome. You can’t predict. So just keep learning. And amor fati. Love your fate. Love your life. Or fix it.
Once you know, that you don’t know, you’ll be kinder. You’ll help more. You’ll embrace a growth mindset. You’ll be happier.
What would you tell yourself?
Do it…
Journal it: Try writing something this week. But not on a screen. No computers. Just pick up a pen and a note book and write. Scribbling is okay. Drawing pictures is okay. Filling the pages with single words is okay. Just put pen to paper..
Read it: The Idiot by Fydor Dostoevsky. I’m re-reading this. It’s very relevant right now when it seems morals and ethics don’t matter and the bad guys are winning. Is there room for ethics and beauty? Or does the end justify any means?
Watch it: Probably got your fill of the Oscar’s over the weekend. And in case you didn’t notice Gene Hackman died. RIP. Try these two Oscar nominated Hackman movies that vividly showcase his versatility. The Conversation. And The Royal Tenebaums.
If you want to check out some great reading list and see which books have influenced, surprised, educated, and entertained me, check out my book shop here. The lists grow monthly and I don’t recommend any books I haven’t personally read. Yes, I get a little commission but if you’re going to buy a book anyway, please buy it here. It may be a buck or two more than Amazon but a part of every purchase goes to support local book stores. Independent book stores are a center for independent thought. Help keep them alive. You can also check out my book recommendation engine. It’s fun.