I have written a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing the book. This is an excerpt.
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When to retire
I have known people who retired at the age of 60 simply to play golf and watch TV.
What if they had set goals instead?
With 60 years of experience and wisdom, they could retire and use their extra time to write books, learn another language, teach classes, teach Sunday school, or travel.
At least take the time to write your memoirs for your grandkids. Your kids may not read them. Your grandkids might.
In 2022, I read one of the saddest books I have ever read.
The author tracked her experience through a college Latin degree. She references her own mother often. She pursued Latin late in life because she didn’t want to end up like her mother.
After her mother’s children grew up and moved away, the author’s mother drank herself to death. When others recommended she do something new, or something useful, her response was always the same. “I’m done.” She died in her sixties.
I have known people like this. Not to put too fine a point on it, they retire and wait to die.
I have a different suggestion. If you want to retire, why not retire into a new career? Why not turn a hobby into a new source of income?
I recently had lunch with one of my uncles. He has always been an inspiration to me. While I was growing up, he was vice president of a large insurance company.
Then, at 55, he retired. Retirement quickly bored him, so he went to law school.
He graduated from law school at age 59. He set up his own law practice in Birmingham, Alabama. He practiced law for a decade, or so before retiring again.
My mom did the same thing. When my sister and I left home, she went back to college in her 50s. She earned a degree and started a brand new career. She worked for more than twenty years in her new career and is about to retire.
My sister recently graduated from college. She is in her 40s. Her children are grown and are moving on with their lives. She has just started a new career as a teacher.
I started learning French at 48 years old. For the most part, I have kept this information to myself. Most people would tell me I am too old. Perhaps they are right. I have hired French tutors to help me. It’s embarrassing. I am struggling. But, what else am I going to do? I love learning languages.
Someone once asked the entertainer, Bob Hope, “Bob, why don’t you retire and go fishing?”
He replied, “Fish don’t clap.”
When I think of stopping, I ask myself this question, “And do what?”
I love what I do. Why would I retire? What would I do?
Here is my retirement plan. Are you ready?
Never retire. That’s my plan. As one of the old guys said in Second Hand Lions, I want to go out with my boots on.
Reconsider retirement. Have you ever thought of retiring into something you love to do anyway? Have you ever considered monetizing a hobby? Have you ever thought of writing a book? Learning a new language? Why not ‘retire’ into something productive? At least consider retiring into something you love.
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If you are learning Latin, I have written a book with all of my best tips and strategies. It’s available as a free download here: https://dwanethomas.com/downloads/via-latin-lost/
If you are interested in learning Latin, you can go through the classes on my site 24/7. I recommend the book Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. If you tackle the book and find yourself bogged down, you may find the classes on my site helpful. To join, just click here: https://dwanethomas.com/join/
If you want a more professionally filmed experience, check out the best-selling DVD series: Visual Latin.
Or, if you want to skip Latin, and just jump right into learning English words from Latin and Greek roots, you may enjoy the series Word up! Warning. Word up! is a bit wacky. You will learn a lot… but, you may find yourself rolling your eyes, too.
