In this mindful guide to retirement planning, University of New Mexico law professor and yoga teacher Nathalie Martin outlines a strategy for people over 60 to find purpose and fulfillment in their post-career lives.
Over the next decade, 30 million Americans will retire, “the largest number in history,” she writes. Yet, aging and retirement are “stigmatized,” to the point that even those with healthy 401Ks shy away from their later-in-life dreams.
She begins with instructing readers to copy in a notebook the following “defining” question: “What is likely to bring me joy and satisfaction in the coming decades?” In the next chapters, she offers exercises, for example, asking readers to “Allow yourself to daydream about some true fun you’ve had,” and to jot down “in vivid detail” an ideal morning. Eventually, readers tackle mega-questions such as: “What is the meaning of life?” and “Where do you fit into that meaning?”
Throughout, the author offers advice on dealing with depression, loss, anger and other topics and also includes two chapters on money and retirement; Martin coaches readers on how to recognize “money myths” created by advertisers and financial advisers; for example, that “more is better.”
Martin shares anecdotes from retirees “from all walks of life”; for example, a waitress who worked 30 years at “one of Albuquerque’s top restaurants” found her new purpose by helping friends. A ski executive overcame fears that she was too “old” to keep hitting the slopes. These stories are inspiring, but too few and too brief, especially given the importance placed on them in the preface.
And while chapters are well-organized and clearly focused, the author’s stress-relieving strategies are familiar: journaling, mindfulness, deep breathing, etc.— strategies commonly used to relieve all-stages-of-life stress and anxiety.
Nonetheless, readers will appreciate that this guide goes beyond the usual number-crunching retirement books to offer a soulful, spiritual approach to “one of life’s largest abysses and biggest adventures.”