Jan McBarron’s Top 5 Things to Do When Retired
Award-Winning Bariatric Physician Dr. Jan McBarron Shares her Most Valuable Post-Career Experiences
Retirement: It’s the end of one thing and should be the beginning of something new. It’s an experience you’ll want to cherish because you earned it, working hard every day of your life up until this point. The notion of being done with your job might be satisfactory all on its own, but after that it can be overwhelming trying to think of how you want to spend your time. With essentially a blank canvas to work with, you’ll want to make the best use of your time and Dr. Jan McBarron has a list of the top five things to do when you retire.
First Things First
Before you get started with some of the more fun things to do with your retirement, it’s smart to evaluate your personal budget as well as your debts and have a plan to manage them effectively. Based in Henderson, NV, Jan McBarron states that ideally, you’ll be able to pay everything off while still having enough money for living. If not, there are several things you can do to help yourself that we’ll cover later, but for now the goal is to have both awareness and a plan for your financial situation. Your financial plan should have been established long before retiring, however if not, then it should be done immediately upon retirement.
Also, it is a good idea to look at your healthcare plan; as you age you may be using it more frequently, so you may need additional budgeting to cover any potential costs. The one thing that shouldn’t change after retiring is your focus on putting your health first. A common excuse working individuals use is “I don’t have time to exercise”. Once retired, that becomes invalid. There is no excuse to start taking better care of yourself and exercising daily.
Refurbishing
For many of us, one of the first things we want to do is focus on our home and work on neglected improvements. You’ll have plenty of time to focus on spring cleaning and maybe even renovations, taking your ideal home from a concept in your mind to a fulfilled reality.
From there, it’s up to you what you want to do with your home; you may be like many people who remains content to continue living in your same home during your retirement years. But if you want to sell your home and look for a new place, that can be an exciting venture as well, and the refurbishing you’ve done can assist in increasing the value of your home.
Broadening Your Horizons
Retirement can be the perfect opportunity to travel in the US and abroad. There’s almost always somewhere that you wanted to go, but never had a chance to before, and visiting a new city, state or country can be an enriching experience. You never know either, you might just find somewhere in your travels that could be the perfect place to relocate. Its important to keep an open mind and embrace new opportunities.
Even if you don’t feel comfortable travelling, especially to another country, Jan McBarron says another way to spend your time during your retirement can be through learning a new language. This will help sharpen your mind as well as give you a proud and genuine sense of accomplishment. It’s a myth that you are too old to learn something new, even a language.
Not Personal, Just Business
For those of us who are more ambitious, you can try your hand at starting a new business after you’ve retired. It can be a challenging yet rewarding experience, and speaking of experience, all the experience you’ve gained in your life and your previous career is an invaluable asset.
Even if you’re not interested in starting a business, Jan McBarron says another interesting venture is the notion of getting a part-time job after you’ve retired. It might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s a good way to pass the time and meet people, especially since now you can focus much more on doing what you want to do.
Finally, volunteering is a good way to put yourself out there in the world; there are always organizations in need of your help and the great feeling you get from contributing to a cause is time very well spent.
The Academic Side of Things
You might consider becoming a teacher after you’ve retired. Whether it’s teaching an actual class full of students, or being a mentor, your experience in life can be just as helpful to someone else as it was to you.
You can also jot your experiences down in a book or blog; writing is an excellent pastime for many who are retired, and it’s a great change from the time demands of a job and boss. Retirement lets you create your own schedule and work at your own pace.
Jan McBarron’s Final Thoughts
There are many things you can do once you retire from a job commitment. This is your time, you earned it, go out and spend your time however you want but be sure to enjoy it. This article is meant to help get the ball rolling as to what you can do during retirement, so get out and find something you love. Without a decisive retirement plan you may waste and regret the remaining years of your life. Life is temporary, enjoy it while you can.
