A manifesto is a declaration of the intentions and motivations of an individual or group. Most major life events have some kind of manifesto. It doesn’t matter if you call it or not. Contracts, marriage vows, and employment contracts are all expressions of your intent.
In fact, retirement is the ideal time to write a manifesto. Retirement is your time — a time to be who you want to be. You may be plagued with financial problems, but your time and beliefs are yours, and retirement is the perfect time to embody and further your ideals.Your retirement will not be defined by the work you do for money
This is your time defined by you.
However, creating your own manifesto (an expression of your intentions, opinions, and vision) is far more powerful than any contract you sign. Have you ever written down your beliefs and goals just to improve yourself? Writing a manifesto is a great way to think about what you want out of your life and become who you want to be. It is also a way of holding yourself accountable for
Here are some ideas for creating a retirement manifesto.
write down what you believe
what do you really believe? This can be anything. You can speak to God, family, or love. But you can also think about simpler things you believe in, like reading, cupcakes, or smiling at strangers.
It doesn’t matter if you write 1 or 100. Just document your beliefs.
create a wish list for the world
Do you have anything you want for the world? world peace? more literacy? How to get rid of light pollution? Save coral reefs? Lack of shelter dogs? Are there few potholes in your town? Have you spent more time with your family?
In addition to documenting what you want to do, you can also write down ideas for how to make it happen. What if you were the king or queen of the world?
Then start a list of ways to take concrete actions.
document what you know to be true
Throughout our lives, we learn lessons big and small. Retirement is the perfect time to record these lessons.
When in doubt, consider the following.
- Things you used to say to your kids all the time: ‘Life is unfair’ or ‘School is important’.
- A mantra you chant in your head when you feel something is wrong. “Everything will be fine in the end. If it doesn’t work, it’s not the end.”
- You’ve used reason to make big life decisions, like prioritizing time spent outdoors or near cultural events.
Think about how you spent the past week. Write down moments that you really enjoyed or that made you feel better. And be careful of the activities you want to get rid of. Think about how you can use this exercise to communicate your values and have more good moments and fewer bad ones.
Decide on the content of the bumper sticker
Try writing your manifesto as a bumper sticker, advertising tagline, or country music lyrics. They use humor, powerful imagery, and few words to document big, powerful ideas.
- just do it
- What if Hokey Pokey is really all there is to it?
- read
- No music. I can’t live
- If you want a stable relationship, get a horse.
- Just dance!
- Gone fishing…
- God is my co-pilot.
- My dog is smarter than your honor student.
- The road goes on forever and the party never ends…
If you don’t like bumper stickers, find a few words that describe yourself and what you stand for. Or think about the themes of your favorite book or movie and consider translating those themes into a manifesto.
It may be important for you to think about what might be holding you back from achieving or living your manifesto. These can be social obstacles such as bureaucracy or personal traits that need to be overcome, such as:
- Be better able to overcome failures, mistakes, disappointments and hardships
- take more risks
- overcome shyness
- break bad habits
Then brainstorm ideas on how to overcome obstacles.
After brainstorming and getting an idea for the manifest, put it in writing. It can be quite short. Or you could write more, but it probably shouldn’t be longer than one page.
Bulleted lists of goals, beliefs, and personal strengths are fine.
You will want to use positive language. Then go through the list of power words to reinforce your sentences.
Whether you stick it to your bathroom mirror or send it to yourself in a digital daily reminder, reviewing your manifesto daily can help you live more mindfully and in alignment with your beliefs. you can start.
Make your retirement manifesto part of your retirement plan
Everyone should have a detailed financial plan for retirement. Writing a retirement manifesto can give you greater clarity about what’s important to you, and therefore stronger financial planning.
Luckily, NewRetirement makes it easy to create, improve, and maintain a complete retirement plan.
NewRetirement Retirement Planner provides quick answers on retirement benefits. Start by entering some basic information to get a detailed assessment. You can then quickly evaluate various options.
Writing a written retirement plan is not for everyone. However, research suggests that people who plan for retirement are more confident, happier, and more successful in retirement.
For some people, financial planning is easier to implement. Others may find it easier to create their own retirement manifesto.
Doing both will result in a stronger, safer, more focused, and happier retirement overall.
