Thriving in Retirement

I have just launched a new program called Thriving in Retirement.  I developed the program because I am passionate about helping people transcend barriers and live life to its fullest.  Not just the last third of life; all of life.  

I have always been fascinated with how life turns out for people.  Because I was in Human Resources for over 35 years, I’ve been able to observe people’s life paths over decades.

I’ve hired and coached thousands of leaders in my life and it has been an education observing different life trajectories. 

Watching, for example, someone I hired as a trainee become a CEO thirty years later.  Observing an incredibly confident executive struggle when they hit retirement.    

My wish for everyone is that life could always be a rising arc that just keeps getting better and better despite all the challenges that can come up.

I see scores of people who flounder in the last part of life.  And others who seem to be on a path to greater and greater fulfillment even as they age; even as they face whatever surprises life has in store; living their dreams, sharing their passions; staying creative and vital.

That’s what I want for me, for everyone I love and that’s why I created this course.

My Retirement Story

For my 50th birthday, my husband surprised me with a blank 5-section notebook and a new pen.  He said, ‘I encourage you to start planning what your retirement could look like.”

Frankly, he was worried about me.  I was a corporate executive in a global Fortune 500 enterprise and the year prior I had been promoted to the head of HR role.

My career had always been very important to me in my life and he was concerned that when my identity shifted away from being my corporate title, I would struggle to find meaning and purpose in life.

Getting that blank journal was a wake-up call for me; a wake-up call like the Thriving in Retirement Program might be for you.

I had learned to meditate in my early 40s, and meditation helped me manage my stress.  When I made time to quiet my mind,  everything in life flowed better.  I was a better leader, a better partner and I could breathe and think more expansively.  

After I got my 50th birthday notebook, I felt the impulse to start thinking about life beyond my career.   I am so grateful for the early preparation because when I suddenly retired seven years later, I was more prepared than most people.  And, I took the first year of retirement to do even deeper inner work and more thinking and preparation.

Most people put a tremendous amount of effort into the financial component of planning for retirement.  

But, in terms of the emotional side of retirement, they put about as much effort as planning a vacation.  Most people wildly underestimate the impact of this transition in life.

I’m not saying I had it all figured out because I didn’t.  I am 8 years in and I have stumbled, and I am still learning and growing.

There are people who learn to really thrive in retirement and some who struggle. 

The purpose of the course is to share what I’ve learned to help you embrace this time in your life to live at your best and find deep fulfillment; to truly thrive.

Because I am an artist and a creativity advocate, we spend quite a bit of time in class learning how to cultivate creativity.

Studies show that accessing your creativity is one key way to generate more fulfillment in life. 

You will experience freeing your inner artist and hopefully become inspired to make creativity an important part of the rest of your life.

And, you will learn why our adult brains can focus too much on limiting beliefs and keep us from exercising our full creative potential.  You will learn ways to tame your inner critic.

As a meditation coach, I see how quieting your mind can be an enormous catalyst for positive change. 

You will learn the basics of meditation and start a daily practice that will make a profound positive difference in your life.  

In the course, you have access to many mindfulness and meditation options so you can find a method that resonates with you.  

We spend an entire module on finding your purpose for this stage of life, 

You will learn why this is important, take a quiz, get inspired, and experience a number of exercises that will help you make discoveries about yourself that will generate more meaning and fulfillment in your life.  There is a huge amount of introspection and getting to know yourself in the course and setting aside time to really know yourself and how to make life as fulfilling as possible is a rich part of the content.

The Where Will You Live Module is practical.

You will think broadly about your living situation and determine what you want your physical surroundings to be like in this phase of life.  We spend time learning about decluttering, moving, and thinking about the ideal space and place for you to most fully allow a flourishing lifestyle.

We spend an entire module on cultivating happiness and well-being in life. 

You will experience a host of exercises and practical, proven ways to develop more gratitude and greater well-being and happiness in life.

Cultivating resilience in mind, body, and spirit is an important module in the course because the ability to bounce back after exposure to some kind of stress is a critical life skill.  

In life, stuff happens.  It is inevitable.   Being fortunate enough to age means that we will experience setbacks.

Cultivating the ability to be as resilient as possible can be learned and practiced.

And, in the final module of the course, we prepare for a graceful exit.  I give you tools that experts say are necessary to get your affairs in order so that you can make plans and leave your intentions and wishes in a very caring way that will make a difficult process as easy as possible on your loved ones.

The course is on-demand, so you can do it at your own pace.  I suggest you plan to devote an hour a week to the online lessons and I also ask you to carve out 10-20 minutes a day for meditation and/or journaling.

In the Thriving in Retirement  Program, you will take your class notes in an art journal. 

The reasons I do that are because:

1. Using an art journal for note-taking is a subtle reminder that not only are you already creative; you can continue to free your inner artist throughout your whole life.

2. I want you really savor and remember your experiences in this course and your art journal will be your repository of this exciting and meaningful journey.  

3. Doing work visually is a great way to stimulate your creative juices.  

4. I want you to discover your unique path of self-expression and an art journal is the perfect way to explore.  

Would you like to be part of the inaugural class for Thriving in Retirement?

Enroll here.  I look forward to seeing you in the program!

Not ready to enroll?  Watch my Free Webinar.

See my YouTube video explaining the course.

Already retired?  Take my survey to help me add additional modules to the program.

Planning to retire in the next ten years?  Please take this survey to help me include what matters to you.

If you would like to learn more about using more of your creative potential, check out my course Creativity, Imagination, and Innovation.

Watch my 1 minute short  YouTube Video asking What Creativity Means to You.

Take my Creativity Survey

Watch this video on Six Reasons to Cultivate Creativity

Sign up for my next Free Creativity Webinar

Watch my YouTube video; Are You Living Up to Your Creative Potential?

Watch my YouTube video; Play Teaches You to Be More Creative

Find out more about Jane Ramsey