Think Positive: What to Look Forward to During Retirement

You may have spent a great deal of time identifying yourself with your career or the work that you do. Retirement is an opportunity to embrace the fact that you have made great accomplishments as far as your work is concerned, and that this new chapter in your life demands change. Look at ways you want to start afresh—it can be as simple as dressing up in more colorful clothing (especially if you’ve been wearing tailored suits for years) or quitting smoking completely. By opening yourself up to change, you begin to rediscover the person you really are—not anyone's boss, not anyone's manager. Just you.

Imagine not having phone calls or email messages you need to "please answer urgently" at all times. Think of it as permanently turning on the out-of-office responder on your email. Also, instead of being able to predict your schedule for the day, you can plan to make each day as different as possible from the next. For instance, plan an outdoor hike today, and then stay home and do some closet decluttering tomorrow. If you’ve always wished you had enough time to finish your morning coffee at that café near your office, then you can do so without worrying about being late for work.

It doesn’t have to be an entirely new hobby; it can be one that just happened to slip your mind for a few years, possibly because of a busy work schedule. Dedicating a space in your home for DIY projects or a library, or finding space in the garage to restore an old car certainly gives you something to look forward to, doesn’t it? The prospect of doing something for leisure—without any deadline or evaluation reports needed—allows you to see retirement in a different light.

Working for a cause can give one a sense of purpose, especially if it has always been close to your heart. Do you love working with children? Maybe joining an advocacy on youth education is a good option. Are you passionate about the environment? Start a campaign for waste-free homes in your subdivision, or support a recycling program by offering to collect and deliver reusable materials to a community that uses them for livelihood. Get to know the community around you and find out how you can help.

If you’re one of the determined ones who hit the gym religiously, every day before or after work, then all you have to do is continue the habit into your retirement years. You can even take on a better program and devote more time to it. But if you think your health habits have taken a backseat due to a hectic work schedule, retirement is the time to shift the focus back to keeping yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Sign up for membership at a gym or take up walking and running with a group in your village. Read up on ways to improve your diet. Find your “person” and allot time for spending quality time with family and friends.

Securing financial protection for the future is a key factor in preparing for retirement. In fact, one may consider this a prerequisite to enjoying all the perks that retirement brings. What have you done so far? Unforeseen medical emergencies may hamper the plans you’ve laid out for retirement, so make sure you’re covered with Critical Care Plus or Critical Care Max. These unit-linked health and life insurance plans from BPI AIA Wellness Series allow you to not worry about medical expenses in the early stages of a critical illness. Building a health fund that grows over time while simultaneously growing your money through investments is one of the best ways to prepare for your retirement—and ensure that you enjoy every single thing that you’ve looked forward to in this exciting new chapter in your life.

Find out how you can secure your future while earning lifestyle rewards for making healthy choices from the BPI AIA Wellness Series, a suite of life insurance products powered by AIA Vitality.