If you’re starting to plan your retirement, you may be wondering what to expect when working with a retirement coach. Every coach has their own style and uses different tools and methods, but there are some core elements that are common to all.
This article provides an overview of the steps in the retirement coaching process. To learn more about how the benefits of working with a coach on a retirement lifestyle plan, read How a retirement coach can help you.
Whether you engage with me one-on-one or as a couple for personalized coaching, or attend one of my workshops, we’ll work together to build your Second Life Vision Action Plan. Let’s look at how it all works.
Retirement coaching overview
Retirement coaching is a repeatable process that explores all aspects of wellbeing to help you build a fulfilling retirement. The coaching process centres around helping you explore answers to four fundamental questions.
Who are you today?
Before you can start to build a vision for your retirement, it’s important to spend some time reflecting on the starting point for your journey.
With that in mind, we’ll examine who you are today. Together, we’ll look at how much of your identity is connected to your job and how that will change in retirement. We’ll also spend some time discussing your core values, and your views and attitudes toward retirement and aging.
How are you feeling about retirement?
With a clear view of your starting point, we’ll move on to exploring how you’re feeling about retirement. In this stage of the process, we discuss several dimensions of retirement readiness including: health, social connections, financial readiness, family relationships, home, sense of purpose, and attitude toward aging.
As we identify strengths and areas of focus, we’ll work together on a plan to increase your readiness.
Who do you want to be?
Think of retirement as an opportunity to reinvent yourself. You’ll have the time and freedom to try things you didn’t have time for when working full time.
With a solid understanding of your values and current retirement readiness, we’ll start to explore possibilities for your second life. We’ll discuss retiree needs, and bring them to life by looking at different retiree personalities.
From an assessment of your current schedule and lifestyle, we’ll identify things you will stop doing, start doing, and continue doing in retirement. Then, we’ll work on a plan to replace the time you spend at work with meaningful and enjoyable activities.
One of the most fun exercises in this step is putting together your curious list. A curious list is just like it sounds—a list of things you’re interested in and would like to explore at some future point.
A big part of designing your ideal retirement lifestyle is identifying sources of meaning and purpose. Using the Japanese Ikigai framework, we’ll discover how to match your passions and unique talents with what the world needs.
How will you implement your plan?
In the last phase of the process, we’ll identify short- and long-term action items to set you on the road to success. And we’ll look for ways you can start to test drive your vision while you’re still working.
Finally, we’ll discuss a time frame for you to revisit your plan and ways you can follow up and hold yourself accountable.
Are you ready to start building your Second Life Vision? Contact me today to discuss how working with a retirement coach can help you.
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