Generate Positivity – There is a Native American wisdom story about a member of the tribe asking the wise one whether goodness or evil will prevail in the world.  The wise one replies that we have a two-headed wolf inside us – one is good, and one is evil.  The wise one goes on to say that the one that will prevail is the one we “feed” the most.  From science, John Hopkins University found that people with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook. To generate positivity:

• Set limits on your consumption of the 24-hour news cycle.
• Regularly read and tell positive stories of hope and resilience.
• Listen to music that feels good and has positive lyrics (start now by listening to this month’s song, “Getting Better” by the Beatles).

Be good to yourself – Take an action every day that supports your health and well-being:

• Make time for fun and laughter.
• Connect with the people you love and enjoy.
• Be kind in your self-talk. Acknowledge yourself for any way you contribute to your own well-being and/or the well-being of others, and for any successes in your personal and work life.

Compliment loved ones, friends and strangers – spread positivity through compliments:

• Let a friend know how much you appreciate them.
• Thank the grocery checker, bank teller, postal worker for their service or for some little thing they do that makes a difference to you.
• Tell your mate and/or child what you love and appreciate about them.

Create beauty – beauty calms the nervous system and nourishes the soul:

• Arrange your favorite flowers in a place where you’ll see them everyday
• If you have the space, plant a bee and bird friendly garden
• Set aside time to engage in your favorite artistic hobby

Contribute– each of us has gifts and talents to offer our community that will have an uplifting impact:

• Mentor someone
• Offer time or money to your favorite non-profit
• Do a kindness for a neighbor

Be guided and supported in bridging transition.  Learn wisdom and practices that will serve you for the rest of your life.  Kick off your next chapter with a free Life Reinspired Strategy Session. Contact me at info@lifereinspired.com.

Sabrina Roblin, CPCC,  a former executive and founder of Life Reinspired, is happily enjoying her best chapter of life.  She now helps others do the same.

– Lynne Twist

These are extraordinary times of change, loss and transformation.  All of us are needed on deck, especially those of us who are successful and well resourced with networks, talents, wisdom, creativity, money and time.  Prior to the pandemic, you may have been pondering or already been in the midst of a transition to your next chapter of life.  It could be the impacts of the pandemic have launched you into one or had you postpone one.

Don’t despair, whatever stage you’re in, vision, dreaming, and the question of legacy are more important than ever.  What I mean by legacy is contributing to the greater good by leaving those coming behind you a better quality of life in some meaningful way.  Not only is it crucial for the world, I find the clients who are enjoying their next chapter the most are those who have included legacy in their planning and are taking action on it.

The dramatic changes we’re experiencing can inspire a re-evaluation of our values, dreams and desires.  Your desired legacy may be different than it was six months ago. What do you want your contribution to be to your family, friends, colleagues and community now? If you are not clear about it look to your passions, where you see needs in your community or are righteously outraged by some injustice you want to help correct.  It can be as broad and public as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributing to vaccine development for the planet or as close to home as helping a neighborhood non-profit.

For me it continues to be a guiding light to others to become their best selves and create a next best chapter of life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and contributes to the greater good.

Start today.  Dream, vision, talk to respected colleagues and friends about what you want to create out of the chaos we’re experiencing.  It will give you grounding and purpose.  Take note of the places in your life and community where you want to make a difference.  If you’re ready to chart and live into a next chapter that includes a meaningful legacy, reach out for more information and a coaching package that will support you in creating a well thought out plan and the action steps to make it real.

Sabrina Roblin, CPCC is Co-Founder of Life Reinspired, offering coaching and training programs for successful Baby Boomers contemplating a meaningful next chapter in life. Sabrina is an experienced executive, mentor, trainer, and coach. She has worked for organizations that include Wells Fargo Bank, Broderbund Software, and The Coaches Training Institute. Sign up for a free 45-minute discovery session!

My husband and I work with a great financial advisor, Dana Brewer of Birchwood Financial Partners in Minnesota, who not only invests our assets but also makes sure we have life insurance, long-term care insurance, an estate attorney, etc.—all the resources needed for a secure retirement and estate plan.

Almost all.

 Retirement planning is actually a three-legged stool:

1) Financial planning aims to ensure adequate resources to fund the rest of your life.

2) Estate planning aims to ensure that your assets are structured to minimize taxes and maximize survivor benefits.

3) Life planning aims to ensure that you have a blueprint  in place for maximizing meaning, purpose, relationships, and adventures so that the next chapter of life is the most fulfilling chapter ever.

The first two legs of the stool are no brainers. For most of us, saving for retirement began with our first paycheck. Making a will often happens when we acquire assets and/or children (in no particular order). These two legs create infrastructure for safety and security in our later years—a blank canvas to fill with myriad possibilities. And yet, designing what goes on that canvas—how we’re going to live– tends to get the shortest shrift of the three legs.

Why? A couple of reasons:

• Historically, retirement hasn’t lasted all that long. If you retired with a gold watch at 65, you probably had less than a decade left, so golf, some trips, and a little grandchild-sitting were a super way to fill that limited time.
• Also, before you retire you’re busy doing what you do, so why not wait until you have all the time in the world to figure out how to use it?

Time to shoot those reasons down. Baby Boomers are healthier than preceding generations. If we retire in our 60s, we likely have 20+ productive years ahead. That’s enough time for even the most avid golfer to get bored. Second, retiring can feel like falling into a void. Given the loss of identity and community associated with your job, it’s important to create a launch pad for your new life in advance by paying attention to your purpose, your relationships old and new, and what brings you deep pleasure and meaning.

It’s time for life planning resources to join the team of professionals helping to guide you to your next chapter of  life. And for financial advisors and estate attorneys looking to broaden their range of services and expand their client base, offering retirement life planning is a leveraged value-add for clients and a marketing  advantage for your firm.

And that’s where Life Reinspired, a program that invites participants to dream and plan their future, can play in.

We’re talking to Dana Brewer about delivering programs to Birchwood’s clients. (My two sons and nine grandchildren live in Minnesota, so it’s always a pleasure to visit Minneapolis except in January.) And we’re connecting with other financial advisors and estate attorneys to discuss how to round out their retirement planning offerings. If you’re one of them, give us a call.

It’s not enough to make sure your money will last as long as you do. Just as important is how you’ll deploy those resources to live your very best life for the rest of your life. The next chapter can well be your best one ever. But it does take thought.

Let us know if you would like to learn more about our program and retreats, or if you are in the financial planning industry and want to bring more value to your clients.

Caroline MacNeill Hall is Co-Founder of Life Reinspired, a reset lab for successful Baby Boomers contemplating a meaningful next chapter of life. She is President of MAC Advisors, an executive coaching and leadership development company. She’s also senior faculty for the Coaches Training Institute.

It’s never too late in life to do something amazing, as affirmed by the following examples from an online Business Insider article, dated March 14, 2014:

• At 57, Frank Dobesh competed in his first 100-mile bicycle ride — exactly 10 years after he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
• At 62, J.R.R. Tolkien published the first volume of his fantasy series, “Lord of the Rings.”
• At 75, cancer survivor Barbara Hillary became one of the oldest people, and the first African American woman, to reach the North Pole.
• At 77, John Glenn became the oldest person to go into space.
• At 79, Asa Long became the oldest U.S. checkers champion.
• At 98, Beatrice Wood, a ceramist, exhibited her latest work.

Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

These are people who never “retired” in the old sense of the word, they lived the kind of life we advocate at Life Reinspired. They never stopped dreaming, setting goals, and embracing life. Whether it’s an athletic dream you’ve had, a hobby, or a world-impacting accomplishment you want to achieve — you can be one of these people too. As you make the shift from a successful career to your next chapter of life, there is more opportunity than ever to embrace those dreams, accomplish goals and leave a meaningful legacy.

In the Life Reinspired program, we provide the structure and experiences for you to recover dreams you had to set aside for your career and family, and clarify the goals you want to manifest now, to make the next chapter of your life the best and most fulfilling chapter yet!

Join us at Life Reinspired, a life reset lab for successful Baby Boomers contemplating a meaningful next chapter. Find out more and join our retreats.