What is hindsight? Not the rear sight of a firearm, but the ability to understand – after something has happened -- what should have been done or what caused the event. Seniors all have that power.
“We all have our time machines. Those that take us back are memories. Those that carry us forward are dreams,” said H. G Wells.
Understanding the nature of an event after it has happened: “hindsight is always better than foresight,” some say, but actually a senior can use both to create a better retired life. Creating a mindset or perception of the significance and nature of events before they have occurred is an important tool for all seniors to develop for the good life.
Memories and recollections, both good and bad: “Oh. Oh, I remember that, and I don’t want to do that again!” Or, “Oh yes, that was fun, I’d like to try that again!” These can be used as building blocks to put together or avoid a future path, the act of looking forward, dreaming about, the retirement stages. “Hindsight is always 20-20,” said Billy Wilder.
And a further observation, foresight is always a blind spot until planned.
Planning can be a meticulous, time-consuming and a creative process that may escape many seniors who are not familiar with using the process. It is important to think about it because it is your future. A plan is normally any diagram or listing of steps with timing and resources used to achieve an objective – in this case, a happy and successful retirement. This usually isn’t structured or formal planning, but informal or makeshift plans that are created by individuals in all of their pursuits. It usually starts with personal wants and desires, and falls back on a lot of memories – hindsight – to make decisions.
It might be best to start taking notes of what you want and don’t want. And then answer some basic questions about what you want: Why? What? Who? And when? These are all very personal planning questions and no one can really answer them but you, the senior planning his/her own life. Identify the problem(s) and value of this process; what will work and not work; who will be involved besides you (a mate, family members, close friends?); and when is this to begin – the plan, and the actual fact of living the plan’s process called retired life.
John Barrymore said, “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” That can happen. No matter how well you plan your happy retirement, there are always cracks that were missed. They can be happy cracks, and not-so-happy cracks.
All seniors have lived a long and experienced life, in one way or another, and that revelation is no secret: the roads in life are twisted and turned and up and down and you just have to deal with them. But good planning, using hindsight, memories of those twisted roads and steep hills, can make the foresight of retirement a walk in the country.
“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm,” Henry David Thoreau. The idea of a good retirement plan is to find the things that have made you happy throughout the years of your former life, and coordinate that enthusiasm into a plan that will make your retirement happy.
Patrick M. Kennedy does full-service editing and writing and has published several books. http://www.abetterword.com/ and http://www.funwithretirement.com/