THE POWER OF THE BRAIN

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams Who looks inside, awakes.

- Carl Jung

For most people, retirement is a joyful happening. But, even for those lucky, joyful retirees, they are going to go through a transition in their life that could be a game changer.

Understanding the brain can be powerful when emotions surface before and during retirement. If thinking about retirement brings on a high level of stress, then taking steps to reduce that stress is imperative. Imagine the person that is forced into retirement earlier than planned. The stress level will be off the charts potentially.

If chronic stress is not managed, the brain goes into basic survival rather than logical, productive, long-term thinking. The result of this could show up in loss of memory, fatigue, blood sugar imbalance, higher blood pressure, and a decrease in overall health. Sounds extreme, doesn't it?

The ideal situation is to plan before retirement to keep the brain from going into survival mode. I can tell you when I first retired, I experienced many of the above symptoms. I don't want to say, if you do all the questions in this journal, you won't experience retirement stress. That would be irresponsible. I just want you to recognize various reactions you may experience physically. Recognizing these reactions will help move you faster into a joyous retirement. And, working through the questions in this book may help evolve into the next chapter of your life faster.

Henriette Anne Klauser, wrote in her book, Write It Down, Make It Happen, "'Good Happens' is the philosophy behind this book, my premise is the overriding belief that good things happen and that life is a narrative you have a hand in writing." You have the power to create the perfect retirement yet. Just by writing down your thoughts about retirement, you will be way ahead because your subconscious will start the ball rolling in your favor. Watch for it! It will happen, I promise you. Have you ever written down your 5-year goals, then filed them in a cabinet. Five years later you find the goal sheet and you have accomplished many of those goals? That was not by chance.

Dr. Joe Dispenza, the author of Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, says "Our thoughts can become our experience." Neuroscience is proving every day that our minds are very powerful. And, very recently it has been proven that our digestive system is very much connected to our brain. I am not going to go on and on about these topics because I want you to start your retirement journaling sooner rather than later. At the back of the book, I will list resources regarding these findings.

You do not have to have a humdrum retirement. "Journal It, Live It".

Starting Now ...

HOW TO UTILIZE THIS BOOK

Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.

-John F. Kennedy

Attitude and Intention:

Your attitude and intention around these journal questions matter greatly.

You can utilize the space in this book or you can purchase a nice spiral bound journal to set the tone that you are serious about this journey.

Journaling your thoughts can actually bring up feelings that can have an impact on your being. As you journal your way through these questions, be prepared to feel calm, joyful, ecstatic, sad, mad and sometimes overwhelmed. These emotions can then make their way to your physical being. For instance, if you are writing about something that makes you mad, you could end up with a stomachache.

Don't throw in the towel when these physical symptoms show up. I'm mentioning it to you now, because subconsciously you may stop journaling since it seems you always get a headache or stomach ache during or after that journal session. This is normal. Persevere.

Some of the journal questions may be thought provoking and may conjure up some old memories or fears. If they do, then "yay!" the journaling is working.

Date Your Journaling

It will be interesting to see how things change after a few weeks or months of journaling. Also, it will be very interesting in years to come when you are living the life of your dreams and you revisit this journal. It will be great to see the progress and how writing gave you clarity to make your dreams come true. You will be able to see and celebrate your progress.

How Often Should You Journal?

How often you journal really is up to you. Some people want to plow through these questions while others want to contemplate each question for a week. I recommend you test it out for yourself. If you do one question per day, but are still thinking of that question when you are three questions further along, it might make sense to slow down a bit.

Worksheets/Meditations

Periodically, I will reference the availability of a worksheet to help you organize your thoughts. The worksheets will be great for people that like to keep lists. Journaling in the space provided is still fine if you don't like worksheets.

I've included some guided meditations to go deeper.

The Litmus Test, especially, is a wonderful tool to utilize the rest of your life.

REFLECTIONS ON RETIREMENT TODAY

The blend of logic and emotion is the reality we live in.

- Susan Bradley

What three words describe what retirement means to you? (For example: relaxed, bored, organized, scared)

Choose one word at a time to contemplate. What pictures come to your mind when you say that word? How do you feel when you say that word? Does someone else come to mind when you say that word? Do you see yourself in a special room or home? Is the word grandiose, simple, depressing, uplifting, boring, exciting? What is that all about? (Ask yourself these questions for each word you choose.)

(i.e.: Calmness – I envision waking up each day without the alarm, not rushing off to the office for a crazy schedule. I let each day evolve. I will have a leisurely morning watching the morning news, drinking coffee and reading the paper. I am very happy and calm, etc.)

Date: _________________

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Yesterday was not your defining moment. The calendar moved forward; why not you?

-Steve Maraboli

The first journal question got your creative juices flowing about retirement in a different way. It wasn't about what you are going to "do" in retirement, but how do you "feel" about retirement. Big difference!

If you are having trouble getting started, try to set a special time of the day/week for journaling. When I first started journaling many years ago, I had to truly force myself. I really thought it was a waste of valuable time. But, as I pressed ahead, I recognized the value...