Henry Ford said “Think you can, think you can’t , either
way you will be right” and according to Robert Schuller 1988 “ I can ! Said the
retired postman. He was a rural mailman
for twenty years” Schuller (1988:64)
But when retired after two decades of postal
service in Makanda, Illinois Wayman has acquired a small pension and $1100 savings.
His travel company does nearly $7 million in sales a year with Presley Tours.
How does a retired mail man become a prosperous businessman and according to
Schuler, he did it by believing in himself and his abilities and by making
people happy. Schuller (op cited)
But in my own opinion Wayman succeeded because he
was doing what he loves most, and he has a positive mental attitude. Positive
attitude in life is that all that matters and secondly doing whatever you have
been assigned to do with dedication and happiness irrespective of how much you
are paid. According to research it has been discovered that people who
continued whatever they spend many years doing are more likely to succeed than
those who change vocation, job after retirement.
On how many people fail during retirement, is a
function of their ability to kick starting whatever they are used to even on a smaller
scale during old age. Old age comes with it issues, problems, non acceptance , health issues and a disconnect with current happenings in life,
there is also the generation gap, and so doing what you love most or whatever
you have been doing most is the key to survival. So a retired policeman, or army
officer can comfortable operate a security outfit and consultancy.
And how Wayman did arrived at that, “one day
someone said to him” I would love to see the ocean. That simple wish
enthusiastically expressed to Wayman led
to a tour of 546 people to Miami Beach , Wayman made $120 and had such a good time that he decided to
go into business” Schuller op cited.
But from my interaction with retirees within my six
years in pension industry, I want to believe that what drove Wayman was not the
money but the actual sharing of one’s thought and deepest hopes fulfilled. And
as Chinua Achebe will say the sharing of
one’s thought and deepest hope fulfilled can drive human beings to success. And
the keen desire to return and do what he was doing before was the actual
driving force for Wayman Presley.
It has been proved that people always wish for what
they don’t have, I believe that Wayman was looking forward to his retirement
during his working career but it did not take time for him to realize that he
could have love going back to work may be after staying for the initial period
of six months. That is the irony of life. The irony of life is that people tend
to be what they are not, that is why you see the whites sun tanning and the
blacks bleaching.
What this is indirectly saying is
that within the working career ,work with zeal and dedication, know all that you
need to know about the job, because you may never can tell, that you are
indirectly developing a business for
yourself during old age.
In an article captioned “You may
never retired” that appeared in wall street journal it states” that sum sizable
number of retirees may continue to work
after retirement due to so many reasons like their pension pot was not enough, they were ripped off of the retirement savings and majority
because they love what they do.
And according to Walter Updegrave in an article captioned “ Three Little
mistakes that can sink your retirement,
which appeared in Yahoo Finance it states that “It’s almost become a
cliché. Virtually every survey asking pre-retirees what they plan to do in
retirement shows that the overwhelming majority plan to work. Indeed, a recent Merrill Lynch survey found that nearly three out of four people
over 50 said their ideal retirement would include working. Which is fine.
Staying connected to the work world in some way can not only offer financial
benefits, it can also keep retirees more active and socially engaged”
But a more interesting story was
the story of life of Mary Calendar, “Mary was making potato salad in an inn in
Los Angeles during world war 11, her boss asked her to make pies for a large
crowd. That was the start of a new career for Mary” Schuller (op cited).
Continuing he stated that in 1948, she and her husband sold their car, to buy a
refrigerator and an oven “in 1964 they open their first pie shop in Orange county
and by 1986, they sold the family business about 115 restaurants to Ramada Inn
Inc for $90 Million “What a tremendous accomplishment as that business may be
hitting 2 billion Dollars in 2014.
Finally life during retirement is
a great and rewarding life and what you make out of it is a function of the
zeal, knowledge and experience, you acquired during your working career and
when you are happy you are more likely to live long, and others will be jealous
of your state and according to Dave Bernard in an article captioned “Finding
Retirement state of mind” which appeared
in US News .he stated that “they appear to be genuinely
happy with their state of affairs and making the most of each day. When you ask
about their retirement experience they shine a genuine smile and are happy to
regale you – often at length – about how wonderful it is to be in their
shoes. Their happiness is infectious and you may find yourself caught up in
their joy. Although it is safe to assume not everything is perfect in their
world, their overall outlook is positive”. But when these are lacking, the
retiree may likely not live long, thereby prompting others to fear retirement.
Odunze Reginald is the Lead
Consultant, Chareg Consulting, a management and marketing consultant
a social media and social marketing consultant , you can visit our
twitter anchor @dunzreg, find us on Facebook @ Reginald odunze and
reginaldodunze.com, at google+ @ Reginald Odunze and at Linkedin@reginald
odunze.
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