Live With Energy - Live With Passion

The plan has it that we work until we are too tired to contine, then 'retire'.

Doesn't the word retire say it all - 're' suggests we are just doing the same thing again - getting tired. Have you ever noticed that you never get tired doing something you love. Remember the feeling when you come home after a long days snow skiing or shopping. Your whole body just wants to collapse into that armchair. Your body is weary, but you feel great! It's been a terrific day.

With the plethora of opportunities for people to work in later years, why is it that so many retire, just to become old. For generations, we have been focused on the expectation that come 55 or 60 we retire to do all the things in life we always wanted to do. We see retirement as a passage of honor. But what if you planned you life to live with passion - and you actually love your job. Why stop just to play in the garden and take an offshore vacation each year?

For many, the reality of retirement is not as glamorous as the concept. They find themselves bored, socially isolated and unhappy. Well, after 6-12 months anyway.

Our bodies are no longer subjected to the heavy loads previously endured through more physical vocations. As our worklife today is considerably more sedentary, our bodies no longer need to stop at a certain age. Rather than use the adage retirement, why not embrace this age as a 'relive' point. That point, where you reassess the way you earn an income, the passions you have in your life and how you want to approach the next twenty years.

Rather than buy into the social norm, using age - why not let your body and mind dictate your 'relive' point. All through my life I have tried to live with passion - for those I loved, and for the things I loved doing. I have had incredible highs and devastating lows, but one thing has remained constant - I am determined NOT to live the same day over and over, like so many do.

Sure, it takes courage to make a change. And sure, not all changes are what we expected. So what! One can always make another change, and another, until you find yourself immersed in a life so rich, the hours of the day whip past you before you realise you have even passed the age of 30.

I prefer to take my 'retirement' years as I go. Once I passed age

40, I found many of my friends we falling off the face of the earth, either from accidents or illness. What is the point of leaving all those things you really want to do, until the latter years, when you may longer be physically capable of doing them.

Accept the economic cost and have the courage to take a year off to explore new horizons. You may find at the end of the year, not only are you more passionately invested in your new role, but you are actually making sufficient income that you no longer need to return to your previous mode of employment. I tend to work on seven year cycles. Five years of solid consulting, followed by two years of exploring new fields. This not only develops me as a person, but also provides me with a lot deeper knowledge and perspective for my next set of clients.

The past two years I have focused on setting up passive income streams for my retirement, in a new field for me - electronic information. I have loved learning how to use Dreamweaver and Photoshop. I have a passion for art, photography and architecture, so naturally I have a site on remodeling and renovations.

I love technology and marketing, so I have a couple of websites on that as well.

And I love success, you guessed it, I have a website on success also. I have successfully integrated all my passions into a expanding network of income.

As I embark on my next five year round of consulting I am eager to continue to expand my new areas of passion, and work them into my workday. It just doesn't seem like work.

Life is not about getting older. It's about gathering more experiences and maintaining your mind and body in the best possible state to embrace new opportunities. It's like friends - make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, the other gold. Use the same approach with everything in your life. Try new activities, new paths of travel, new ideas, new ways to earn an income. You may surprise yourself. And your body will love you for it. The old adage - Use It Or Lose It, holds true for both the body and the mind.

Muscle loss and loss of brain function both result from lack of exercise.

Live with passion, live by your rules. Don't have time to get old!

Nicola Carr is a anti-aging fitness advisor for Antiaging-Wellness.com. For more tips on how to boost your energy and fitness see Anti-Tiredness.com

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