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What Do I Get The Most Important Woman In My Life For Mother’s Day?
By Gillian Leithhman, Msc

Most of us would agree that she is the most important woman in our lives. The one who is always there to listen and lend a hand at a moment’s notice. So when it comes to Mother’s day, shouldn’t we spend a little more than 5 minutes thinking of what to get her?

This Mother’s day, why not get your mother something that will really make a difference in her life.

If your mother is nearing retirement, why not help her plan for this next stage of life and send her to a pre-retirement seminar where she will meet people just like her and learn how to prepare for life after work.

Now I know what you are thinking. How difficult can it be to prepare for retirement? After all, don’t most people look forward to this time in their lives with excitement and anticipation?

While it is true that most retirees are satisfied and happy with their lives, 40 percent actually struggle with this transition.

Very often, the retirement experience turns out to be different from what we initially thought it to be. In fact, the first 12 months in retirement can seem like an emotional roller coaster.

Some days your mom may feel FREE and LIBERATED from the 9 to 5 grind, while on other days she may find herself missing that sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT from having met difficult challenges. Now, she may be wondering to herself, where will I get that sense of achievement?

She may yearn for some semblance of a routine.

She may desire more STRUCTURE in her daily life so that she feels that she has a reason and a PURPOSE to get up in the morning. I hate to break to you ladies, although she may love your children, babysitting is not the only thing she wants to do with her time! And if she is still married to your father, and he too is retired, well she doesn’t want to spend her days organizing his social calendar and cooking three meals a day. I have often heard many wives express, “I married him for better or worse, not for lunch everyday”.

We have been led to believe that a happy retirement is all about the accumulation of a big nest egg. The bigger the egg, the happier the retirement! I will agree that although money is no guarantee for a happy retirement, it is a good place to start.

But money is not the only requirement “for” a happy retirement.

A happy retirement also requires that we ask ourselves, “WHAT’S NEXT?” long before we exit the workforce.

Dr. John Dewey, the great American philosopher, said it best when he stated, “The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important”.

And although there are countless other ways for us to feel “useful” and “important” in the world, these alternatives seem to be overshadowed by a culture that measures success by the titles on our business cards.

So how do we satisfy our desire to be important without a job title?

The answer to that question and more is what your mom will learn in our workshop, Life after work: a road map for retirement happiness, taking place at the Ruby Foos Hotel May 30th from 9 am to 12:00 pm or from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

In this dynamic, fun, and energizing seminar your mom will learn:

• How to Navigate the retirement transition with confidence and ease
• The secret weapon to assure health and happiness in the next stage of life - it’s not money!
• The five “must haves” that will guarantee retirement success
• Experience a shift in how she thinks and feels about retirement and the impact on her life... Starting immediately
• And she will leave feeling energized and excited about what’s next for her

Please note that this seminar comes with a complimentary retirement coaching session valued at $150.00, a guidebook, a light breakfast and free parking. All this for only $175.00!

To sign up for the seminar call 514.824.1967 or click on the link below:

http://directionsrc.com/upcoming_retirement_seminars.html

Gillian Leithman is the president of Directions, Third Age Consultants Inc, a corporate training and consulting company dedicated to helping people prepare for their emotional well-being in retirement. www.directionsrc.com