You might think a happy retirement involves having enough money and keeping in good health. Those things are important, but only because they allow you to enjoy activities that use and challenge your skills. It’s called engagement, and it could be the silver chalice of happiness.
How to recognise engagement
If you have something to do that interests you so deeply that you ignore the phone – that’s engagement. Whatever it is – a sport or hobby, an invention or a work of art – if it uses your skills and even dredges up talents you never knew you had, that makes for happiness.
Losing track of time is another clue – you can be so into what you’re trying to accomplish, time flies and you may even forget to eat. (Don’t let that happen too often!)
You can also recognise engagement by the way you feel when you stop. If you’ve achieved what you set out to do, or if you’ve just reached an interim milestone, the exhilaration that wafts over you is priceless. You can feel like that even if you’ve just been concentrating, and achievement is a bonus.
How to include engagement in your life
You have skills and talents, and the trick is to recognise them. They might be long dormant – unused since you were young. You might also have skills you’ve always taken for granted.
To identify your skills, think about what you love to do and why. You might recall a time when you were really good at something that others struggled with. It’s there you’ll find those skills, and don’t think you’re too old to revive them. Usually, if you’re good at something it’s part of you, and just needs honing to get back to usefulness.
Once you’ve recognised your skills, apply them to an activity. Have you always been a reader? Try writing something – poetry, stories, investigative reporting. If you were sporty, you don’t need to compete at Master level, but you might take up coaching. Love people? Get involved in community activities, charities and events. A creative flair has so many outlets for engagement, we won’t even list them here.
Find your balance
Take your time reviving those skills, and make sure what you apply them to is challenging, but not so tough that you get discouraged. Find your balance, so your activity challenges your skills a bit, and your skills sharpen enough to take on greater challenges.
You don’t need to stick to one skill set or activity, either – try a few things, swap them around so you stay fresh, and keep an eye out for further possibilities. You might even awaken skills you never knew you had.
Be up and doing for true happiness
If you’re already retired, you have the time to concentrate on true happiness. Find your skills, hone and apply them with all the engagement and concentration at your command, and be prepared to experience the exhilaration washing over you when you stop. And don’t forget to eat!