Bill’s country

I am very pleased today to introduce Bill Murney to my readers.  Bill has been inspirational to me as I investigate retirement thinking and refine my ideas about retirement lifestyle planning. Bill is an embodiment of the kind of retirement lifestyle design that I recommend and and an example to demonstrate that this retirement thinking is not anything I can claim credit for.  Somehow the web allowed me to connect with Bill and I have been inspired ever since.  Bill retired from a business and has since been active with commerce on the web, blogging and hiking around the world.  His retirement lifestyle and retirement ideas have helped me refine my thinking and double my efforts to finish strong.  Bill has graciously offered to provide a sample of his retirementphilosophy today and I am happy to share those thoughts with my readers.  Bill blogs about his hiking and has developed a hiking guide for his part of the UK.  I urge you to visit his blog and bookmark it for future reads.  If you want to refine your retirement thinking and design your own retirement lifestyle, you can’t do better than reading Bill.  In his own words…

Bill himself

I am 66 years old, a retired plastering and tiling contractor, a miserable old bastard who still thinks he is 21! Living near the hills and countryside in Lancashire, UK. A father of 2 and grandfather of 2. Physical interests – hiking in UK and Europe, practicing Krav Maga. Other interests – trying to make a few dollars online (just about succeeding), travel and holidays.

And now, here’s Bill.

As a long time reader of the Ralph Carlson Blog and in tune with his views on creating a unique retirement lifestyle I feel honoured to be asked to write a guest post for the blog.

Ralph can be a little hard on himself at times but I have to admire his refusal to grow old gracefully.  

Bill Murney

Retirement – A little History.

In most countries, the idea of retiring from work is of recent origin, being introduced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Previously, low life expectancy and the absence of pension arrangements meant that most workers continued to work until their death. In many poorer countries, support for the old is still mainly provided through their family.

The normal retirement age differs from country to country, although in most countries 65 is the age when most people finish their working lives. Strangely enough the Asian countries of Cambodia and Thailand boast the earliest relief from work at 55 and 60 respectively.

Most western countries, apart from Italy at the age of 60, adhere to 65 while Germany, the first country to introduce retirement in 1880, has a retirement age of 67, the same as the USA. The highest is, surprise, surprise the UK at age 68 – and rising! With our governments constant changing of the playing field there may be a return of people working until they die in the UK. Thank goodness I won’t be one of them.

Most people choose to retire when they become eligible for private or state pension benefits, although many are forced to retire before then when physical conditions no longer allow the person to work any more.

Retirement Is Just Another Part Of Life.

Retirement is a part of life that many people look forward to for many years, but it can also be quite daunting for some. Finishing their working life is a fantastic time for most but the completely free days can be intimidating with nothing to fill their time.

However, with the right planning and a willingness to enjoy new experiences retirement can be the most rewarding part of your life – spending time with your family, taking up new hobbies, doing all those little things you always wanted to do but never had time.

After people have retired they enjoyed the initial experience of sleeping later and spending the day reading, shopping and watching daytime TV. However for many this soon begins to pall and most want more interesting activities to fill their day. This is an opportunity to do whatever you wish to and at last try all those things you dreamt about while working.

You may decide to pursue educational interests and take up that course you always wanted to do. You may have a hobby which you can now devote more time to e.g. playing golf, tennis, travelling or even just walking the dog. Whatever you decide the world is now your oyster and there is no excuse for not using what time you have left to indulge yourself.

The Negative Retirees

I have come across many people who think of retirement as the end of the road when in fact it’s just the start of another important part of your life. There are some people who have never had an interest outside of their work and think of retirement as a prison sentence, these folk normally think of themselves as of no longer being useful and don’t live much longer after their working days are over.

Then again I have seen people whose only interest seems to be watching the garbage on daytime television, they over eat, become overweight, have no self respect and die early.

Here is a quote from a business man in the UK –

“Work has remained central to our existence, despite the lengthening gap between work and death we call retirement. We are expected to work till our sixties and somehow make the best of the dead years to follow.”

The ”dead years”

They may mean that for someone whose only aim in life has been to make more money but they are certainly not dead years to most people.

Retirement – Be Positive

On a personal note, I have always been physically active throughout my life and enjoyed sports and outdoor pursuits. While realising that my stamina, flexibility and strength are dimishing I still intend to fill my days with those same interests. When the time comes, and it most certainly will, when I can no longer remain active then I will be happy to say goodbye. I couldn’t bear the thought of being stuck in a retirement home with all the incontinent, senile inhabitants, I would rather be out of it completely.

To finish here are a three quotes that should sum up retirement –

“Retirement has been a discovery of beauty for me. I never had the time before to notice the beauty of my grandkids, my wife, the tree outside my very own front door. And, the beauty of time itself.” Hartman Jule

“Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.”   Harry Emerson Fosdick

“Retire from work, but not from life.”   M.K. Soni