Blog before last I wrote that one of my retirement dreams was to own a property abroad – perhaps here in France’s Perigord region.
Made me wonder what the retirement dream is for most people. If you google ‘retirement dream’ virtually all the search results relate to money and how much you need to retire. It pulls up lots of sites from financial organisations and advisors offering to help you with your money!
Money, useful as it is, is a means to an end, I would argue. So what do people – retired or not – actually want from life.
In answer I found this really interesting article based on the results of a survey of 700 mainly working women.
The question asked was: “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?” Here are the top 10 answers and the reason why the dream often seems unobtainable
1: Happiness – Biggest challenge: “Not knowing what I want to do.”
2: Money– Biggest challenge: “Not having enough money or time to accomplish the things I want to do.”
3: Freedom – Biggest challenge: “Having the freedom to find my ‘true purpose’ or being lit up by the day-to-day at work.”
4: Peace – Biggest challenge: “Lack of clarity about who I am and my purpose.”
5: Joy – Biggest challenge: “How to find the right role or position for me now that will bring joy in my work.”
6: Balance – Biggest challenge: “Balancing my need/desire for flexibility while making enough money and having the benefits I want.”
7: Fulfillment – Biggest challenge: “Utilizing my potential in the best possible way, for myself and for others.”
8: Confidence – Biggest challenge: “Feeling like I have something to offer now, rather than feeling constantly as if I’m not ready and need more training.”
9: Stability – Biggest challenge: “Figuring out what to do next, to keep me afloat and be a bridge to my later years and retirement.”
10: Passion – Biggest challenge: “Overcoming feelings of ineptitude and negativity because of career setbacks.”
I like these words and identify with both the answers and the challenges. Interesting that the only one you need money for is money, all the rest lie within. You can’t argue with happiness being no. 1 but my list as a retired man who feels relatively stable would put these words in a different order.
- Happiness
- Joy
- Passion
- Confidence
- Fulfillment
- Freedom
- Peace
- Balance
- Stability
- Money