The Secret to Retirement

     You may know Ernie Zelinski as the author of the bestselling retirement book How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free. The other day he sent me a copy of his new book, The Joy of Being Retired, and since I had just written my previous post "What Do We Love About Retirement?" I was interested to find out what he had to say on the issue of happiness in retirement.

     So I cracked open the 212-page book, which consists of 365 reasons why "retirement rocks," plus 50 bonus reasons. This is not a book you read cover to cover. It's a book you dip into occasionally to get a jolt of inspiration, a reminder of how we are lucky to be retired.

     His reasons why retirement rocks range from . . .

     The simple -- Reason # 4: You get to appreciate one of life's great pleasures -- lots of time on your hands -- and follow the good advice that comes from the menu in a Canadian restaurant: "If you're not served in 5 minutes, you'll be served in 8 or 9, or maybe 12 . . . Relax!"

     To the silly -- Reason # 247: When you retire you finally get to switch to a new boss -- from the one who hired you to the one who married you.

     To the serious -- Reason # 69: Retirement is the time you truly realize that happiness is not based on possessions, power and prestige -- but on relationships with people you love and respect.

     Zelinski is a Canadian who "retired" in 1980 at the age of 31 when he was fired from his engineering job at a power company . . . for taking too much vacation. "I wanted to take some extra vacation," he told me. "The company said no, and I took it anyway. So they fired me. It was the best thing that ever happened to me."

     He didn't retire, exactly, but he was through with the corporate world. He took an extended vacation, then went back to school (surviving on student loans), and spent time teaching at a vocational school.

     He took on some speaking engagements, and he knew he had some practical advice books he wanted to write. The first one, The Joy of Not Working, focused on creativity. He sent his manuscript off to a number of publishers, only to get back a series of rejection slips. So he self-published the book. It came out in 1991 during an economic recession, when everyone was writing books about how to keep your job or get a new job. "And guess which book got all the attention?" he said.

     From there he went on to write How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, which has sold almost 400,000 copies. At last count he has published 17 books in all. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he works part time as a life coach, professional speaker and "unconventional career expert." His mission, he writes, is to "help individuals create a better work/life balance in their lives and to help them pursue their dreams."

     His whole approach to life left me with some questions, which is why I wanted to talk with him. His "reasons why retirement rocks" offer plenty of ways for retirees to stay busy with gardening, reading, going to classes, volunteering. But I know many retirees are busy, but don't feel that they have a real purpose in life. I wanted his insights into how people organize their activities into a purposeful life.

     He agreed that people need a purpose, but he says it can be as simple as just enjoying our leisure time or taking care of our health or cultivating our relationships with family and friends. He told me about a friend of his who retired from an engineering company in Delaware. The friend moved to Phoenix, and now he loves just being retired. He plays a lot of pickleball and organizes tournaments and enjoys his leisure time and making new friends. He's energized and excited enough about his new life that he gets up at 4:30 in the morning, because he can't wait to greet the day. The man doesn't need any extra purpose than that.

     But Zelinski will readily admit that finding a purpose in retirement depends on what people want, and is really up to the individual. Zelinski says that he will continue to write books, and hopes to get to 25 before he's done.

     He has also created an award for creativity at the University of Alberta School of Engineering and another at the University of Alberta School of Business. The awards are not given for scholarship, but for quirky brilliance in either coursework or extracurricular activities. He feels this is a way for him to make a difference, while still enjoying the freedom of retirement -- the freedom to wake up when he wants, go to bed when he wants, and in the interval work and play at the things he wants to work and play at, all at his own pace.

     I had to ask him: What is the secret of retirement? He talked about the freedom to do what you want, the freedom from having a boss and being a slave to the clock. He talked about the importance of friends and community. But he also said it's important to relax, and just be in the moment. Or as he says: Being in joy of yourself.