It is a well-known fact that the more you do, the more you can do. The opposite is true as well – the less you do, the less you can do. So why would you choose to coast through retirement exerting as little effort as possible? The answer to this question will vary depending on what you value in life.

I know someone whose goal in retirement is to do as little as possible. He grew up in a region of the country where most of the adults worked in factories or in coal mines. By the time they reached retirement they were physically spent and looked forward to relaxing and doing little else. It made sense for them to look at retirement as a time of leisure after working in tedious, back-breaking jobs for decades. After all, in their minds they earned a time of rest.

Contrast that with my friend who is educated, worked for a large corporation, and retired with a pension. His body is not used up from working. Yet, his role model for what retirement should be like is based on those in his life who performed labor-intensive jobs and had little education. My friend often parrots what was said by his parents, “I earned the right to do nothing in retirement.”

It is not surprising that my friend’s health is suffering from inactivity and poor eating choices. The less he does, the less he can do. He appears to be aging at a rapid rate, his interests are shrinking, and his activity level is declining. He values leisure above growth and experience. He believes he deserves a life of leisure and that he is entitled to it. He may deserve it and be entitled to it, but is it what is best for him?

When our values conflict with what is necessary to be healthy and happy and with our purpose and passion in life we suffer. We may not like it, but struggle, growth, and overcoming are part of life. When we no longer push ourselves to do better and be better we start to decline. Couple mental and physical inactivity with a mindset that says your best days are behind you and you have a recipe for retirement disaster.

That is why aspirational values are so important in retirement. They give us a reason to grow, to challenge ourselves, to push past obstacles, to defy ageist attitudes, and to continue to work to improve our lives and the lives of others.

Just as your muscles become weaker from lack of use, so does your mind. If you’re going to get old anyway, why not use the time to learn something new, hone your skills, master an aspect of life, and accomplish a dream you buried long ago? The more you do, the more you can do. But most importantly by doing you show others what is possible in this remarkable phase of life.

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