A Sure-Fire Way To Find Your Connections
Hang out with people like you!
Welcome to the new year! It feels like a time to get on with things, doesn’t it?
One of the things I’ve talked about a lot is the importance of connections in retirement. They give you a reason to put your feet on the floor in the morning, and being isolated in retirement is worse for your health than a cigarette habit! But we’ve also learned that it can take a long while to build those connections - upwards of 200 hours for the close ones! There is no shortcut. The only way to do it is to see the same people over and over again until something “sticks.” But how do you do that when you’re not going to the same place of work every day?
Creating or joining interest clubs is one proven way to find like-minded individuals and create new connections. I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of friends who have invited me to join a couple of their clubs. I’ve joined a book club and an investment club at the invitation of others after retirement, and it’s been a great way to meet new people and interact with them many times. But what if you don’t have those opportunities? Or what if you don’t like to read and aren’t interested in investing? Then what?
I found this really interesting article the other day that might help. Why not start a retirement club? You must be interested in retirement, right? And so are lots of other people that you probably know. There are topics galore that you could explore. Anything from the financial aspects to volunteer opportunities in your community to health-related topics are going to be interesting to at least some of the people in the group. Or, you could just get together and see what comes up. You all have something in common, after all. Don’t have a ready-made list of people you want to invite? Put it out there on Meetup! There will be tons of interest, I bet.
We’ve talked about the fact that, if you’re single, you’re going to need a tribe if you’re going to age alone because of all of the “logistics” that go along with aging around things like healthcare and mobility and even just navigating all of the changes in the world. And, let’s face it, many, if not most of us will be single at some point before we die, especially if we are female. We just outlive the other sex. So that could be an interesting topic of conversation for your club - and maybe a way to solidify some of the connections and feel less alone.
If you and your club really get into it, it could be almost like a Japanese Moai, where people vow to stay together through thick and thin and take care of each other socially, physically and even financially, if needed. We’ve explored this opportunity before in this newsletter, but this idea of a retirement club could be a first, real step in that direction.
I love the idea of a retirement club. I’ll probably even put one together, if I can find a few like-minded individuals. I’ll let you know how it goes. And, if you decide to create one, please, keep me updated!