Now that you have a plan, can you afford it? Once the pieces are assembled, you must determine whether you can afford to execute the plan. It may mean your choices may have to be tempered or modified. Going to school isn’t the only way to learn new skills; you can take courses online, avail yourself of free instruction or even apprentice to a professional in your field. You may have to rebalance work and leisure to ensure more income, but that is what planning is all about.
The most important lesson is to begin the process now when you still have options and you have the luxury of planning. It’s important to recognize that this new phase in your life can be productive and a source of great contentment if you prepare for it and not wait until you have to make quick or unwise decisions.
After several hours of heartfelt discussion about her life and aspirations, one of my clients, a successful CFO of a large company, confided in me that she‘d always harbored a desire to paint but had never had the opportunity to explore or satisfy the passion. But she wanted to put this talent to good use as more than just a hobby. We laid out a plan that included her going back to school while she was still working – she had three years left until retirement – and taking a combination of classes and online courses that would allow her to hone her talents and put them to work teaching art to underprivileged children.
I recently bumped into her and asked how she was doing. She laughed and said, “My voyage of self-discovery has been harder than I expected but I’ve finally thrown out my pen and replaced it with a paintbrush and I am never going back”.
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