Bespirement? Is that a made up word? YES. Totally. 100%. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m also going to shamelessly keep on using it. Why, you ask, would you go against the great Oxford English Dictionary! Because it's time, it really is. We're living in the most privileged time in history. It may not feel that way but we have longer life expectancies, more resources and more choice than at any other point in time. However, sometimes our freedom to change is constrained by our old ways of thinking. This is particularly true when it comes to retirement. Close your eyes and think about what a retired person looks like to you. Even if you try really hard I'm sure there will be a small glimmer of grey, a few wrinkles and maybe a rocking chair or a cardigan in there somewhere. I’ve received feedback from those who have both retired early and at the traditional age and they hear ' you can't be retired, you're too young' and 'but what do you do all day'. It’s time to change the rhetoric. It’s time to start the conversation that being ' young' or 'old', retired or not is not about labels but mindset and we need to challenge the ‘ism’ that is ageism. We have the opportunity to choose how we live each chapter of our lives and that means removing outdated notions of what 'retirement' should look like.
Bespirement here at The Next Chapter is the opportunity to choose your own life, design it how you'd like it to be and then live it at whatever age or stage you're at. You don't need to wait until traditional retirement age to retire, take up new interests, change your lifestyle, or give up 9-5 work. You choose your own inspiring bespirement. There are many different ways of living your life and you have the opportunity to choose what that is.
Check out the case studies on www.thenextchapter.nz for some bespirement inspiration. If you are inspired then get in touch and we can talk about how our 7 F's framework can help explore areas like how you’ll spend your time, what work looks like for you, how you will make connections so you make the successful transition to your next chapter.
