First of all get the basics right…Retirement is expensive, EARN it only then will you deserve it.

Even if you plan to retire at say 58…it is not too early to start planning for it when you are say 50 years of age. It is necessary to find something worthwhile to do. It cannot be just some exercise (which you should anyway MUST do) but find some real calling. Nobody will take you seriously UNLESS you take yourself seriously. For heavens sake, stop looking at those butox faces and silver grey heads and think nice happy things are going to happen to you. YOU, and YOU alone can make it happen, so take charge.

Let us see what all you should/ could do.

1. Do not take the targets, etc. too seriously! All that is over and done with, but still find a hobby. Pottery? Photography? Music? Something which will take 2-3 hours of your day without too much of a travel or other hardships. This should pull you from your job instead of just the date calendar pushing you into retirement! But be seriously interested.

2. For heavens sake, do it TODAY, now. Do not think you will do it one week or one month before retirement.  A few of my classmates said ‘your mind has to be alert’..’your attitude has to be good’….yuck guys, you still need to DO SOMETHING. Now, today. Remember, the Power of NOW?

3. Take up some courses: some of them are paid online course, and many are free. You have FREE online music classes, cycling, running websites, MIT runs a lot of free course, try it out. If you do not mind spending money, there are greater choices – Indian and Foreign. However be aware there are just too many frauds too. Examples are day trading, forex trading, etc… these are just ways to take money from you. Simple.

4. Join groups: Groups cut across age and gender barriers. So find your self a walking buddy 10 years older than you, a running buddy same age as yourself and a cycling buddy 10 years younger than you! Being in multi age groups helps – sometimes as a mentor and sometimes as a mentee.

5. Do not listen to a doctor: If he is a smoking, fat 39 year old doc, he is in no position to treat a 59 year old fit ru0nner. If you must see a doc for physical ailments see a sports doctor. Sadly many Indian doctors are unfit and will quickly say ‘Oh you are 52..you should not be running’. They act like Don Quixote when you say Treadmill.

6. There is nothing perfect on day one: You may run for 700m or cycle for 5km..do not let that dishearten you. I know kids who have said ‘I cannot run, I can only walk’…now running a half marathon. Just goddamn start…remember point no. 1? Leave competition behind. Remember you have retired? Just relax, but do, NOW. And like they say ‘It is too late only if you do not start NOW’. So like Nike says ‘Just Do It’

Unless if you are a cricketer you retire only once, make the most of it. Remember you do not stop learning because you are aged, you age because you stopped learning.

Hey Chinese, here I come? Or should it be Sanskrit? Your call.