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We all think we have more time.<\/p>\n
When we were younger, time felt endless. There would always be another birthday, another vacation, another opportunity, another chapter.<\/p>\n
But something changes as we grow older.<\/p>\n
Without even realizing it, we stop counting up and begin counting down.<\/p>\n
Not in fear, but in awareness.<\/p>\n
Time is no longer something we want to spend casually or recklessly. It becomes more precious\u2014something we protect and invest in with intention.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that is why I have spent so many years helping people downsize their homes.<\/a><\/p>\n I thought I was helping them create more space.<\/p>\n What I was really doing was helping them create more life.<\/p>\n Recently, I found myself working outside on my patio on one of those perfect summer afternoons.<\/p>\n My laptop was open, and I was reviewing every product in my online shop\u2014editing, refining, and improving each one.<\/p>\n Ideas flowed effortlessly. One improvement led to another.<\/p>\n Before I knew it, hours had passed. I had even forgotten to eat lunch.<\/p>\n Not because I was too busy, but because I felt fully alive doing something I love.<\/p>\n That afternoon reminded me of something I have come to believe: There is a profound difference between being busy and being deeply engaged.<\/strong><\/p>\n Busy people watch the clock.<\/p>\n People who are doing something they love often lose track of time.<\/p>\n When was the last time that happened to you?<\/p>\n Retirement may give us more control <\/a>over our time\u2014the freedom we looked forward to for years.<\/p>\n But it doesn\u2019t automatically give us purpose.<\/p>\n Over the years, I have worked with countless retirees. Many imagined retirement would be the happiest season of their lives.<\/p>\n At first, it often is.<\/p>\n No alarm clock. No commute. No meetings. No deadlines. The freedom to sleep in and choose how to spend the day.<\/p>\n It is wonderful for a while.<\/p>\n Then something unexpected sometimes happens: the honeymoon ends.<\/p>\n Quietly, people admit things they never expected to say:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m bored.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do with myself.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve lost my sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t need more free time. They needed something meaningful to do with it.<\/p>\n Retirement isn\u2019t simply about leaving work.<\/p>\n It is about discovering what calls you forward now. <\/a>What lights you up?<\/strong><\/p>\n People often tell me, \u201cIf I had it to do over again, I wish I had more time.\u201d<\/p>\n But what if that isn\u2019t really what they mean?<\/p>\n Perhaps what they are actually saying is: I wish I had spent my time differently.<\/strong><\/p>\n More evenings around the dinner table with family.<\/p>\n More ball games with the kids.<\/p>\n More walks with a spouse.<\/p>\n More meaningful conversations.<\/p>\n Less rushing.<\/p>\n Less postponing.<\/p>\n Less believing that life would finally begin someday.<\/p>\n Regret rarely comes from not owning enough.<\/p>\n It usually comes from not living enough.<\/p>\n Most of us have heard of a bucket list:<\/p>\n We love dreaming about the future. But I believe there is another list that is just as valuable\u2014perhaps even more so.<\/p>\n It is called a reverse bucket list<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n A traditional bucket list is aspirational. It looks ahead at what you still hope to experience.<\/p>\n A reverse bucket list is inspirational. It looks back at the moments when you felt most alive and uses them as clues for what may bring meaning to your life now.<\/p>\n Ask yourself:<\/p>\n Those memories aren\u2019t simply nostalgia.<\/p>\n They are clues.<\/p>\n Clues to the life that still wants to be lived.<\/p>\n If you would like a little help beginning this reflection, download my recently updated Reverse Bucket List<\/strong>. <\/a><\/p>\n As we grow older, perhaps the most important question changes.<\/p>\n Instead of asking, \u201cWhat do I have time for?\u201d we begin asking:<\/p>\n These are the questions that create clarity, action, and meaning.<\/p>\n They can also help us begin finding purpose in retirement\u2014not by filling every hour, but by choosing what matters most.<\/p>\n One of my favorite words is deserve<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I have often shared it with women I mentor who have forgotten their own worth.<\/p>\n Women who spent decades caring for everyone else.<\/p>\n Women who quietly believed their dreams could wait until someday.<\/p>\n I remind them: You deserve joy.<\/p>\n You deserve peace. You deserve meaningful work.<\/p>\n You deserve healthy relationships that nourish you.<\/p>\n You deserve to be seen\u2014and truly heard.<\/p>\n Perhaps this is the season of life when we all need that reminder.<\/p>\n Not because someone else approves of our choices, but because we finally recognize our own worth.<\/p>\n And that is no small thing.<\/p>\n After more than 40 years as an interior designer, I know every successful design begins with questions.<\/p>\n Here is the question I would like to ask you today: How do you want to live in your next chapter?<\/strong><\/p>\n That question isn\u2019t about furniture or floor plans.<\/p>\n It is about your life.<\/p>\n This next chapter isn\u2019t about filling your calendar. It is about filling your days with meaning.<\/p>\n It is about creating enough white space for curiosity.<\/p>\n It is about creating enough freedom to say yes\u2014and enough courage to become more fully who you have always wanted to be, even after a lifetime of responsibilities.<\/p>\n Your next chapter may become the greatest design project of all.<\/p>\n This week, I invite you to create one intentional hour for yourself.<\/p>\n Protect it as though it were the most valuable appointment on your calendar.<\/p>\n Spend that hour doing something that makes you forget the clock\u2014something that absorbs you so completely that you lose track of time.<\/p>\n It could be:<\/p>\n Then notice how you feel.<\/p>\n That hour may reveal something you have been searching for all along\u2014something you want to give more time to each week.<\/p>\n We cannot add more years to our lives.<\/p>\n But we can add more life to our years.<\/p>\n Perhaps the question isn\u2019t, \u201cHow much time do I have left?\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps the better question is: What deserves the time I have left?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n If you can answer that honestly\u2014and then find the courage to live your answer\u2014you won\u2019t simply be counting down the years.<\/p>\n You will be making every one of them count.<\/p>\n Begin by noticing the activities, relationships, and contributions that make you feel energized, useful, and connected. Purpose doesn\u2019t have to come from one grand mission. It can grow through mentoring, volunteering, learning, creating, caring for others, or returning to an interest you once loved.<\/p>\n Yes. Retirement changes more than your schedule. It can also affect your routine, identity, relationships, and sense of being needed. Feeling unsettled doesn\u2019t mean you are failing at retirement. It may simply mean you need time to explore what feels meaningful now.<\/p>\n A reverse bucket list looks back at the experiences that made you feel most alive, connected, or fulfilled. Instead of focusing only on future accomplishments, it helps you recognize patterns from your past that can guide the next chapter of your life.<\/p>\n If this article resonated with you and you would like to have more meaningful conversations like this, I invite you to join My Simplicity Circle<\/strong>.<\/a> Click here <\/a>to learn more about the membership.<\/p>\n I would also love to hear from you: What deserves more of your time in this chapter of your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n Share your answer in the comments, and subscribe to my channel for more conversations about retirement, downsizing, simplicity, and designing a life that feels meaningful.<\/p>\n Never miss an episode! Click the following link to like Rita\u2019s\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0page or subscribe to her\u00a0Decluttering YouTube Channel<\/a>. Check out our\u00a0YouTube playlists<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0if you want to learn more.<\/p>\nThe Difference Between Being Busy and Feeling Alive<\/h2>\n
Why Free Time Isn\u2019t the Same as Purpose<\/h2>\n
Maybe We\u2019ve Been Asking the Wrong Question<\/h2>\n
Create a Reverse Bucket List<\/h2>\n
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What Deserves This Chapter of Your Life?<\/h2>\n
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The Life You Deserve<\/h2>\n
The Greatest Design Project of All<\/h2>\n
Give Yourself One Intentional Hour<\/h2>\n
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What Will You Do With the Time You Have?<\/h2>\n
Frequently Asked Questions About Finding Purpose in Retirement<\/h2>\n
How do I find purpose after retirement?<\/h3>\n
Is it normal to feel lost after retiring?<\/h3>\n
What is a reverse bucket list?<\/h3>\n
Continue the Conversation<\/h2>\n
SHARE YOUR STORY!<\/h2>\n