October 2025 – Your Better Retirement

The Joy of Doing the Unexpected. Part 1

Senior man enjoying skateboarding on a quiet, tree-lined street during the day.

We often think of retirement as a time of slowing down, but for some in life, it can become the complete opposite – a time, perhaps, where societal rules no longer apply. Across the world, people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and older are proving age is no barrier to doing something – well, a little unexpected, shall we say. Not for them sitting back and watching daytime television, or decluttering the cupboard under the stairs. They want a little bit more out of life. From DJing in nightclubs through to transforming a garden into a mini wild-west town, these individuals are bucking the rules that we can sometimes fall into the trap of setting for ourselves.

Before It’s Too Late: Lessons for a Life Well Lived.

This post is inspired by the wisdom shown in Bronnie Ware’s book ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’, published in 2011. For those who may not have come across this individual before, Bronnie Ware was an Australian palliative nurse who cared for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She used to write a blog where she recorded the dying epiphanies of her patients. This blog garnered a lot of attention, so much so that she decided to put her findings into a book – hence ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’ was born.

Why Rest is Just as Important as Purpose in Retirement

Adorable ginger cat peacefully sleeps in a soft, fluffy basket indoors.

I talk a lot on this website about finding purpose, carrying out meaningful activities and connecting with others during our post-work life. And all for good reason. I believe (as research also shows) that if we want to retain good mental health and wellbeing, we need to find value in what we do and feel that we are contributing, whether that’s within our family unit, or indeed externally within our community or even wider. If, however, we lived a life such as this for 16 awake hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year…mmm…I think we might start to get a little bit of burnout going on. So, as much as an active and meaningful way of spending time is important, we also mustn’t ignore that we need a sense of balance – we also need to chill and rest.

The Power Of Gratitude in Retirement: How Appreciating Life Can Transform Your Later Years

valentines day background, people, holding hands, sunset, man, woman, landscape, outdoors, nature, sunlight, couple, together, relationship, lovers, silhouettes

Gratitude. A word we no doubt have all heard of, but what does it mean? Gratitude is simply the practice of noticing and appreciating the good things in life – big or small. It’s not about pretending there are no difficulties in life or that everything is perfect – it’s about recognising that even when the going gets tough (like it did for Billy Ocean), there are moments, people or experiences worth valuing. Gratitude can shift our attention away from what we lack to what we already have which can boost happiness, reduce stress and even improve physical health.