Why WIIFM is the Secret Ingredient to: Living More Out of Intention in Retirement

WIIFM was a hook I included early on in my seminars and workshops presenting mostly to women. The WIIFM is the power behind anything we do.

 Read on as we begin to explore the meaning behind WIIFM.

To live less out of habit and more out of intention actually means this:

Intentional living is about knowing why you do what you do and why you don’t do what you don’t do.

In other words: WIIFM or What’s In It For Me? Or what is the benefit of that choice? We live in a microwave society needing and liking that instant gratification. That is more like living out of habit. Living out of intention is acting on the benefit and more importantly for the long term.

Intentional living is also willing to take a step back and evaluate the choices you are making. Here’s an exercise you will want to do. Grab a pen and paper or open a word doc and begin. First question:

1.    Analyze what’s not working in your life right now? Relationships? Finances? Career? Just be honest and jot some things down.

2.    Analyze what is working? What brings you joy? With what do you feel at peace?  

3.    What would my life look like if…….fill in the blank. Focus on the feelings you get when thinking about those things in your life. What emotions are there? Hang on to those feelings as we move on to step 4.

4.    What are your goals? What would you need to do to make intentional choices to accomplish that goal? How would you feel about that? Or WIIFM?

5.    How will I get there? Break the goal down into small steps. Then write them down preferable on a calendar or anywhere you can see them. (One is more likely to do something if it is written down).

6.    When will you do this? Set a deadline. Without a deadline your goal becomes dead. (Some people never make those better choices because they live on an island; “Someday Isle”.)

Nothing could be more important than making intentional choices when planning for retirement and continuing evaluating those choices throughout your retired life.

Intentional living in planning retirement has three stages:

Before retirement (perhaps 5 years before) is the first stage. Intentional decisions about saving enough money, choosing to relocate and/or downsize and what about putting your passion and purpose into action or analyzing relationships; how strong or weak they are.

During retirement are those first few months or years putting those intentional choices into action. Adjusting to “being together” all the time if you still have your spouse, adjusting to living within a new set of finances or perhaps adjusting to a new area (city, state or even country).

Third stage is after retirement. Those 10 years and beyond. Still being intentional using the above 6 steps to know what and why you make the choices you do. You may have lost a spouse, decided to move closer to grandchildren and/or family or need to further adjust finances.

Intentional living helps you set a course for your life rather than just wandering aimlessly through retirement. It gives you the freedom to make time for the things that are truly important and to discard the rest. How will you live intentionally in your retirement?