Your retirement years should be the best years of your life. With life expectancy increasing, the average person can expect to live to around 90, so retiring at 65 means you will spend over a quarter of your life not working. You can choose for that period of life to be ordinary; or you can choose for it to be extraordinary.

It is said that whatever a child dreams of being when they are about ten years of age reflects their deepest desires for their future adult life and that these desires stay constant in the subconscious mind throughout life, despite the stresses of living. Thinking back to your childhood dreams is a great way to start planning your retirement. Reflect as well on what have been the greatest moments of joy and fulfilment in your life. These may give you clues as to where your future happiness lies. These could include moments of joy in your professional life as well as your personal life. The activities that you absolutely love doing in your personal life are things that you can plan to do more of. Ask yourself these key questions:

• What is the one most important thing I want to accomplish in this phase of my life?
• What kind of person do I aspire to be?
• What do I want to have more of in my life?

There are many people doing extraordinary things in their retirement – setting up philanthropic organisations, developing their talents as artists, musicians or writers, living in another country either as a visitor or a voluntary worker, living a nomadic life in a campervan or on cruise ships, and even giving up on retirement and setting up new businesses or careers. You only get one chance at life, so make the most of it!