Hello. This is Oing.
Have you envisioned your life after retirement? Most people initially conjure up the sweet illusion of ‘freedom’ and ‘leisure’. However, the reality is starkly different. For those who have lived a life packed as a cog in the capitalist system for decades, the moment they are given a 24-hour blank slate after retirement is not liberation, but suffering.
1. The Retirement Honeymoon is Short: The Fear That Comes From an Empty Life
The first three months to a year immediately following retirement is often called the ‘Honeymoon’ period. You catch up on sleep, travel, and do the things you couldn’t do before. But the interesting fact is that “the honeymoon is short for newlyweds, and it’s even shorter for retirees.”
After just two or three months, the familiar workplace is gone, and that empty space becomes not a void, but torment. For people who have lived a ‘Western painting-like’ life, fully packed with work, the sudden 24-hour blank slate leads to a sense of desolation, like being abandoned in the middle of space—resulting in depression. When they try to find work quickly, the reality that they can’t get the compensation commensurate with their old skills, coupled with the thought, “Did I really live my whole life without a single hobby?” leads to misery.
2. Ditch the “Lazy Perfectionist” and Become the ‘Pioneer of Your Own Life’
Old age is the first time you are faced with ‘yourself’ 24 hours a day. No one prepares your life for you. You must recognize the harsh reality that no one will take responsibility for your later years.
The core is planning and execution.
“There are no lazy people; there are only people who fail to execute”.
People who only dream of a perfect hobby or a perfect start in their minds but never actually begin anything are often called “lazy perfectionists”. They wait for perfection, and consequently, gain nothing.
The most important action strategy is this: ‘Try anything’. If you don’t know what you like, you must at least get a taste of that world—whether it’s calligraphy, embroidery, reform, something unfamiliar, or something you doubt is worthwhile. Building your own world of joy is the first step to becoming an economic agent who avoids a miserable old age.
3. 3 Cost-Free Execution Manuals to Transform Your Later Years
Here are three practical ways you can start building your ‘execution muscle’ and broaden your horizons without spending a fortune immediately.
1). 10-Page Reading to Save Your Brain
The best hobby you can enjoy for life without spending money is reading. I particularly recommend ’10-Page Reading’.
- Go to a bookstore or library at a fixed date and time.
- Read just 10 pages. (Any genre, whether fiction or a comic book, is fine.)
- Jot down the phrases you liked in a notebook and memorize them for the week.
In just two months, you will feel you have become a different person. You can overcome the feeling of being a ‘loser’ left behind by the changing world with intellectual ability, and taste the joy of becoming a learned person.
2). Put Down the Smartphone to Prevent ‘Brain Rot’
Deep immersion in short-form videos (Shorts) causes ‘Brain Rot’ and is an act of severely destroying yourself. Momentary fun is like sweet drinks or sugar powder that eventually accumulates, leading to powerlessness, and only wasting time.
Put down your smartphone and observe your surroundings. Simply looking at people’s shoes, clothes, and expressions on the subway can create a new hobby of observing the world and others. This is not just a hobby, but an experience of the world as a living organism.
3). Daily ‘Touchdown’ Outing to Prevent Solitary Death
The result of staying at home for too long is a solitary death. Going outside is a complex survival behavior that involves managing yourself, observing the world, and taking care of your health.
- If you live alone: Designate a ‘Touchdown’ spot, like the third utility pole in the next neighborhood. Walk there daily with that goal in mind. Setting your own destination is how you live authentically.
- If you are a couple: You must both go out for at least 3 hours separately. Staying together at home all the time only leads to bickering. The 3-hour outing is good for your health and brings back topics for conversation, preventing the erosion of your relationship assets.
4. Midlife Management to Establish Life Proportions
As you age, you must know the condition of your body, your preferences, and your spending capacity. Professor Lee Ho-seon refers to this as “Korean for your life, and Math for yourself”.
When facing the crisis of dwindling health, financial, and relational assets in middle age, misuse has consequences far beyond those in youth. You must pay attention to managing your midlife—including sleep, diet, exercise, and money management—through a life of proper proportions so that it seamlessly carries over into old age.
No one else will set the plan for your life. Take out a piece of paper right now and create your own weekly plan. And then, execute it. That is the most powerful economic investment against a miserable old age.
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Oing is here to contemplate realistic side hustles and survival strategies in the structure of capitalism.
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