Welcome back to my series on the great retirement book The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America’s Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees.
So far we’ve had the following posts in this series:
If you missed any of those posts, you’re going to want to go back and read them before you read this one, since today’s post is a continuation of the others.
And to make things extra fun, I’ll be giving away a copy of the book at the end of each post in this series, so be sure to stay tuned and read to the end if you want a chance to win a copy.
And there’s more news as well…Wes Moss has agreed to do an interview with me about this book.
We’ll be talking in a few weeks, which gives ESI Money readers a chance to submit questions ahead of time. I’ll review the questions left in the comments on my posts and include some of the best ones in my interview with him.
So if there’s something you’d like to ask Wes about the book, retirement, or any of the ideas he discusses, leave your question in the comments below.
Today we’re going to continue our discussion about activities in retirement.
Adventure Activities
Here’s more commentary from the book:
Adventure pursuits claim more than 15 percent of the happiness pie — the second biggest category — and reveal something crucial about retirement happiness. Happy retirees have an average of 1.9 adventure-related core pursuits compared to just 1.2 for unhappy retirees. Even more telling: A whopping 57 percent of unhappy retirees have zero adventure-related pursuits.
The variety of what counts as “adventure” shows just how personal this category can be. Travel dominated our survey responses — or as one participant put it, “Traveling whenever possible. It brings me joy?” RVing makes a frequent appearance, which often coincided with camping and exploring national parks.
Why do adventure pursuits matter so much? They create what psychologists call “anticipatory happiness” — the joy you feel looking forward to something exciting. They also provide rich material for storytelling and memory-making!
If “looking forward to something” is the criterion for “adventure,” then I’ve got a ton of “trips” that I look forward to and count as adventure.
Some of them:
- A trip to the outlet mall and The Cheesecake Factory.
- A trip to one of the local malls and The Cheesecake Factory. Are you seeing a pattern here? Haha.
- Spending an afternoon driving around to see open houses.
- Going to museums in downtown Raleigh.
- Attending the MMM conference.
- Taking a trip to the North Carolina beach or mountains, which is still on my list.
- Going to a local attraction.
Sheesh, what doesn’t count? Does a trip to Costco count?
Because I look forward to those. Lol.
This is where the definition of adventure gets interesting. When people hear “adventure,” they may immediately think of international travel, backpacking, mountain climbing, scuba diving, or something similarly dramatic. But I don’t think it has to be that way.
For some people, adventure is a cruise through Alaska. For others, it’s visiting a new restaurant in the next town. For some, it’s RVing across the country. For others, it’s going to a museum they’ve never visited or taking a day trip to a small town they’ve always wanted to see.
The key seems to be anticipation, novelty, and enjoyment.
If that’s the case, I think most retirees can build some adventure into their lives without spending a fortune or flying around the world.
A few more thoughts:
- At one point I thought I’d like RVing. Then my parents did it and I saw what it was like. Nope, nope, nope.
- Travel would be the only major “adventure” category I’d participate in, but we don’t travel that much. To me, the pain of getting somewhere very rarely outweighs the joy of being there.
- I’d rather be at home, where I love it. That’s one of the biggest changes in my retirement thinking. I’ve transitioned from “get out and see places you love” to “create the life you love at home, then stick around.”
I know others have different opinions, but I’ve done my fair share of traveling in retirement, including:
- Two trips to Grand Cayman.
- A trip to Hawaii, which also included a cruise.
- Several trips to Washington, DC when my daughter was in college.
- An Airbnb vacation in Fort Myers Beach.
- A couple trips to Las Vegas.
- A couple trips back to Iowa for this or that reason.
- A trip to Seattle and Portland for my daughter’s senior trip.
- Wintering in The Villages.
And probably a few others I can’t remember.
Oh, and I lived in Colorado Springs — where people travel to go on vacation — for seven years, then lived in a resort, The Villages, for a couple more years.
So I think I’ve done more than my fair share of traveling while retired.
That said, I do think I should probably add more local adventure. That’s the sweet spot for me: low hassle, low travel pain, and still enough novelty to make life interesting.
Volunteering in Retirement
Another top core pursuit is volunteering:
Volunteering was another one of the most popular activities for bringing the most enjoyment in retirement. This category offers something special: the chance to contribute beyond yourself while staying socially connected. Whether you’re helping at a food bank, mentoring young professionals, or doing street medicine for the homeless, volunteering creates meaning that extends far beyond your own happiness.
This connects to something broader we discovered in our research: Happy retirees are volunteering and working because they want to and they’re passionate about it, not because they have to. We’ll talk more about volunteering [later], but for now, the important takeaway is that volunteering is a miracle blend — one driven by passion and purpose rather than financial necessity.
I do like volunteering in retirement as it accomplishes so many things. A few thoughts:
- In my Interview with Wes Moss several years ago, we talked about volunteering being the top core pursuit of happy retirees. It sounds like it’s still important, though it might not be #1 any longer.
- I listed volunteering as one of my top seven retirement activities because it gives many of the benefits of working, except for pay, and also has some positive health benefits.
- Volunteering can provide structure, purpose, social interaction, a sense of contribution, and a reason to get out of the house. Those are all things work used to provide for many people, but volunteering can provide them without the stress, politics, deadlines, and nonsense that often come with paid work.
- I consider my work at ESI Money to be at least partially a volunteer activity, since it gets free financial information out to thousands of people. Yes, the site also has business elements, but the teaching/helping component is a big part of why I continue doing it.
- MMM is also related to this, especially the mentoring side. Helping people avoid mistakes, make better decisions, grow their wealth, and hear from others who have already done it is meaningful work to me.
- I’m considering adding another volunteer activity in the near future, so stay tuned for that announcement if it happens.
The key point here is that volunteering works best when it’s something you actually want to do. If it becomes just another obligation, it can lose a lot of its value.
That’s why retirees need to be careful. Saying yes to every volunteer request can quickly turn retirement into unpaid employment. The best volunteer roles are those that fit your interests, skills, schedule, and desired level of commitment.
Working Out
Next we move to one of my primary core pursuits: exercising.
The book makes these comments:
Physical activity was another popular happiness elixir, and the responses reveal how creative people get with staying active. Beyond the expected activities like walking, hiking, and going to the gym, participants mentioned pickleball, tennis, golf, water aerobics, dancing, yoga, and biking, either the old-fashioned way or with an e-bike. Some turn fitness into a social pursuit — one retiree noted being a fitness instructor, while others participate in Zumba or yoga classes.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. Happy retirees spend almost an hour a day-approximately fifty-five minutes — on health and fitness activities, while unhappy retirees average just forty minutes.
That’s only a fifteen-minute difference, but it’s statistically significant and shows a measurable divide when it comes to happiness.
Adding just fifteen minutes per day to your health routine might be the simplest happiness tune-up in this entire book. Were not talking about training for a marathon or becoming a yoga instructor (though if that excites you, go for it!). The key insight is that these aren’t just workouts they’re enjoyable activities that both groups seem to like to do, but one emphasizes them with more time. Oh, and it just so happens to contribute to your health and vitality.
This finding connects beautifully with the core pursuits framework: Those extra minutes can be “tacked on” to your existing pursuits. If you’re already walking with your neighbor for half an hour every morning extend it by fifteen minutes. If you’re playing pickleball twice a week, add a third session. If you’re gardening, spend a bit more time digging, planting, and moving around your yard. More is better. Remember, you’re looking to spend spend hours per day on your core pursuits, so that fifteen minutes can be rolled into your overall purpose portfolio.
I am so far past an hour a day that it’s not even a question whether I make the happy group or not.
A few thoughts:
- I usually do a couple hours of exercise in the morning, though much of that includes transition time, showering, changing, getting to the pool, warming up, cooling down, and so on.
- I then do 30 to 45 minutes in the afternoon, depending on the day.
- That doesn’t count any walking outside the gym, yardwork, or extra trips to the pool for “fun.” I count swimming laps as exercise, but I don’t count times I go to the pool just to relax, swim a bit, and socialize.
My exercise activities include:
- Swimming laps
- Walking the track
- The StairMaster
- Lifting weights
- Pickleball
- Yoga/Pilates/balance routine
I actually don’t do most of these as core pursuits that I love, other than pickleball. I do them because I want to be healthy. The few hours I spend exercising impact all the other hours I am alive in a very positive way.
I look at exercise as “taking my vitamins” or taking a pill that improves my health. I do it for the benefits, not necessarily because I love every second of the activity itself.
That said, there are aspects of each exercise that are enjoyable.
FYI, the pain and gasping for air are not part of the enjoyment. Lol.
This is another place where I think retirees should be practical. You don’t have to become a marathon runner or CrossFit champion. You don’t even have to love exercise. But you should find ways to move that you can tolerate, repeat, and maybe even enjoy a little.
In retirement, your body determines a lot about the size of your life. If you can walk, travel, play with grandkids, work in the yard, lift things, balance well, climb stairs, and get through a full day with energy, your retirement options are much broader.
If you can’t, they shrink.
That’s why physical activity is not just another hobby. It supports almost every other hobby.
Create Your Purpose
The book now starts wrapping up this chapter by pulling all these activities and findings together:
By now, you can see the pattern emerging.
Five core pursuits 2.5+ hours daily. Adventure elements. Health habits. Each of these things matters individually, but here’s what ties them all together: Our research shows that happy retirees are nearly three times more likely to have a strong sense of purpose.
Want to know the most eye-opening truth of all?
Purpose isn’t something they found; it’s something they created.
Purpose is built one core pursuit at a time.
This flies in the face of our cultural mythology around purpose.
People are always talking about “finding your purpose” — and by people, I mean bumper stickers and inspirational posters with forests and waterfalls. Is it any wonder that many retirees believe their big raison d’être is hiding somewhere in the far-off distance and they have to spare no expense to hunt it down? (I don’t speak French, but my editor tells me those words mean “reason for being.”)
We’ve been conditioned to believe that if we book that trip to save those lemurs, we’ll uncover our epic Mother Theresa-level life purpose that was waiting for us in Madagascar all along. It’s a seductive idea, albeit a misconception. This is where the pressure comes in. Find your purpose! Discover your purpose!
This sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? It doesn’t need to be. We can simply create our purpose from the core pursuits we’re already doing and already love. Low pressure. It doesn’t have to be an Indiana Jones treasure hunt or an Ayahuasca retreat in Peru.
But you, and only you, get to fashion your purpose in whatever way suits you. And it’s available to you right now, not floating around the universe playing hard to get. Purpose is something you get to create.
Because here’s what I’ve observed in thousands of happy retirees: They didn’t stumble upon some cosmic destiny. They built purpose deliberately, often from ordinary elements of their lives relationships they value, skills and interests they already have, and communities they care about. The happiest retirees understand that purpose isn’t discovered like a diamond in the rough; it’s crafted like a fine piece of Amish furniture: with intention, effort, and personal touches that reflect who you are.
You don’t have to wait passively for meaning to find you. You actively construct it, piece by piece, choice by choice, day by day. And the most empowering thing is that because you’re the creator, you have the freedom to reshape and expand your purpose as you evolve.
I’m not sure what in the Sam Jones he’s talking about. Hahahaha.
I agree that you don’t need some “save the world” activity to make your retirement meaningful. We’ve been over that and I agree with Moss.
But I’m not sure about “creating your purpose,” unless by “purpose” he simply means “creating a happy, meaningful life.”
A few thoughts:
- I like exercising, writing, chatting with folks on the MMM forums, playing pickleball, spending time with family, reading, and all the other activities I’ve shared here.
- But are they my “purpose”? Is my purpose in life to exercise? Is my purpose to play pickleball? Is my purpose to have dinners with my family?
- Not really. Those are all elements of a great retirement life, but I can’t really describe them as my “purpose.”
- Maybe I just don’t connect with the word “purpose” the way some people do. To me, the word feels heavier than what we’re talking about here.
- I would probably leave “purpose” out of this discussion and just talk about having enough activities to create a great life in retirement.
- I think that’s what Moss is getting at, but somehow “purpose” gets worked into all this and it gets a little wonky.
That said, I do like the underlying message. Don’t sit around waiting for meaning to strike you like lightning. Build a good life with activities, relationships, service, learning, fitness, faith, fun, and whatever else matters to you.
If that’s what “purpose” means, I’m on board.
If it means I need to identify a single grand reason for my existence and then organize my retirement around it, I’ll pass.
Finally, they end this chapter with this summary:
Start where you are. If you currently have three core pursuits, work toward five. If you’re spending ninety minutes daily on meaningful activities, gradually expand toward 2.5 hours. Plot out an adventure, even if it’s close to home. No one says a trip to the local plant nursery can’t be an adventure. Incorporate fifteen extra minutes of health activity. Most importantly, begin thinking about how your daily activities can roll up into your yearly triumphs. Step by step, you’ll build a purpose portfolio you can be proud of.
I would add that you should have a lot of this sorted out BEFORE you get to retirement.
See my posts on the book Retirement Starts Today for ideas on how to do this.
Even if you “only” go into retirement with three core pursuits, you’ll be well ahead of most people and only a couple shy of five. Then you can add those two, or more, once you get into retirement.
In The Top Seven Retirement Activities I listed what I think are the best areas to consider for your core pursuits, so if you’re lacking ideas, start there.
A few practical closing thoughts:
- Don’t wait until retirement to begin thinking about this. Test activities while you’re still working so you have some idea of what you actually enjoy.
- Don’t assume the activities you imagine loving will automatically work. Some things sound better in theory than they are in real life.
- Don’t over-schedule yourself either. Retirement should have enough structure to be fulfilling, but not so much that it feels like another job.
- Build a mix of activities. Some should be physical, some social, some creative, some relaxing, and some that help others.
- Keep experimenting. Your retirement activities at age 60 may not be the same as your activities at 70 or 80, and that’s fine.
If nothing else, EVERYONE should have most of my top retirement activities in their retirement. There are certainly five you can get out of that list and have a really great retirement.
So, you’re welcome. Hahahaha.
That’s it for this secret. Stay tuned as the next one is coming up soon.
For now, it’s time for another book giveaway…
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As I said above, I’m giving away a copy of The Retire Sooner Method on every post I do about the book. Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a comment below telling me what you liked best about this post, what you think you can use, or something you learned from it. Basically just share anything meaningful related to the content above (note: “please enter me to win” and similar comments will not be considered out of pure weakness! At least put a bit of effort into it!) This should be fun!
- Be sure to leave your email address when you leave the comment so I will know how to reach you if you win (the email address will not be visible to anyone other than me).
- The winners will be selected by me at random a few days after this post goes live. I’ll announce who wins in my own comment.
- I’ll email the winner, get their address, and send them a book from Amazon.
As with most giveaways, there are rules. Here they are.
Good luck!!!!
