***Self Improvement: Leisure Time, Retirement Time

You've worked all your life and now you are looking forward to retirement. How will you spend your time?

Many people have not created balance in their lives between work and play, so when it comes to leisure time or retirement, they don't know what to do with their time.

If you no longer have to work, or you are working less, here are five areas that you can attend to regarding how you spend your time.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Consider joining a gym, getting on a regular exercise program, taking up a sport, taking dance lessons, and/or learning yoga or tai chi. Leisure years can be filled with aliveness if you take excellent care of your health.

Do some research on nutrition and learn how to create healthy meals. There are many excellent books on achieving a high level of health, even in your later years. You might have years to live so you might as well learn how to live them in a vital and healthy way!

EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH

If you had not given much attention to your emotional and spiritual health - to the journey of your soul - now is a good time to do it. Now you have the time to read the excellent and inspiring books on achieving inner peace and joy. You have the time to attend lectures, workshop and seminars on healing the beliefs that may be limiting you, on connecting with your personal spiritual Guidance, and on taking loving care of yourself and sharing your love with others.

If you have never been introspective and taken the time to get to know your self on the inner level, now is a great time!

GIVING TO OTHERS

The most fulfilled people in life are those who find ways of giving to others and to the planet. If you have had to work hard all your life, you might not have had the time to volunteer or find other ways of helping. Now you have the time to explore what ways of giving really bring you joy. Would you enjoy volunteering at a day care center, sharing your love with little ones? Would you enjoy becoming part of a peer counseling group, supporting others in being all they can be? Would you receive satisfaction from becoming involved with groups that are helping the environment, helping the homeless, helping battered women and battered families, or helping abused children? Perhaps you would love to be involved with supporting the arts?

There are many fulfilling ways of giving and now you have an opportunity to discover which ways bring you joy.

CREATIVITY

Being involved in creative activities is one of the most fulfilling ways of spending time. What have you always wanted to learn to do? Do you want to learn to draw, paint, or make ceramic pots? Do you want to learn to work in wood, carving or making furniture? Have you always wanted to try your hand at writing, perhaps writing poetry, a novel, or a screenplay? Do you want to become an excellent chef? Maybe you want to learn more about interior design and home decorating? Perhaps you want to create a beautiful garden or learn about flower arranging? Have you always wanted to learn more about jewelry making, weaving, needlepoint, sewing or knitting?

Now is a great time to discover what creative activities being you inner peace and joy.

PLAY

You might find that your physical activities - golf, bowling, and so on are the ways you play. Or your creative activities may be the ways you play. You might also want to find other ways to play, such as playing board games, card games, or doing puzzles. You might enjoy computer games or the many games that are available through TV.

Don't let your leisure years be boring and unfulfilling. If you do not have to work, you have great opportunities to develop yourself in so many ways!