As I write this post I will be 65 next week. Today is also 65 days before I retire from my nursing career. There is a spiritual significance to the number 65. It’s about transition and good things and the belief that those purposed things will come forth. I’m on a cruise and this has been the best thing I’ve done for myself in a very long time. It’s a “work” trip actually and I’m traveling with a friend. We are working on business plans and decided a few days to get away would do us both good.
What we’ve accomplished so far is a time of rest. This will probably be the best thing for our creative minds. I’ve taken several naps and gone to bed early every night so far. This has really been good for me as constant stress brings about increased levels of cortisol. Cortisol being released every once in a while is expected but constant release brings about things like weight in the mid-section and inflammation. The constant release of cortisol puts your health at risk.
I’ve worked since I was 16. If I count babysitting, my working history goes back to age 12. There is nothing wrong with working hard. I don’t plan to be idle when I retire. I’m working on several home business ventures. I have absolute confidence in my ability to create additional income after retirement in a field I’m excited about.
To be honest, I never wanted to work outside the home. My mother was a homemaker and I always thought that was how it would play out for me. I did go to nursing school and thought I’d only work now and then or very part-time. It didn’t work out that way. I’m proud of my accomplishments in the nursing world. I’ve loved being there for my patients.
For many years now I’ve desired to work out of my home. Honestly, it was my mindset that kept me from making that jump. There was fear holding me back. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of failing. Fear I couldn’t create income quickly enough and losing everything we’d worked for. I’ve experienced miraculous growth in my mindset this past year related to worth and knowing I already have what I need to create the life I’ve only dreamed of for several years.
I’ve had a few coaches through the years to support me on this journey. This past winter I started working with a coach and made the decision to set a date to retire. This decision was supported by also creating the mind-shift changes needed to make this change. So it’s been an intense year of clearing what was no longer serving me and allowing those spaces to be filled with possibility.
Social security alone isn’t usually enough to retire comfortably and although I have a couple of small pensions to go along with my social security it’s not what I want in order to live the way I desire. This year has been an exciting time also of planning and acting on those projects to create income which aligns with my vision and purpose.
I’m not extravagant and not really into material things. I love traveling and exploring. I love the simple things in life. I’m looking forward to being more self-sufficient as I will begin to can some of our food and make our own bread and things like soap. I’ve started collecting things like 5-gallon buckets filled with dry beans, organic hard white wheat, and spelt. I’ve been buying a few cans of lye over the past few months to make soap with.
Creating a medicinal herb garden and making my own herbal medicine is a priority for me. I also plan to teach others how to do this. I’m excited also to create holistic content for healing our bodies as God Last but not least, I want to downsize our possessions. We just have too much stuff. Mike and I have been married almost 44 years and you really can accumulate too much stuff over the years. I’m excited to go through all of our stuff and clear out what we no longer use or need.
I’m excited to be able to get more involved in our ministry. I know there are women out there who do it all. They work full-time, garden, can, have a ministry, and run their household. I just cannot do it all and do it all well. In addition to being a ministry partner with my husband, I know God has given me the desire to create content and courses for natural health and incorporate scripture for healing of our minds, bodies, and trauma.
I know this post has been about my goals related to retirement and part of the vision I have for my life. However, I never want to make this website about me. I do talk a lot about my journey but I try to be so transparent that you can see your own journey through my story. Are you retired yet? Are you still working and burned out? What things do you want to do after you retire? What are some things you can do now that move you forward to live out purpose?
I’d love to hear from you at joycelynn@joycelynnharrell.com.
Be Well, Joycelynn
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