Perhaps this one doesn’t belong on a misconceptions list. You can start Half-Retiring™ today; you just won’t BE Half-Retired™ today. Half-Retirement™ is a process. The sooner you start, the sooner you will finish. Here is the good news. The benefits from Half-Retirement™ begin accruing as soon as you begin the work. If you do a portion of the process, you will see tangible benefits. You can parlay those benefits into even greater benefits, and before you know it, you will be Half-Retired™.
As you begin the Half-Retirement™ process, focus on your mindset. There are several mindset changes needed to pull off a successful Half-Retirement™. If you want to make the Half-Retire® Hall of Fame, you will need to adopt the following mindsets:
- Your business is going to run differently during Half-Retirement™ than it does today. You may not like some of the changes. It may feel funny or uncomfortable. Too bad. If you want the business to run the same as it does today, there’s a simple way to accomplish that, don’t Half-Retire® and keep working J A pragmatic approach to the business will serve you well. For instance, accepting an attitude of “good enough is good enough” vs. “this is the way I like it done” can go a long way.
- Ego-less. If you are like most business owners, you are at the center of many of your business’ key You work hard and do great work. This strokes the ego and feels good. It’s human nature. It’s nice to be needed. You will have to learn to feed your ego in other ways during Half-Retirement™. Here’s a suggestion; learn to share ( with everyone but your employees) your vacations, activities, and fun. This can fuel the desire for success in a new way.
- Teacher doer. Entrepreneurs get stuff done. It’s part of their secret formula. The same secret formula that helped get you here will not get you Half-Retired™. In fact, it’s blocking you from Half-Retirement™. Use your time and skills to grow your team instead. Learn to find joy in their successes vs. your own. It’s really hard for the typical business owner because we are wired as doers. You will have to unwire this to achieve all the benefits of Half-Retirement™.
- Technology-lover. Don’t tune out just yet. Technology adds leverage. In particular, technology can add time leverage. Many Half-Retired™ success stories involved adding technology to the process, so don’t dismiss the technology option just because you “don’t get tech.” You have a cell phone, right? You use email, right? You don’t need to know how the watch is made; you just need to be able to tell time. In the case of technology, telling time is knowing what you want to accomplish then finding or creating the solution. No coding ability is needed.
- This is another tough one for hard-charging business owners. The most successful Half-Retirees take baby steps and not the typical “it needs to ALL be done now” system entrepreneurs use. Half-Retirement™ is like laying bricks. You have to lay and set them one at a time. This builds a strong foundation and is the only process that works well.
- Every business has issues. Google has problems; you have problems. You cannot and will not solve all of them this month. Learn to focus on the fixable issues and ignore the rest. Fixing one small issue builds momentum and gives you time and energy to tackle a bigger one. You will eventually clear the whole list, but focusing on the whole list will only distract you from your immediate concerns.
By focusing on the proper mindset, you can speed up your Half-Retirement™ and save yourself quite a bit of stress. Come back to this list every so often and make sure you are approaching Half-Retirement™ with the best mental attitude.
