Regardless of how well prepared you are for retirement, there is always the probability of unexpected realities and emotions in retirement. The major reason for this shock is because a good number of people have their entire life tied to their job and have developed a strong sense of purpose from them. Some folks experience a sense of loss from not being actively involved in the activities that used to be major in their life.
However, we have found out that the best way to mitigate against this reality is to be steps ahead with the right information. For example, instead of resolving to boredom, get a hobby that will keep you productively engaged and generate income to augment your retirement fund.
...instead of resolving to boredom, get a hobby that will keep you productively engaged and generate income to augment your retirement fund.
Here are some amazing hobby ideas to keep you engaged and earn in retirement.
Teach
Teaching the younger generation what you have practiced for the most of your active life can be a great source of fulfilment in retirement. This is the time to pass on the knowledge of what you did before retirement. Find a way to package it and offer it as a service either online or offline. Those in active practice would be more than glad to pay and learn from your wealth of experience.
In addition to creating your learning platform, several other platforms can play host to your knowledge, by uploading your content on their platform for users to engage with. These platforms usually handle the marketing aspects and relieve you of the stress, while they get some percentage from every signup.
Teaching the younger generation what you have practiced for the most of your active life can be a great source of fulfillment in retirement.
Arts & Crafts
For those that have always been fascinated by arts and crafts, retirement allows you to finally explore that aspect of your talent and ultimately earn from it.
There is nothing to lose by trying new artistic and creative endeavours or honing your skills in the ones you are already conversant with.
Here are some areas of arts and craft activities to try: Pottery, design, jewellery and bead making, paint, woodworking, basket-weaving, chair-caning, cross-stitching etc. These activities also help to build your network and make new friends.
Gardening
There are several benefits of gardening; providing basic food and food ingredients to the body and therapeutic benefits to the mind and soul. Most senior citizens derive joy from cultivating and tending to their home gardens while eliminating the need to buy every food item from the market. Also, you are more assured of the healthy and fresh state of the food from a home garden, compared to those from the market.
Gardening also serves as a form of exercise, a key factor for staying healthy.
Photography
If you love beauty and are fascinated by beautiful sites like places, things, events, and people, you may take up a photography hobby in retirement. This also comes with monetary value that increases your retirement fund.
There are other intangible values with this hobby like increasing your network of folks with similar passion and keeping your mind young as you become more creative with every adventure. Ultimately, it allows you to utilize and develop the artistic side of your brain as you age.
Writing
If you have amazing childhood stories or any other stage of your life’s events to document, as well as autobiographies and memoirs, retirement is the best time to put pen to paper and just write.
Also, just like those who love to teach, some others prefer writing and documenting their knowledge and experience from active work for the younger generation to learn from.
If you have always wanted to write a book but could not find the time to do it, retirement offers you the best opportunity to become an author.
You could also try blogging on popular subjects or writing thought leadership articles in your areas of expertise on popular newspaper columns.
Whatever area of writing that interests you, this is the time to explore and attract the monetary value that comes with it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ernest Ademola Ehigie is a Copywriter, Content Developer, Author, Brand Consultant, and Communications Manager with over 5 years in marketing communications. He has written several articles, policy documents, press releases, radio and TV adverts for businesses and organizations. He's the author of the book, "Why You Must Lead" and currently works as a content manager for Detail and Avedia, a leading retail and media consulting firm.