Can you retire from a job after 35 years and not get bored?

Afraid if I retire I will get bored and regret the decision. Could move into another field but afraid of failure that it might not work out.

Public Comments

1. I havent worked for 4 years an i am only 27. Believe me..BOREDOM abounds for me. It is your personal decision.
2. Of course it's possible!! Sit back and relax for a while first after retiring. Then you will find out that it is so nice to be able to do things without pressure, just because you like it. And time doesn't really matter any more. And I'm sure you'll find a lot of things along the way that you would like to do and try. And how do you define failure? Finding out that something is not as great as you thought? Or that you may not be as talented as you initially thought? So what? Move on and try something else..
3. maybe you could work part time. or volunteer someplace. do you have hobbies? are there things you would rather do? remember you need to stay active. there are a lot of things to do out there. trying to help someone else will give you a sense of worth. you have me confused now.
4. You have to develop a hobby -- iam exactly in the same position I spend time walking, attending functions telling prayers,reading news paper thoroughly. I am willing to work --but who gives job?
5. It is absolutely worth retiring now - you will eventually have to for one reason or another (age, illness, downsizing, etc.) and it is SO much better to do this under your own terms and timeline. I've known too many people who waited too long to retire and they didn't enjoy it because it came under sad or difficult conditions. Do this while you have a chance to remake what you do with your days in a way that can make you happy. Sure, you'll get bored at times, but I bet you get bored now. Aren't you pretty bored with a job you've done for 35 years? What I think you're really asking is, "what will I do with my time once I don't have this enforced activity every day of my life?" and "will not having that drive me crazy?" At first, it will be a big adjustment - you're used to having a particular part of every day accounted for and filled up. You get a lot of stability, meaning, and positive feedback for that. You will suddenly have to fill your time yourself and you won't get stability, meaning, and positive feedback UNLESS you make an effort to get those things. And these things are too important to having a good life to not make that effort! This illuminates a major answer to your dilemma: be sure that you know exactly what it is you get from your job now before you quit. THEN figure out how you're going to get that once you retire. So, today figure out what it is you get from work - praise, stability, mental challenges, physical challenges, friendships, etc. The next step is to look into what kinds of things you can do that will offer the same kinds of rewards. Volunteering for almost any event or group or cause can give you virtually all of the things that most people get from a paid job. And you can set up your volunteering on a consistent schedule. Hobbies can also fulfill many of those things that you get from a job OR you can combine volunteering with the hobby to get all things you need. As for moving into another field, either volunteering or hobbies in areas of your interest could lead you to a new career. Here's a great site to get ideas for volunteering: http://idealist.org/volunteer/ Here's a great list to get ideas for your hobby(ies): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hobbies
6. Yes, my mom loves retirement she is envolved with her grandchildren, she stays very busy at home and at the kids house.