Despite having done this hundreds of times, my mind begins to scramble as I step onto the porch and try to figure out how I am going to adjust the bags or manipulate my body to swing open and walk through that door with all the stuff still in my hands.
I’m proud to admit, that many times the mission is accomplished … however, as a result of trying to do it all at once, something usually suffers.
It could be the loaf of bread that gets squished, the bag of chips or soda that falls out, or the juice from the chicken or hamburger that drips onto the porch and kitchen floor because of the way it was repositioned by all the other bags in my hand.
Furthermore, there are no real rewards for everything that I put into it. My wife and kids don’t love me more or shower me with gratitude for the task I deemed to be important or necessary.
It makes you stop and wonder, why don’t I just set the bags down or make a couple trips, right?
Fact is, something very similar can happen on the way to retirement. We’re often tasked with carrying and juggling a lot as we approach it … but you’ll never get through the door with it all.
You pour yourself into work, make sacrifices, save and invest regularly and suddenly find yourself on the doorstep, wondering what you may have to adjust or manipulate to walk through.
While many of the things you reach the door with are essential goods for retirement, trying to get everything through the door usually means something has suffered along the way. It could be a relationship, healthy lifestyle, desire to participate in or experience certain activities or even the ability to find joy outside of work.
It begs the question: What do you need to put down and re-strategize before you actually walk through that door?
Here’s another example: