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Shortly before I decided to retire 10 years ago, I was always being hounded by mixed feelings. There were times that I seemed to be hypertensive in excitement waiting for the applied date of my retirement. But there were days also that I seemed to be wilting on the thought of soon leaving a world where I had put in no less than 25 years of continuous regular work. Although I was ready for the disengagement, I think it was a natural reaction to a major foreseeable change. Retirement would pull me out from my comfort zone and lead me into the threshold of a danger zone.

Retirement is an unavoidable close-and-open phenomenon. While it ends long years of regular employment, it opens a world of new possibilities as you transition into an uncertain new life situation with different opportunities, issues, and relationships. Retirement has broad, complex, and dynamic dimensions that can make or break a person for the rest of his life when these dimensions are improperly handled.

As the saying goes, "life has to move on." The reality of this statement brings the retiree to a second new career, a pivotal point that signals the start of a new demanding journey where the retiree may not have the luxury of time that he earlier had when he or she was in his prime.

What then does it take to ensure that your new second career after retirement suits a refreshing, exciting, and fulfilling life that rightfully should belong to you?

This was exactly the same question that had incessantly bombarded my mental, physical, and psychological dominion before, during, and even after my retirement. Yes, I have the professional endowments that could bridge me to the future. But the reality of the harsh competitive environment and the uncertainty of the new odds that I had to play with had always tried to rock my confidence, the stability of my composure, and the maturity of my disposition. It was at this point that I decided to spend time searching for quick and manageable solution to the enigma of my retirement. And based on my experience, to start your new second career after retirement, you need to go through a 4-step preparatory process that involves the following:

1. Self-appraisal to know your total capacity

When faced by a near prospect of retirement, whether mandated by law or initiated by your voluntary option, self-appraisal should be the starting point of your much needed preparation. You are the best judge as to what you have in stock to face the challenge of a totally new environment.

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