I felt like we had prepared thoroughly for retirement. We planned it out years ahead, going over the financials and planning out our health insurance until we reached Medicare. I even felt like I prepared well for the lifestyle change that retirement would present. I read voraciously about it. It is a bit embarrassing to admit that I read over 59 books about retirement (seriously, I counted them in my Kindle library) as well as numerous blogs, in an effort to prepare for this major life transition. (Yes, I have been accused of paralysis by analysis more than once in my life.) However, knowing about something and experiencing it for yourself are two different animals. It is a bit like finding your way in the wilderness.

Just as you need certain tools and skills to survive in the wilderness, you also need certain tools and skills to thrive in retirement. You should have these in your survival kit if you want to thrive in this next phase of your life.

• A whistle. If you get lost in the wilderness, you need a whistle to get help from others. For a satisfying retirement life, you need to hang with a tribe. If you lose your tribe, you need a whistle to reach them and let them know you are alive and where you are at. As often happens, when you leave work you lose some of your tribe. So you need to replace that built in social network. The good news is, now we get to pick and choose who we spend time with. No more listening to a self absorbed co-worker drone on. Take the initiative to make plans with friends and family or reach out with an invite to someone new you may want to get to know better. Who knows, they may eventually become a member of your tribe.

• Knife. A knife can be used for multiple purposes out in the wilderness. It can help build a shelter, prepare food and create useful items from wood. One of the fun aspects of retirement is now you have the time to explore your creativity. There is satisfaction and joy in looking at something you created with your own hands. It can be something as simple as decorating a table for the holiday or as grandiose as building a piece of furniture or writing a book. The possibilities are endless. Get the right tools and play as you discover your creative side.

• Shelter. If you ever watch the TV series “Survivor,” you will notice that one of the first things the “survivors” do when they get to the island is build a shelter. While the intent in building a shelter is protection from the elements, it also provides a sense of purpose and accomplishment. For most of us, paid employment brought a sense of accomplishment and purpose to our days. By the time we retired, many of us moved into supervisory or management positions. While these were stressful, they also fulfilled a basic human need for self-esteem and accomplishment. How are you going to fulfil that now that you are retired? Work on this one ahead of time; it can be a biggie. Many people choose to work part-time, sit on a board, start a business, volunteer or enrich the next generation in order to help fill this basic human need.

• Food, water and physical strength. To survive in the wilderness you need food, water and strength. Your physical health is a huge factor in being able to enjoy your retirement. Find physical activity that you WILL do several times a week, at a minimum. No more excuses that there is not enough time. Pick something you enjoy in order to increase your chances of follow-through. Drinking more water and eating fresh, healthy, REAL food will give you more energy to survive and thrive. After all, we want to be able to lug those suitcases through the airport and sled with the grandkids. “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?” (Yobi Yamada)

• Keep the fire burning. You won’t last long out in the wilderness without building a fire. In retirement you are going to need to spark the fire of curiosity to keep your life interesting and to stay relevent. Don’t become one of those stale retirees who sits in front of the TV and complains about the world “going to hell in a handbasket.” Retirement is a great opportunity to learn more, to travel and explore. Stay abreast of the ever changing technological world. If you stand still too long, the world will pass you by. Read Dr. Zeuss story “The North Going Zax and South Going Zax” to appreciate how this could be a problem. Smile.

• Compass. It is so easy to lose your sense of direction out in the wilds. It is easy to lose direction and structure to your days in retirement as well. Work provided an automatic structure to our lives. You got up, showered and were out the door without much thought. When you first retire, the lack of structure feels like euphoria. But if you get complacent it can slip into drifting through your days without any meaning or sense of accomplishment. That doesn’t feel good over the long haul. As we get closer to the end of our life here on earth, we start to ask the questions, “what next” and “why am I here”. Getting this settled in your brain will contribute to your satisfaction in retirement. Then structure your days to move you in that direction.

So give some thought ahead of time to determine what you want and need to take with you into retirement. Be sure to:

1. Take care of your social network
2. Use your unique creative talents
3. Incorporate activities that provide purpose and accomplishment
4. Keep your curiosity burning
5. Build structure into your retirement routine
6. And for goodness sake, take care of your health

Using these tools and skills will move your retirement from just surviving to thriving.