Too little challenge means you succumb to boredom and apathy; too much challenge means you become overwhelmed. With the right challenge, something magical happens. Difficult challenges are easier to tackle, and motivational ones are easier to set.
Why challenge matters in retirement
A popular myth still exists that retirement is about rest, not effort, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who thrives in retirement without challenge. Why? The mind and body need it. We need it. The right personal or professional challenges satisfy our need for growth, meaning and purpose.
However, there’s a catch. Not all challenges are created equal. Some are too big, too soon. Others are so vague that they go nowhere. Some belong to someone else. Some are so wrapped in anxiety or guilt that they never start. The CHALLENGE stage exists to sort all of that out.
The Challenge Paradox
Here’s the paradox: the inability to make progress while recognising that progress is necessary. In Retire With IMPACT, the focus is on resolving this paradox by establishing an optimum level of challenge that makes progress possible. Otherwise, challenge becomes a force that keeps us stuck.
That’s why the CHALLENGE stage is a skillset, not a test. You’re not being asked to constantly “rise to the occasion.” You’re being asked to choose the right occasion and rise gradually, deliberately, sustainably and effectively.
Entry Points: Where the real work begins
Not all challenges need to be tackled head-on. Sometimes we enter through a side door, which I call Entry Points.
Here are a few examples:
- A daily walk that becomes a habit that becomes motivation to eat better
- A difficult conversation that leads to setting boundaries and building confidence
- A decision to stop people-pleasing that unlocks energy for a new project
No grand gestures here, simply ones that change the system because when one thing shifts, other things follow. Rather than obsess about the whole mountain and the distant summit, we focus on the piece of rock in front of us and climb steadily.
The challenge of good ideas
Another insight from this stage is that not all good ideas work. Many people in retirement have too many ideas, or their ideas feel exciting but fall flat in reality. The reason is that their strategy doesn’t match the challenge. Like flatpack furniture, just because you’ve got the parts doesn’t mean you’ll assemble them well. You need a strategy, what goes where, when, and how. That’s what the CHALLENGE stage provides, not more ideas, but better
implementation.
The Emotional Self is your compass
You’ve met the Emotional Self earlier in the Model. Here, it plays a crucial role. Your Emotional Self will tell you, sometimes loudly, whether a challenge is too much, too little, or just right.
Listen for these signals:
- Resistance and dread = challenge mismatch
- Excitement and nervousness = possible right-fit challenge
- Ongoing overwhelm = challenge overload
- Ongoing apathy = challenge underload
The skill of challenge
This isn’t just about having a challenge but learning how to challenge yourself well. That includes:
- Knowing your stage and situation
- Selecting strategic Entry Points
- Adjusting scale, speed, and structure
- Being willing to test, learn, and try again
Challenge is a great catalyst. When done right, it moves everything forward.
The right challenge is a bridge, not a block
If you’ve struggled to make changes in retirement, it’s rarely about willpower but about your relationship with challenge and that it has been your enemy. Consequently, people become stuck in cycles of blame. By making their peace with challenge and turning it into a friend, they surprise themselves and what they are capable of. And often, that one challenge, the right challenge, at the right time, in the right way, is all it takes to begin a transformation.