Your Path of Happiness presents the notion that financial readiness is only the beginning of a well-lived life in retirement. Why was this an important book for you to write?

First, and this is discussed throughout the book, any book is important for me to write because the creative arts are a significant part of any successful retirement; research has shown that conclusively. The creative arts for me is more focused on writing than it is on painting, performance, or music — although I love music very much — but the fact remains that imbedding the creative arts into your retirement routine will lead to a happier and more successful retirement. It’s indisputable.

Second, the aging demographic is a market that needs to be communicated with. Unfortunately, most of the communication is financially-focused, and much of that is writing and promotion that’s really a money-grab. There are 70 million Americans over the age of 50, there are almost 11,000 people turning 65 every day, the senior segment owns 70% of everything in the US, and controls more than 50% of the disposable income, yet we have been stereotyped, marginalized, and put in a box for more than 50 years. The subject of retirement is hot right now and I didn’t want to be left-out in the cold (I’ve been writing and speaking about it for several years now, ahead of many who are just discovering us).

Third, my publishers tell me that between 90-95% of retirement books are written about finances and investing; yes, it’s important, but those books lack the other part of the equation that needs to equal a happy retirement. And that’s what I focus on because 95% of the authors and researchers do not. For people transitioning into retirement, or retirees who might not feel that retirement was all that it was cracked-up to be, I’m the voice of truth, and the person who coined the phrase “Who are we when we are no longer who we were.” I feel a need to constantly provide answers to that question in hopes that the retirement mistakes I made can spare a few people from the unsuccessful retirement that I had for the first few years.

Lastly, I’m regularly asked on podcasts, at book signings, and at speeches what are my non-financial recommendations for a happy retirement so I decided to write my 10-step plan so, at the very least, it was documented.

The “hamster wheel” of retirement busyness is one of the book’s most memorable ideas. What inspired that concept? 

Well, being on it, for starters. The hamster wheel, also more clinically referred to as Hedonic Adaptation, or the Hedonic Treadmill Syndrome is this notion where we’re spinning in busyness without purpose or intention. We’re keeping a busy retirement schedule most often times because we’re trying to keep up with the Joneses, comparing ourselves to others, or most dangerously, playing the role of retirement in someone else’s’ movie.

Retirement needs to be about individualism, but the forces of grouping seniors together and stereotyping them as feeble, lonely, sad, technologically incompetent, wrinkled, and the beat goes on, works in direct conflict with the entire concept of individualism. We need to do whatever the hell we want to do and not be bound by the hamster wheel of staying active every hour of the day.

The entire concept of retirement happiness can be found in the Buddhist lesson “There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” It sounds simple but it’s not. Retirees need to understand that the destination isn’t happiness, the odyssey, or the path is where happiness is derived. My research has actually shown that what makes us happy, most likely day in and day out, is something that made us happy when we were younger, like playing an instrument, teaching, mentoring, or in my case, writing. We have the time to do what we might not have had the time doing long ago. But this Buddhist lesson also speaks to the concepts of staying in the present, slowing down and enjoying the smaller things, which invariably lead to larger things, and not waking-up with the broken pieces of yesterday (in Buddhism every day is a new beginning, yesterday is gone, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet); I’m not a Buddhist and my knowledge is fundamental at the very most, but much of the lessons sound so good because they sound so right.

You emphasize self-empathy alongside discipline and purpose. Why is self-compassion particularly important during major life transitions? 

You cannot be an empathetic person unless you’re empathetic to yourself. The world needs more empathetic people, that’s irrefutable, but the funny thing is older people tend to be more empathetic than any other demographic group and because of that they have the ability to be happier. Research has proven that. So, in my 10 steps to retirement happiness, I include the practice of self-empathy because it’s a direct path to happiness. I’m just giving the readers a little nudge in that direction so they can  understand the importance of it as they transition into retirement.

But I write a lot about the childhood song “Dem Bones” where so much is physiologically connected. But most emotional constructs are interconnected, too. So with self-empathy, you’ll also be connected to gratitude, a greater understanding of people, the dangers of comparing yourself to others, the pitfalls of leading a life based on the accumulation of possessions, of being all-consumed with bucket lists, and making list after list only to find yourself unable to manage the expectations because of all the list making that retirees have a tendency to do. In other words, if there was ever time to be kind to yourself, time to do yourself a solid, time for self-compassion, it’s in retirement. 

What is one thing you hope readers take away from Your Path of Happiness? 

It would certainly be understanding the path itself. Once you’ve found what truly makes you happy, without the encumberments and influences of others, you will find happiness, but it’s a bit of an exploration. It didn’t come easy for me because this wasn’t a known retirement consideration before I started writing about it, but now, others should be able to find this more accessible than it was for me.

In addition to that, the primary takeaway would certainly be the actual 10 steps to retirement happiness: those are (1) managing your expectations; (2)reducing all your list-making tendencies; (3) practicing gratitude; (4) rethinking a life of possessions; (5)resisting the hamster wheel; (6) choosing your path of happiness, not a path to happiness; (7)understanding that mistakes will happen, but you get do-overs; (8) practicing self-empathy; (9) knowing that individualism is critical; and (10) believing that everything in retirement happiness is connected.

Of course this is chapter without the verse, so it’s important to dive into each chapter to fully embrace the takeaways.

Author Links: Website | LinkedIn

In less than one day, this book became the #1 bestselling book in America on Aging, Self-Help, Mental Health, and Philosophy. Winner of the prestigious best Non-Fiction Book Award by the Non-Fiction Authors Association of America, the International Impact Book Award, the Literary Titan Award, the Book Fest Award, the Readers’ Favorite Award, and the Book Excellence Award, Your Path of Happiness: The Credit Union Playbook for a Successful Retirement has been described as a “Masterpiece,” “A Triumph of Wisdom,” “Heartwarming,” “An Instant Classic,” and “Life Changing.”

Don’t let the title fool you. This book isn’t just for the 150 million credit union members and employees in the US or the 450 million credit union members throughout the world, it’s essential reading for anyone thinking about or transitioning into retirement, already in retirement, but not finding this life-stage as satisfying as anticipated, the 70 million Americans over the age of 50+, or friends and families of people who are entering the retirement world.

Written by famed bestselling author, many times over, Tom Marks, who is also known to be America’s leading voice on retirement happiness, and his collaborator, Ron Draper, a renowned credit union CEO with a law degree and an MBA who has been omnipresent in the credit union industry for more than 40 years, Your Path of Happiness: The Credit Union Playbook for a Successful Retirement should be on every bookshelf in every home in the US and is required reading for anyone over the age of 50.

You can learn more about the book, about Tom and Ron, and what the top book reviewers in the US are saying about Your Path of Happiness: The Credit Union Playbook for a Successful Retirement here: yourpathofhappiness.com.