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What did your parents tell you when you marched off to that first day of kindergarten? They told you about the new friends you would make, the new things you would learn, the new games you would play. The key to a good transition is filling the vacuum created by the things you leave behind with excitement about what lies ahead.

From this standpoint as well, you've got to plan. Remember, the compensation received for work performed is generally now a secondary consideration. Retirement may offer the chance to revisit an old love or do something you've always wanted, such as:

• Resuming that love for painting you had when you were in college, but didn't dare rely on as your means of providing the daily bread.
  
  
• Learning to play a musical instrument.
  
  
• Visiting the sick in hospitals.
  
  
• Spending extra time with the grandkids.
  
  
• Devoting more time to researching investment options.
  
  
• Starting that part-time business you've been dreaming about.

So Many Choices, So Little Time
There are so many possibilities that the hard part is often not finding something that can be done to fill up the extra time, but selecting the one or two options that are right for you.

According to one recent study, 69% of American adults aged 25 to 44 expect to retire in the "traditional" sense -- meaning they expect to spend their retirement living a life of leisure. But reality hits home when they get closer to the date, when 63% of 45- to 54-year-olds expect a retirement of leisure, and only 49% of those 55 or older say the same.

While most of us long to do many things when we are young, many of those desires fade during the years we focus on those few tasks that help the most in meeting our day-to-day responsibilities. The six-year-old wants to be an astronaut during the day, a stand-up comedian at night, and a veterinarian on the weekends. The 45-year-old may not know what he wants to do next.

Of course, some retirees are looking for nothing more challenging than travel and rest. But even this requires research and planning. Say you'd like to see the United States in a recreational vehicle. You might want to find out how much that will cost, both for the vehicle and for items such as gas, campground hookups, tolls, and so forth. Or say you make it a goal to see a baseball game in each of the major league stadiums. Why not begin learning something about the history of the stadiums now? Anticipating the fun to come will help you enjoy the remaining years of employment more, while enriching the retirement experience when it arrives.