Volume 1, Number 43 • January 2012

Habit #43:
Don’t Ever Retire
I don’t believe in retirement.
Before 1930, there was no such thing as retirement. Before the industrial
age, older people worked in their farms (assisted by younger lads) until they
dropped dead.
Even if they weren’t strong enough, they were the “consultants”
of the community. In a world where Google wasn’t born yet, their many
years of experience made them the source of wisdom that no one else
had.
But then the factory was born. And in the factory, work was
divided up to its simplest parts. Who needs wisdom to carry a car
bumper 1000 times a day? You only need muscles.
Thus, retirement was born.
Social Security (pension) was built to encourage older people to
leave the work force so that younger people can find jobs.
But read carefully: Retirement was pegged at 65 at a time when the
average life span of a human being was 63.
Today, my mother is 86—and she still has reunions with all her octogenarian friends. The oldest among
them is 92.
If you live until 92, what will you do from 65 to 92? What will you do for 27 years? Sit on a rocking chair
and stare at an open window?
I hope not.

Retirement Is Bad for Your Health

Some people believe that leisure is more desirable than work.

Some people slave away from Monday to Friday so that they can party during weekends. Some people live
for their vacations. And they hallucinate that life will be idyllic if it’s just one long vacation.
Some get an early retirement—and they set about living a life of leisure. And that is when they get jolted
by the rude realization that fun isn’t fun if there’s no balance between fun and work.
This is the reason why many people’s health suffer upon retirement. One major study on health after
retirement (on more than 16,000 retirees) showed a massive 51 percent increase in retirees’ risk of death.
When I think of older people who are very healthy, they have one thing in common: They’re still working.
When my father retired at the age of 65 from his company, he began serving God fulltime in Light of Jesus,
our spiritual family. Ten years later, when he was 75, he told me, “Bo, I’m busier now than when I was working in

Disclaimer:
Neither the author, the publisher nor any of their respective affiliates make any guarantee or other promise as to any results that may be obtained from using this Report.
No reader should make any health decision without first consulting his or her own personal physician and conducting his or her own research and due diligence. To the
maximum extent permitted by law, the author, the publisher and their respective affiliates disclaim any and all liability in the event that any information, commentary,
analysis, opinions, advice and/or recommendation in this book proves to be inaccurate, incomplete or unreliable or result in any detrimental health condition.

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 Volume 1, Number 43 • January 2012

my job!” It was true. He was part of our Elders Team; he was handling our Finance; he was leading a small group;
he was giving talks; he was writing articles…
But I know of older people who retired from their jobs and embraced a life of leisure. They stopped work,
period. After a couple of years, they began to feel all sorts of pains and aches in their bodies.
Is leisure really better than work?
Here’s the answer. I believe you need both leisure and work to be healthy.
So here’s what you need to do: Forget retirement!

What Does “Don’t Retire” Mean?

Living your life to the full—until God calls you home!

Here are five “keeps” you need to do…

1. Keep Working

Get a part-time job.

My friend is a retired pilot. For three years, he bummed around his house. It felt like his life was over for
him. But recently, a friend invited him to teach in a flying school. When he told me about it, I noticed a new spark
of light in his eyes. He was excited again.
Or engage in a small business. (Warning: Get into something that you’re already good at. Before you do
this, I encourage you to attend my financial seminars—to avoid the most common mistakes.) This will engage
your skills, your imagination, and your passion.
A fantastic benefit to this? Having money flowing into your life will support you. Face it: Your retirement
pay won’t be enough to support you for the next 20 or 30 years. And your pension from SSS or GSIS is miniscule.

2. Keep Serving

When I say, “Keep Serving,” I presume that

you’ve been serving God in some way while you held
your job.
When you leave your job, just increase your
time serving in your ministry—whatever it is.
This is the time to volunteer more. Be like my
father. Be busier than when you were working in your
job.
In a huge study done by Cornell University,
they gathered 427 married women with children. They
hypothesized that the more kids a mother has (and thus,
more stress), the earlier she dies.
They were wrong. The number of kids wasn’t a
factor at all.
They were shocked to discover that the
determining factor of a mother’s longevity was
something very simple: whether she did volunteer work or not in a volunteer organization.
After 30 years, they went back to these 427 women.

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 Volume 1, Number 43 • January 2012

Here were the results:

• Among the women who didn’t do volunteer work, 52 percent had major illnesses.
• Among the women who did regular volunteer work, only 36 percent had major illnesses.
Volunteer!
3. Keep a Daily Schedule

You need to come out of the laziness trap.

Even if you are not in a hurry anymore (no need to “clock” in on time), keep a healthy time schedule.
Wake up on time. Eat on time. Work on time. Sleep on time.

4. Keep Your Mind Active

Think of other things you can do that will stimulate your intellect. Mental activities are just as important
as physical activities. Retirement should not be an excuse for not learning something new and being challenged.
Keep reading. Keep solving problems. Keep writing.
Doctors say even just answering Sudoku puzzles or answering daily crossword puzzles helps.
Learn new skills!
For example, my father-in-law, at age 72, is learning how to email for the first time in his life. And at his
age, he’s also learning how to use an iPad. Unbelievable!

5. Keep Your Body Active

As we approach our older years, there are two

major factors to consider when choosing an exercise
program. First: Make sure it’s something that you’ll
enjoy. Second: Gradually build the time, intensity and
length of time that you do your exercises.
Of course, you have to make sure that whatever
exercise you choose is something that will really benefit
you and not harm you in any way.
1. Aerobic exercise like walking (Habit #22). I
love walking daily because I can do this until I
reach 100.
2. Muscle toning training activities like push-ups
(Habit #40). It can also include lifting weights,
but this activity will mean you need to go to a
gym and have a gym trainer.
3. Stretching exercises like Tai Chi (Habit #39).
This is a favorite among older people.
4. Get into sports. My friend, a man who is nearing
70 years old, is playing golf four times a week.
When he’s not playing golf, he’s visiting the charity ward of a government hospital—helping out the poor
people there, giving them money for medicines. Talk about living a full life!
Oh, one last thing…

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 Volume 1, Number 43 • January 2012

Take Care of Your Body Now

While You’re Young!

Most of the illnesses in the body that crop up in your old age are caused by the abuse we inflict on our
bodies while we’re young. This is the reason why a lot of retirees end up with a lot of health problems.
Here’s my dream: All the members of my 52 Healing Habits will have a reunion at age 80 and congratulate
each other for their health.
If you follow the 52 Healing Habits regularly, you’ll be avoiding many sicknesses in your old age.
So if you want your sixties to nineties to be happy, you need to make changes in your lifestyle NOW.
Go for it!

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

P.S. Next week, I’ll talk about a mental attitude that is so powerful, I feel this is the most important mindset
change that you need to make if you want to live until a healthy hundred. It was shared to me by a 97-year-old
priest. Watch for it.

Not yet joined 52HealingHabits Program? Join at www.52HealingHabits.com now!

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