Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to yourself yesterday, last week, last month, last year. I don't know where this saying comes from, but to me, it's the only motivational saying that matters.
That might work for some people, especially in the phase of life where things are on the upswing. But when you get to be 60 or 70, it is important to find satisfaction in other ways too, since for the great majority of people, comparing to what you used to be capable of will lead to a bad outcome.
In retirement many people have to face the question for the first time, "Who am I?" Before retirement it was easy to answer the thought with your job description, but really that is what you do, not who you are.
I think it would be beneficial to ask questions like that before getting to retirement so the transition isn't so jarring, and you might find it causes you to reevaluate your priorities. "Does what I do make the world better, or does it just make a paycheck?" "Will what I do make a difference after I'm gone?" "Who would care if I disappeared tomorrow?" "When I'm on my death bed, what will I regret having done? Not done?" etc These questions don't have to result in an all-consuming angst, but it is important to think about them at least a bit every once in a while.
In retirement many people have to face the question for the first time, "Who am I?" Before retirement it was easy to answer the thought with your job description, but really that is what you do, not who you are.
I think it would be beneficial to ask questions like that before getting to retirement so the transition isn't so jarring, and you might find it causes you to reevaluate your priorities. "Does what I do make the world better, or does it just make a paycheck?" "Will what I do make a difference after I'm gone?" "Who would care if I disappeared tomorrow?" "When I'm on my death bed, what will I regret having done? Not done?" etc These questions don't have to result in an all-consuming angst, but it is important to think about them at least a bit every once in a while.