I’m spending my retirement money now, in the form of time, and it’s the best investment I’ve ever made.
In my last post, I teased a concept I call Retiree Hobby Roulette: the art of picking up a complex, high-effort skill purely for the joy of it, with zero financial motive.
Today’s spin of the wheel has me conducting a “climb” toward fluency from the comfort of my couch. I’ve taken up learning Portuguese. While it’s a blast, I am currently locked in a daily psychological battle with a persistent green owl on Duolingo. (If you’ve used the app, you know exactly which owl I mean. If you haven’t, please imagine a tiny, feathered supervisor who pops up on your sleeping screen to warn you it’s getting late and you have exactly 59 minutes to not miss your lesson.)
The “High-Performance” Brain Workout: Why Portuguese? Aside from always wanting to learn it, I have family roots in the language. My dad’s family spent time in São Paulo before coming to the U.S. (Rooting for Brazil during The World Cup is a non-negotiable in our house. Bora Brasil!)
Beyond the family connection, like physical exercise, learning a new skill can keep your mind agile and flexible. Cue better problem-solving and creativity:
Building Cognitive Reserve: Learning a language is an ultimate way to “Never Stop Learning”. It keeps the mind sharp, adaptable, and active.
The “Flow” State: There is a specific type of personal triumph that comes from learning something new. Successfully navigating a sentence like “Eu sou a «insert your name», muito prazer” or “tenha um ótimo fim de semana!” (‘I’m «insert your name», nice to meet you’ or ‘have a great weekend!’) provides a mental high that can fuel productivity for the rest of the day. Such as I crushed that, what else can I knock out? 😎
The “climb”: Let’s be real though: the process of taking up anything new is a “climb”. My current situation involves a lot of confused expressions and struggling through Portuguese verb tenses. But I welcome these struggles as signs that I’ve knowingly taken on the role of “Beginner”. As they say, the most important part of starting any worthwhile journey is just starting.
So, what’s your Hobby Roulette spin? What is a skill you’ve been deferring for “later”? Stop deferring that joy and start the climb today. Adventure and intellectual curiosity are within reach, and your brain will thank you! 🩵
