Perhaps you've been living from paycheque to paycheque, either out of financial necessity or because you've never considered planning for the future. Even if you're having difficulty with making enough to get by, setting aside just a small sum every month can still go a long way in helping you out in the years ahead. Look into budgeting your expenses and how you might be able to make small cuts here and there that will add up to significant savings over the long run. While you might not be able to save enough for a luxurious retirement, you should aim to have enough to meet your basic needs of food and, hopefully, shelter, in the event that health or other problems force you to stop working.
If you're merely overspending, however, you have no excuse not to be financially ready for retirement. Start taking control of your financial situation by estimating your retirement expenses, and work out from there what changes you'd need to make to your lifestyle in order to make that retirement happen.
You might already have enough money saved up to retire, but whether it's because of responsibility, obligation or passion, you just cannot stop working. However, are you missing out on life as a result? Are there loved ones whom you're neglecting, or dreams you've been unable to pursue? As you get older, would you still be able to keep up with the physical demands of your work?
If you're working because you love it and it makes you happy, then go on and keep on doing that.
But perhaps you're running your own company, and you dare not think what levels of disarray it would fall into if you were to leave. However, you're not going to be around forever, and if the company is really that dependent on you, you'd merely be prolonging the inevitable. Start making preparations for people you trust to take over from you and ensure that things continue running smoothly.
Or perhaps you're the only one who can do your job, and you'd feel bad if you left your company to fend for itself. Don't let that stop you from the retirement you deserve. Your company will understand that you're not a superhuman who can continue working indefinitely. If they refuse to understand, then that's probably not a place you want to keep working at. They can always get another employee. You only have one life.
Or you might be working because you feel it's the only thing that gives you purpose in life and makes you a worthwhile member of society, or because you don't know of any other way to live. If so, take a step back and re-evaluate your existence. What do you really want to get out of your time here on Earth? If you had only a month left to live, what would you want to do before you die? Give yourself the time to adjust to the transition from work to retirement life. Perhaps there are other ways you can think of to still be productive, and feel needed, but which you would enjoy much more and gain a lot more fulfilment from than a regular job.
Your retirement is what you make of it. It's not the end of your life. It's the beginning of a new chapter.
You have enough money for a comfortable retirement, but you're not satisfied with 'enough'. You want more. Nothing makes you happier than to see your savings rise with each new paycheque at the end of the month. The thought of taking from and not contributing to your savings fills you with an existential terror.
However, as the well-worn cliché goes, money doesn't buy happiness; and happiness is often the main reason why we chase wealth in the first place. Try finding other things in life that make you happy in a deeper, more lasting way. Start imagining a future that isn't centred on the constant need for more, but rather enjoying to the fullest what you already have. Practice gratitude for the things you have been given and the things you have worked hard for.
Plus, retirement doesn't even mean that your savings are doomed to constant depletion. Look into investment solutions that can keep growing your money even after you stop working.