If you believe it is a bunch of bullpuckey you're right. If you believe you can find something you love and make money at it you're right.
Just my thought
Beliefs create reality
Making money doing what you love = Early Retirement?
- Thread starter Boglehead213
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If you believe it is a bunch of bullpuckey you're right. If you believe you can find something you love and make money at it you're right.
Just my thought
Beliefs create reality
Brett_Cameron
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+1
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
Chuckanut
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+1
People change over time and what once may have been a great job may no longer be a good fit.
My job was a great fit 20 years ago. Today, it clashes with my new desires and situation in life. Even if all the political and other nonsense were to disappear tomorrow, the job would still not fit what I see for my life.
The only job that fits and gives me sufficient income is retirement!!
Redbugdave
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For me, Chuckanut hit the nail on the head. People, interests and values change over time. That is what happened to me. There's too many other things to do and doing one type of thing just gets stale. Even for money.
freetodream
Recycles dryer sheets
This seems to be similar to my situation today as well- loved my job for 25+ years but now @ 33 i (yrs) t has become a burden for me.
The high cost of health insurance & only one spouse working continues to keep me in the workplace. We will need to live on a low "expense ratio" when the right time comes.
Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
What I need is flexibility in my use of time. Neither my current job or anything I a qualified for offers that. At least not flexibility and a decent income.
Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
+2. And sometimes the dissatisfiers stem from within, but certainly NOT always, more often external I suspect.
John Galt III
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I was in IT for 16 years, and sometimes loved it, but more often hated it for all the reasons already mentioned. Whenever my IT job was horrible, I would fantasize about driving a truck for a living. Well, I got laid off, and said ah the heck with doing what I'm supposed to do, I'm going to do what I want to do. So I got my CDL license and got a (good) truck driving job. I have one tenth the stress and misery of IT, and two thirds of the pay. I feel retired, and lucky.
And much of reality is bullpuckey.
So for you ,what is the answer to: "what isn't bullpuckey"
haha
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REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart defined it well: I know it when I see it.
Boglehead213
Dryer sheet wannabe
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Interesting responses guys! Thanks for sharing. Like one poster said, I do think our beliefs create reality so why not believe the best right? I mean I can CHOOSE to think this is a fantasy or I can CHOOSE to believe that it's possible. What I like about that article is that it counters the "I like to do nothing but nobody will pay me for that". It's not about what you like to do but what you like to do AND how it can add value to people.
I think I'm going to look more into it. Why be a cube rat for 40+ years and endure all that stress so you can finally "live" in retirement, when you're not even assured you might make it there + maybe you won't have the physical vitality to do what you really want.
I don't think there's 1 right choice. It all depends on the individual. We must each choose our own path right
I think I'm going to look more into it. Why be a cube rat for 40+ years and endure all that stress so you can finally "live" in retirement, when you're not even assured you might make it there + maybe you won't have the physical vitality to do what you really want.
I don't think there's 1 right choice. It all depends on the individual. We must each choose our own path right
Boglehead213
Dryer sheet wannabe
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Some other thoughts I just had were look at Warren Buffet right? I mean he's 80 and he's still going strong doing what he loves (although he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer but is very treatable).
I was also reading people's responses again and it looks like the time factor is important too so maybe it's not enough to make money doing what you love to do but figure out how to have freedom time wise as well.
This is such a cool discussion!
I was also reading people's responses again and it looks like the time factor is important too so maybe it's not enough to make money doing what you love to do but figure out how to have freedom time wise as well.
This is such a cool discussion!
clifp
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Don't get me wrong plenty of people love their work. Warren Buffett, is one example, Mike Wallace was another example he sort of "retired" at 86 but it was obvious from the interviews with his collegues that Mike never really retired. His response to why don't retire is "retire to do what?" he said to Morley Safer you have painting I just have work.
Fortunately for both Buffett and Wallace society pays very well for people with great skills in money management and reporting. Although not nearly that well for people with average skills in journalism.
One of the best guys I had working for me got Hodgins Lymphomy in his early 20s and fortunately beat it after a two rounds of treatment. I had him working on hybrid marketing-engineering project which I thought he enjoyed and he did to point. But his real passion was guitar and after working for Intel for 8 or 9 years, he followed his passion. He took classes from master guitar maker and more course from a guitar instructor. He is now a self-employed musician. His music is quite good but I doubt he will ever make the money he would have as an engineer in Silicon Valley. He has always had frugal lifestyle and no family so that worked out fine for him.
Still I suspect life would have far more difficult for him if he started out as followed his passion and started out as guitar player. How would have had the moeny to pay for the lesson much less the cancer treatments, since I am pretty sure most self employment twenty something musician don't have insurance.
Fortunately for both Buffett and Wallace society pays very well for people with great skills in money management and reporting. Although not nearly that well for people with average skills in journalism.
One of the best guys I had working for me got Hodgins Lymphomy in his early 20s and fortunately beat it after a two rounds of treatment. I had him working on hybrid marketing-engineering project which I thought he enjoyed and he did to point. But his real passion was guitar and after working for Intel for 8 or 9 years, he followed his passion. He took classes from master guitar maker and more course from a guitar instructor. He is now a self-employed musician. His music is quite good but I doubt he will ever make the money he would have as an engineer in Silicon Valley. He has always had frugal lifestyle and no family so that worked out fine for him.
Still I suspect life would have far more difficult for him if he started out as followed his passion and started out as guitar player. How would have had the moeny to pay for the lesson much less the cancer treatments, since I am pretty sure most self employment twenty something musician don't have insurance.
One of my shipmates retired after 20 years in the submarine force as a fire-control systems technician, and eventually ended up driving a truck for McLane. He absolutely loves it, and he also enjoys freaking out the repair mechanics by showing them how to fix electrical problems on their trucks.
Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
To me the ideal sequence would be:
- first career for the money and (mostly) satisfying work until FI or close, opening up all the options. Most likely the work will no longer be satisfying toward the end, but it shouldn't be early on,
- (optional) long sabbatical (while young enough to better enjoy travel & activities),
- second "encore" career doing something for the enjoyment first, pay second (admittedly hard to find),
- retire, possibly beginning with reduced hours/part time.
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I'll vouch that writing a book is much more enjoyment than pay...
Sometimes it's both. Here's one set of criteria:
Internal: Would I love the job as much if the surf was up?
External: Would the owner close the office for the day if the surf was up?
So far I'd much rather be surfing and writing (in about that order), and that system only works when I'm the boss...
brewer12345
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I can choose to believe that my desk has wings and I can fly it to the moon. Doesn't make it so.
walkinwood
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You can choose to define ER any way you wish, but beware that even the best job can get boring or repetitive or as others have said, a "dissatisfier" can emerge.
So best to save aggressively to become FI so that you have options. That way, you're prepared irrespective of your job satisfaction.
So best to save aggressively to become FI so that you have options. That way, you're prepared irrespective of your job satisfaction.
MooreBonds
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I think the idea should be do what you love...money will follow. Life is larger than just money, i think the more we focus on money the more stress we'll get. To me, life is like a monopoly game that I really enjoy playing. Money is just a part of the game. Have fun and enjoy the game called Life!
Major Tom
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It's lovely to say "Do what you love and the money will follow" and indeed that is sometimes the case, but not always. Not everyone has the luxury to follow their interests. They may have pressing obligations (such as family) that dictate a more measured approach - and some interests are easier to make money from than others.
IMO, I think it's important to pay the bills and put something aside on a regular basis, as a first priority. If you can work on interests/passions etc in order to attempt to pay the bills that way, that's great (I did, but also did whatever it took to make money when I had to). There's nothing wrong with doing something you like or can tolerate (instead of love) for your work, and doing something you love in your spare time.
There are many ways to "enjoy the game called life". Each to his own.
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