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04-08-2013, 09:42 AM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,797
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Zelinski a Hypocrite???
OK, OK.....Before grabbing your torches & pitchforks, please hear me out.
As I get closer to ER I finally got around to buying 2 of Ernie's books (TJONW & HTRHWF). Read TJONW & drank in this liberating 'leisure philosophy'. Very interesting & entertaining book. But then the back cover info "About the Author" hit me like a swift kick to the gut. Somehow authoring 15 books with 80+ global distribution contracts, granting 100's of press interviews, and doing professional speaking engagements seems more like a "real job" than a leisure lifestyle to me. Did Ernie the engineer not retire but just start a new career as successful author?
Not that there's anything wrong with that
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04-08-2013, 09:58 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7,968
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ERhoosier
OK, OK.....Before grabbing your torches & pitchforks, please hear me out.
As I get closer to ER I finally got around to buying 2 of Ernie's books (TJONW & HTRHWF). Read TJONW & drank in this liberating 'leisure philosophy'. Very interesting & entertaining book. But then the back cover info "About the Author" hit me like a swift kick to the gut. Somehow authoring 15 books with 80+ global distribution contracts, granting 100's of press interviews, and doing professional speaking engagements seems more like a "real job" than a leisure lifestyle to me. Did Ernie the engineer not retire but just start a new career as successful author?
Not that there's anything wrong with that
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Hmmm - Right! Better him than me.
heh heh heh - One needs to be very very careful about stamping out success when it rears it's ugly head. Maintaining Slacker status is tough but somebody has to do it. .
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04-08-2013, 10:44 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,303
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ERhoosier
OK, OK.....Before grabbing your torches & pitchforks, please hear me out.
As I get closer to ER I finally got around to buying 2 of Ernie's books (TJONW & HTRHWF). Read TJONW & drank in this liberating 'leisure philosophy'. Very interesting & entertaining book. But then the back cover info "About the Author" hit me like a swift kick to the gut. Somehow authoring 15 books with 80+ global distribution contracts, granting 100's of press interviews, and doing professional speaking engagements seems more like a "real job" than a leisure lifestyle to me. Did Ernie the engineer not retire but just start a new career as successful author?
Not that there's anything wrong with that
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Not discounting your POV, but “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Confucious (?)
I'm retired, but if I found a job that I actually loved, I'd probably not consider it work either. While it's rare, it's not unheard of. YMMV
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
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04-08-2013, 11:19 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by unclemick
Hmmm - Right! Better him than me.
heh heh heh - One needs to be very very careful about stamping out success when it rears it's ugly head. Maintaining Slacker status is tough but somebody has to do it. .
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+1
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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04-08-2013, 11:44 AM
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#5
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,788
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Well, in Ernie's defense, he gives plenty of space to discussing the subject of working in retirement -- not so much at "jobs" but at things you enjoy doing (which may or may not pay money). He also talks a lot about his career as a writer. Personally I love those bits, find them very encouraging.
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04-08-2013, 12:40 PM
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#6
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Madeira Beach Fl
Posts: 1,403
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The first part of a work addiction is denial...
__________________
_______________________________________________
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do" --Bob Dylan.
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04-08-2013, 02:34 PM
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#7
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,797
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heeyy_joe
The first part of a work addiction is denial...
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'Zactly!
After TJONW, Ernie had me ready for a life layin' in the sun sippin' margaritas and watchin' the world go by. Then I read his bio & started fretting over how I needed to get busy on a second career.
unclemick- I hear ya. As a teenager, when asked about my occupational goal I used to joke about becoming a bum. Maybe THAT's my second career
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04-08-2013, 02:53 PM
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#8
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,495
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In my early months of retirement I read a lot of books, including Z's. I was struck by how many prescribed feeding your creativity, and invariably that included ... writing. I have NO desire to write for fun or profit. So I pretty much decided that books on retirement were written by people who ... liked to write BOOKS!
I've enjoyed doing some volunteer construction, and am in middle of complete master bath remodel. Heck of lot more fun than writing or doing what I did for a career! I think I'd seriously get into this as a part time business except that at 62 I'm afraid it wouldn't last long! Like schlepping over 1500 lbs of debris downstairs (that's what the landfill weighed!) and a like amount back up.
Point is, for me the preaching about total leisure isn't that pleasurable. I'd rather be doing something. I think others have it right ... if you enjoy it working (even long hours) is just fine. OTOH I suspect Z is somewhat addicted to the money rush. No basis to say that, just my guess. To each his/her own.
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04-08-2013, 03:33 PM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,303
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H2ODude
Point is, for me the preaching about total leisure isn't that pleasurable. I'd rather be doing something. I think others have it right ... if you enjoy it working (even long hours) is just fine. OTOH I suspect Z is somewhat addicted to the money rush. No basis to say that, just my guess. To each his/her own.
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+1. Me too.
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
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04-08-2013, 04:15 PM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,788
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H2ODude
In my early months of retirement I read a lot of books, including Z's. I was struck by how many prescribed feeding your creativity, and invariably that included ... writing. I have NO desire to write for fun or profit. So I pretty much decided that books on retirement were written by people who ... liked to write BOOKS!
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I've noticed that, too. They talk about how 80% of people want to write a book (I made that stat up, but it's in the ballpark), how they are surrounded by people who want to write, how the internet is 90% would-be writers, etc. I sure hope that's not the case (because I have interest in the subject myself but don't want to face all that competition). I have a sense that it's a biased sample, based on the company they happen to keep or attract. If you're a successful writer, you're probably going to be surrounded by people who are interested in writing or want to know how to get into the biz, etc.
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04-08-2013, 07:41 PM
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#11
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ER Eddie
I've noticed that, too. They talk about how 80% of people want to write a book (I made that stat up, but it's in the ballpark), how they are surrounded by people who want to write, how the internet is 90% would-be writers, etc. I sure hope that's not the case (because I have interest in the subject myself but don't want to face all that competition). I have a sense that it's a biased sample, based on the company they happen to keep or attract. If you're a successful writer, you're probably going to be surrounded by people who are interested in writing or want to know how to get into the biz, etc.
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I'm not concerned. There's a huge difference between wanting to write a book and actually writing one. Most people won't write a book because it's too much work.
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04-08-2013, 08:28 PM
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#12
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,788
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Yeah, that's true. I'd guess 90 to 95% of people who say they want to write a book never actually do it. Seems like e-books have made it a lot easier, though, if you count those as books. Seems like people can bang those out in a few weeks.
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04-08-2013, 11:12 PM
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#13
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,797
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Not too concerned with writing books or whatever. Just that sometimes "leisure" seems to have way too much of a productivity requirement
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04-09-2013, 05:47 AM
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#14
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ER Eddie
Yeah, that's true. I'd guess 90 to 95% of people who say they want to write a book never actually do it. Seems like e-books have made it a lot easier, though, if you count those as books. Seems like people can bang those out in a few weeks.
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Eh, only if they don't care about quality. The writing is the hard part, from my experience. It's about the content, not the format.
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04-09-2013, 06:59 AM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ER Eddie
Well, in Ernie's defense, he gives plenty of space to discussing the subject of working in retirement -- not so much at "jobs" but at things you enjoy doing (which may or may not pay money). He also talks a lot about his career as a writer. Personally I love those bits, find them very encouraging.
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In that sense, he's really preaching the gospel of FI, not necessarily retirement -- in other words, get your financial ducks in a row in such a way that enables you to retire if you *want* to. And then, if you choose to work, it will be entirely because you want to, not because you have to, secure in the knowledge that you can walk away at any time if they start filling the BS bucket.
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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04-09-2013, 07:08 AM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,788
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChocoKitty
Eh, only if they don't care about quality. The writing is the hard part, from my experience. It's about the content, not the format.
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Well, the format makes it a lot easier to "write a book," if that's your goal. Some of these e-books aren't much longer than a book chapter, there is no real quality control, and you can easily self-publish.
But I know what you're saying. I wouldn't want to bother with writing a book I wasn't proud of.
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04-09-2013, 07:31 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,788
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29
In that sense, he's really preaching the gospel of FI, not necessarily retirement -- in other words, get your financial ducks in a row in such a way that enables you to retire if you *want* to.
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Yes, although he doesn't spend much time talking about finances. He focuses more on the general themes of independence from the normal, corporate world and living an active, stimulating life on your own terms. He's not a retirement guy per se, especially for those who define retirement as not working at all.
I enjoy reading him because his spirit is infectious. Most retirement books are pretty dry.
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04-10-2013, 08:04 AM
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#18
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Chicago area
Posts: 431
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ERhoosier
After TJONW, Ernie had me ready for a life layin' in the sun sippin' margaritas and watchin' the world go by. Then I read his bio & started fretting over how I needed to get busy on a second career.
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If it works for him, more power to him.
Likewise, for each of us, sip margaritas or find an avocation we love and pursue it. The beauty of this FIRE stuff is that we each get to decide for ourselves every morning.
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04-18-2013, 10:35 PM
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#19
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,360
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ERhoosier
Somehow authoring 15 books with 80+ global distribution contracts, granting 100's of press interviews, and doing professional speaking engagements seems more like a "real job" than a leisure lifestyle to me. Did Ernie the engineer not retire but just start a new career as successful author?
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You are correct about his career change, but the hypocrisy charge doesn't really stick. Although HTRHWF is about retirement, as far as I know (?) Zelinski hasn't claimed to be retired himself (he does say that he takes entire summers off, and only works part-time in the remaining eight months: but I have no reason to disbelieve that claim).
If you want to point the hypocrisy finger at a Canadian ER author, I'd suggest that Derek Foster ( Stop Working: Here's How You Can! and various other titles) is a much better target.
Quote:
Originally Posted by H2ODude
Point is, for me the preaching about total leisure isn't that pleasurable. I'd rather be doing something.
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Fair enough: lazing poolside is fun in small doses, but not terribly fulfilling in the long term. But Zelinski doesn't really advocate "total leisure", does he? It's been quite a while since I read TJONW, but I seem to recall that most of it was about finding satisfying ways to stay mentally, emotionally and physically active and engaged.
__________________
"To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive". Robert Louis Stevenson, An Inland Voyage (1878)
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04-18-2013, 11:51 PM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,788
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milton
You are correct about his career change, but the hypocrisy charge doesn't really stick. Although HTRHWF is about retirement, as far as I know (?) Zelinski hasn't claimed to be retired himself (he does say that he takes entire summers off, and only works part-time in the remaining eight months: but I have no reason to disbelieve that claim).
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Yeah, I've just started reading The Joy of Not Working, and he is very clear in the first few chapters that he works. He talks about it repeatedly. Like Milton said, it's part time work that he enjoys, and he only works on months with an "R" in them, but he's not an anti-work guy. I seem him more as an anti-corporate, anti-"stuck in a normal job I don't like" guy.
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