What if it's just another whim?

[Nuiloa]

That could be an ER bumper sticker!

Currently, I can't get the chant "four more years" out of my head (and it has nothing to do with re-electing anyone).

The years go fast. It's the last few months that go terribly, terribly, slowly.

 

[LauAnn]

I'm not sure you're ready to ER. I'm counting down the months, weeks, days; wishing the day would get here sooner than later. Do I have an occassional concern about having enough $$ or fears I'll be bored -- sure. But at the end of the day I'm committed to jumping ship the day after I turn 55. That still 18 months away. It can't get her soon enough!

 

[W2R]

I'm FIREd for almost 5 years now, and I have days like that (total inertia) sometimes. It gets worse during the winter.
The way I deal with inertia is to do some small project that requires light activity and takes an hour or less, such as laundry, dishwasher fill/empty, repot or trim dead leaves off houseplants, reorganize a closet, go through my file cabinet weeding out old paperwork, prune grapevines or shovel snow, wash curtains, etc etc.
I put on lively music CDs or digital cable music channels and get up out of the chair. It improves my mood and I get a feeling of accomplishment.

Make yourself a list and when you feel that major inertia, pick a project from the list and get it done.

Or, go take a nap....

 

[JDARNELL]

Nu,

I can appreciate the concern you are having. I sometimes like the "idea" more than the actual event. And I don't think there is nothing wrong with spending a few days watching tv. This is a big event in one person's life. I think as much as we have planned there is still bumps.

I have been off from work since 14 Jul. Some good days and some bad ones. I think one of the hardest things I have had to learn is to not think about things in such short term periods as I did when I was working.

I can appreciate what you are saying about your current working situation. I am kind of in the same situation in that I have a job offer that I will have trouble duplicating. So do I strike now or not. In actuality I am perfectly happy knocking around doing whatever. That is not to say I may never go back to work. I really haven't decided 100%.

Today I was at my doc. He said I looked a lot better than I did 6 months ago and my BP/labs were excellent. Needless to say this comment had an impact on my view about ER. No matter what happens I have no regrets just hanging out the last 3 months.

JDARNELL

 

[Nuiloa]

Well, just after I started this thread, my sister called to tell me that my BIL is no longer responding to chemo and has 3 to 6 months to live (pancreatic cancer).

He RE'd at age 50, just over 10 years ago, but she kept working. She has now taken a leave of absence and they are trying to do everything on his bucket list.

That put everything back in perspective.

His illness was one of the reasons I decided to retire at age 60. The other was my brother's diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis, with a year to live. I so want to enjoy life while I'm still young(ish) enough and healthy enough to do stuff.

 

[REWahoo]

I so want to enjoy life while I'm still young(ish) enough and healthy enough to do stuff.

But...but...you have such a great job!

 

[Nuiloa]

But...but...you have such a great job!

Yeah - but they don't allow me to drink beer at my desk while listening to Hula music. Go figure!

 

[freebird5825]

I actually have a bag of "to do" items which range from cleaning out a sock drawer to purging files, but also includes things like going for a walk or a swim.

In my more ambitious moments, I pull out a piece of paper and do it. It's not always fun, but it's always a surprise.

My problem is the TV. I need to learn to keep it turned off.

Several of our members here record their favorite shows and then watch the shows when they want to, versus when the show is being broadcast. Sounds like a good idea to me.

I am not a TV show watcher, but use the digital cable music channels as pleasant background noise unless there is a game on. Then Mr B takes over the remote control. If he falls asleep, I put the music back on.

 

[haha]

Maybe you're right to be concerned, Nu, considering your Thanksgiving weekend (although I sometimes need a little downtime watching old sitcoms or reading really bad novels, too) when you have your RV at the ready and unused. Maybe your job is still providing you with enough psychic rewards that outweigh whatever tediousness it also entails. Is there something you can envision yourself retiring to that is better than what you'd be retiring from?

+++ Most of us on this board hated work, and also we are a particular personality type. I feel that you may be better off to carefully consider just who you are, and what you want. There is no rush to retire. It is kind of a one-way passage, in spite of assurances that "you can always go back to work.".

Enjoy your great job, watch TV in the evening, and never have to worry about money. You can always retire.

I confess that I do not understand the terrible tragedy of dying on the job. Death, I agree, is a bummer. Whether it comes climbing the stairs at the office or later at home, what difference does it make? In fact it might help to keep one's mind occupied with work while death sneaks up on us, rather than greeting it at home alone.

Also, it is possible that loving RVs might be correlated with happiness in ER. I am no fan of RVs, and although I enjoy retirement, I am sure not in the class of many of the people here. And I have almost no down time, so it isn't boredom.

Ha

 

[Mulligan]

+++ Most of us on this board hated work, and also we are a particular personality type. I feel that you may be better off to carefully consider just who you are, and what you want. There is no rush to retire. It is kind of a one-way passage, in spite of assurances that "you can always go back to work.".

Enjoy your great job, watch TV in the evening, and never have to worry about money. You can always retire.

I confess that I do not understand the terrible tragedy of dying on the job. Death, I agree, is a bummer. Whether it comes climbing the stairs at the office or later at home, what difference does it make? In fact it might help to keep one's mind occupied with work while death sneaks up on us, rather than greeting it at home alone.

Also, it is possible that loving RVs might be correlated with happiness in ER. I am no fan of RVs, and although I enjoy retirement, I am sure not in the class of many of the people here. And I have almost no down time, so it isn't boredom.

Ha

I agree with Ha. Know what you are retiring to and why before you do it. We all have various reasons that may or may not apply to you. Personally, I'm retired and very glad I am, but if I was forced to RV in retirement, I would rather go back to work. Just saying that to emphasize we are all different in our reasons for retiring, not that RV'ing is bad in any way. On a side note, although this doesn't pertain to anyone or a specific comment, I don't know why some people who spend their time reading books feel superior about their retirement than people "wasting their life watching tv". If you enjoy it do it. It's your retirement, nothing to apologize about.

 

[fisherman]

Even a great job will turn bad if you stay long enough.

 

[JDARNELL]

On a side note, although this doesn't pertain to anyone or a specific comment, I don't know why some people who spend their time reading books feel superior about their retirement than people "wasting their life watching tv". If you enjoy it do it. It's your retirement, nothing to apologize about.

I agree. Isn't this part of being FI? Maybe you are looking at this the wrong way. Google "Why do people work" vs why do people retire. Just another perspective.

JDARNELL

 

[brewer12345]

In fact it might help to keep one's mind occupied with work while death sneaks up on us, rather than greeting it at home alone.

Ha

When all I have to look forward to is keeping my mind busy with work until the Grim Reaper pays a call, do me a favor and shoot me.

 

[Dawg52]

Yeah - but they don't allow me to drink beer at my desk while listening to Hula music. Go figure!

If they allowed that, you would have the perfect job. Mine didn't, so I retired. No regrets after 4 years. Took a golf lesson today and played 9 holes. Guzzled down a cold med afterward and later took a nap. What a great day.

 

[GregLee]

Maybe if I actually tried it I wouldn't like it, but RVing sounds like a lot of fun, to me. Here on e-r forum, I always read RV threads with great interest. Alas, here on Oahu, opportunities to tool around in your own house are nil, so far as I can tell. At any rate, I've never tried it.

 

[Brett_Cameron]

I retired at the end of July this year after much number crunching and financial rearranging. I did not hate my job but I did want to retire to raising my two younger children and taking care of my disabled wife. I had a "to" to retire to and a good job to retire from. I have been busy every single day, never a dull moment and no regrets.

I have time to do things I neglected before retirement and few time critical tasks.

I think the advice above about visualizing what you are going to retire to is very sound.

 

[Nords]

Yes but.... I am in a dream job. My job is almost completely stress free; my staff are all competent and friendly; I have a lot of down time and I get 8 weeks of vacation time annually. My former boss doubled my salary a few years back which allowed me to pay off my mortgage 10 years early. I've built up a six-figure nest egg and my pension will be in the $60K range before taxes, less about $500/year for full health benefits.

Finding another job like that would be impossible.

On the other hand, I'll have to retire sometime. Or die in the saddle, which is not an option. Mandatory retirement functions are bad enough.... forcing a mandatory funeral on my staff would cause me to haunt the place.

Here's a thought experiment:
If you seek the workplace as a source of entertainment, instead of being responsible for your own entertainment, then why are you on a discussion board devoted to early retirement?

 

[obgyn65]

That's what I have been considering too. Working part time in the short term may be part of the solution.

I've actually considered working 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. You never know about these things.

 

[scrabbler1]

Or, go take a nap....

Or, as I did yesterday, reorganize my closets to free up space for my growing book collection.......THEN take a nap LOL!

 

[justplainbll]

I'm within a few months of retiring but, as I get closer to the date, I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of ER.

I'm a creature of impulse (sort of). I get an idea about something, and that's all I can think of for months. Then I do it - get it out of my system - and lose all enthusiasm for the idea.

Case in point: I've been wanting to buy an RV for years and have done hours of research. I was going to spend every waking moment travelling around and doing interesting things. Finally, I bought one on September 1st. I used it on the Labour Day weekend and haven't taken it out since.

This past weekend (Thanksgiving long weekend) was passably nice weather-wise. Instead of going out, I spent the weekend on the couch, watching re-runs of 3rd Rock from the Sun. And I did a bit of geocaching.

So, what if ER is another one of these whims? I've been thinking about it and planning it for years. But what if it's just another RV dream?

Has anyone ever had any regrets?

Nui

If you enjoy your job, you might want to linger a while. I bailed when I did not like the way things were going at work. Every time I hear about the goings on at my former place of employment I'm reminded how fortunate I am to have elected early retirement.

 

[scrabbler1]

Has anyone ever had any regrets?

Nui

No way. Whenever I see a transit report about delays or other problems with the Long Island Rail Road (the commuter rail system I used to get to work) or the PATH trains (a small subway system I used to get to work), I say to myself, "I am sooooo glad I am not part of that crap any more!" Any time there is a day with undesirable commuting weather (i.e. extreme heat in the summer, extreme cold in the winter, snow, rain), I say to myself, "I am soooo glad I am not part of that crap any more!"

Any time one of my friends tells me about something stupid which happened at work, I say to myself, "I am sooooo glad I am not part of that crap any more!"

Simply avoiding or ridding myself of the negatives associated with working makes me have no regrets about ERing nearly 3 years ago.

 

[eytonxav]

May be I look at this too simplistically; just lay out your list of Pro/Cons for either continuing to work or retiring early. I would suspect for most the answer will be pretty obvious. No one knows you better than yourself. Nevertheless, better to be pondering this now rather than later and finding out you made a bad decision without clearly thinking things out vs acting on impulse.

 

[brewer12345]

Maybe you just needed a weekend to take it easy? I think that extrapolating what retirement might be like based on a long weekend while you are still working is probably misleading.

 

[Moscyn]

Has anyone ever had any regrets?

Nui

No regrets after more than a year of ER. I had a great job too - pays well, allows me to travel a bit, competent staff, uses skills I am good at. However, I found myself longing to be out of the office and doing things other than working like watching movies, going for a jog, reading a book, taking a nap, cooking dinner, just taking leisurely lunches or even just playing homemaker. I also wanted longer vacations and leaving office earlier. I had all these "inner distractions" during office hours for like months and finally I knew I have to make the choice to get a life and sacrifice the safety net of a "great job" which is robbing me of the life I want to live. ER is a personal choice but if you consistently feel that you are trapped by a "great job" and you are financially able to ER, why not go and live the life you want now?

 

[Nuiloa]

Here's a thought experiment:
If you seek the workplace as a source of entertainment, instead of being responsible for your own entertainment, then why are you on a discussion board devoted to early retirement?

Oh - entertainment is not a factor. I get plenty of that. On top of my regular day job, I'm a professional Polynesian dancer and am coming up on my 1000th show. I also teach Polynesian dance as well as tap dancing (not together). Lots and lots of entertainment!

I also just bought an RV, since I know that the only way I can prevent couch potato syndrome is to get the heck outta Dodge.

Nah... I'm just getting cold feet because I like the money. ER is definitely coming.