Harder than I thought it would be

[ikubak]

I wonder how many people have done the OMY project multiple times.

 

[marko]

I continued to pray about it, ... Then it happened. I was assigned a project which was total BS and I knew I wouldn't be happy with it so I talked to DW and turned in my resignation the next day. .

Sometimes prayers do work....

 

[ER Eddie]

Indeed, you can pray about it, if you're a praying man.

If you're an obsessive-compulsive nut like me, what you can do is make a list of Pros and Cons. Think of a bunch of Pros, and then think of a bunch of Cons to balance it out and bring you back into a state of indecision. See if you can get several dozen Pros and several dozen Cons, so that both sides are equally persuasive. Then study the list hard, over and over, and wait for your brain to melt. That's been my approach.

Just kidding. I did do the Pro/Con thing, because there were too many factors to just base it on one thing. I decided to continue working for the time being, because I generally like my work and enjoy the lifestyle I have. But the calculus is going to be different for everyone.

I heard a retirement blogger say that if you have self-doubt and anxiety about pulling the plug, you're not ready. When you're ready, he said, you'll be at peace with the decision. That sounds good, and I'm sure it works that way for some people, and I hope it works that way for me. I suspect that I'll still have some anxiety and doubt, though, even when I'm fully ready.

 

[JoeWras]

The Pro/Con thing is an excellent idea.

I used that on my last two job changes, and it was very valuable. I still have those sheets.*

In a sense, this is a job change too. I need to start filling it out!

* - I recently looked at the pro/con for my current j*b, and laughed. Many of the pros melted away when "business reasons" got in the way. Over 20 years is a long time at megacorp, and things change. In the scheme of things, they changed pretty radically, although just a bit at a time (boiling frog theory).

 

[Which Roger]

I continued to pray about it, run spreadsheets, read this forum, still wanting to leave but not wanting to leave money on the table. Then it happened. I was assigned a project which was total BS and I knew I wouldn't be happy with it so I talked to DW and turned in my resignation the next day. As soon as I did I was at total peace with it so I know it is the right decision.

A trigger like that is exactly what a lot of people need to get over OMY. Something very similar happened to me, and fortunately it occurred within a month of all my financial stars aligning, and I was ready to go and never looked back.

 

[Floridatennisplayer]

So.....I am not alone in this delima Hurray, so glad for this thread. I'll be 62 in March. So tired of the pressures of my job.....medical device sales.

So many thoughts. I'm at the top of my income level, I'll never see money like this again. To leave it....the old me says, "are you crazy!" "Think of the extra money for the kids, grandkids, etc."

Then the thoughts of.....what about health insurance? Get a low stress part time job with benefits?

Or suffer for 3 more years till 65.

 

[Nemo2]

Or suffer for 3 more years till 65.

Ah..to relive the halcyon days of the early 60s.

 

[GravitySucks]

My feelings about working is the same as my feelings about public transportation.
Everyone else should do it.

 

[Sunset]

........
So many thoughts. I'm at the top of my income level, I'll never see money like this again. To leave it....the old me says, "are you crazy!" "Think of the extra money for the kids, grandkids....."
......

Whenever someone says this , I think of Paris Hilton , or how my Cousin blew a big fat inheritance on booze, hookers, losers, and more booze, ruining his life.

He would have been better off if Grandma had cut him out of the Will.

My thinking is: If you have enough saved + (a little extra cushion for the bad stuff that will happen) , then pull the cord, before you go splat

 

[CardsFan]

How long will you live? Know anyone that keeled over at about your age?

On this note, after I had made the decision to FIRE (and told my supervisor), I had a co-worker who lived in Brussels drop dead on his daily bike ride. He was 10-15 years younger than me, in good health, and a bit of an excercise nut. We had worked together for at least 15 years.

Eye opening, to say the least. After that, there were no regrets whatsoever about pulling the plug on work.

 

[2017ish]

Whenever someone says this , I think of Paris Hilton , or how my Cousin blew a big fat inheritance on booze, hookers, losers, and more booze, ruining his life.

He would have been better off if Grandma had cut him out of the Will.

My thinking is: If you have enough saved + (a little extra cushion for the bad stuff that will happen) , then pull the cord, before you go splat

Agree. Sometime after we gave our notices of retiring in 2017, we jokingly calculated the impact on our portfolio of an additional 5 years of saving more than we spend post-tax. Only real impact would have been no worries in always flying first/business and increasing the size of inheritance that our kids don't need. That isn't worth foregoing those years of freedom to travel slowly together.

 

[Danmar]

This is a very important personal decision. Best not to leave if to an anonymous "chat room". You have the data required, make a decision. Either way it will work out fine.

 

[ER Eddie]

This is a very important personal decision. Best not to leave if to an anonymous "chat room". You have the data required, make a decision. Either way it will work out fine.

Yup. And keep in mind that this forum is filled with people who are happily retired, so what you will get, naturally, is plenty of exhortations to retire early and reasons to do that. You won't hear much from the other side of the coin, though. You won't hear much about the benefits of work ("w*rk") here; you won't see posts from people who regretted retiring or who are finding retirement really difficult. We've got a lot of smart folks here, but it's definitely a select, skewed sample. You probably knew that when you made the thread, though.

 

[Rambler]

Every once in a while, we think a bit about this, even though I'm already retired. We know that we have enough, but once in a while, the chat turns to fulfillment and those kinds of things, then inevitably, how much extra savings a couple more years would have brought enters the conversation. Truthfully, I'd love to be able to afford a million dollar second home in Hawaii, and to have my own plane, and..., and..., and...,. But when I think of those things, and what I already have going on in my life, and I wonder when I'd ever have time for those things. Especially now with DW's medical problems, I simply wouldn't be able to use any more that I already have. Given that, DW and I are convinced that me being able to retire early is one of our greatest blessings, especially since she needs someone to be with her almost constantly, until we get her issues under control.

So, think again whether you have enough, whether you will be happy with what you have (or if only more will give you the satisfaction you seek), and if you have what you need to be satisfied and happy until the end, why not pull the plug?

 

[Dd852]

So many thoughts. I'm at the top of my income level, I'll never see money like this again.

do you need the money or is it a scorecard for you? If it is a scorecard - and believe me, I've been there, you need to think of what goals can replace it. Running. Number of times you are intimate with your partner during former working hours. Books read. DIY projects finished Golf handicap. Beers drunk. etc.
if it is a true need, fine - rack it up until it isn't.

But be clear about which internal buttons need pushing and figure out alternate ways to push them.

 

[ohyes]

Perfection is over rated.

Life becomes much easier when you give up on perfection and "that's good enough" is OK.

Love this. Perfect for me to see today. I want this as a mainstay of my retirement.

Thank you. I just posted it on my FB page- hope you don't care.

 

[GaryTN]

I retired a year and a half ago. I was discussing my plans with one of the guys on my commuter bus that was a few years older than me and he said that maybe he should consider doing the same thing. He died 3 months later. He was 63. I was ready even though I didn't have a huge retirement fund. My fallback plan is to go back to work if I have to.

 

[38Chevy454]

My one sentence take on your situation: your emotional brain is overpowering your logical brain. Logic tells you that all is good and retire. Emotion says need more safety and comfort factor.

So listen to your left side brain and then allow the right side brain to enjoy the extra time for golf and whatever once you retire.

 

[Rdub]

I went through a couple rounds of OMY . I finally gave notice on Monday that I will be retiring in may. I am sure I will go through a range of emotions over the coming months, but it felt great. I'm 47, so I was leaving a lot on the table. However, with 2 young kids that I get to spend quality time with it is the right time for me.

 

[kcowan]

...my Cousin blew a big fat inheritance on booze, hookers, losers, and more booze...

I bet he squandered the rest!

 

[kcowan]

The best approach is to write your own eulogy and make sure you have enough material that you are proud of. "In spite of working for megacorp, Bob managed to..."

 

[Danmar]

Yup. And keep in mind that this forum is filled with people who are happily retired, so what you will get, naturally, is plenty of exhortations to retire early and reasons to do that. You won't hear much from the other side of the coin, though. You won't hear much about the benefits of work ("w*rk") here; you won't see posts from people who regretted retiring or who are finding retirement really difficult. We've got a lot of smart folks here, but it's definitely a select, skewed sample. You probably knew that when you made the thread, though.

Agree, nothing wrong with the self selection here as long as you know it's here and can balance it out in your thinking.

 

[Danmar]

Every once in a while, we think a bit about this, even though I'm already retired. We know that we have enough, but once in a while, the chat turns to fulfillment and those kinds of things, then inevitably, how much extra savings a couple more years would have brought enters the conversation. Truthfully, I'd love to be able to afford a million dollar second home in Hawaii, and to have my own plane, and..., and..., and...,. But when I think of those things, and what I already have going on in my life, and I wonder when I'd ever have time for those things. Especially now with DW's medical problems, I simply wouldn't be able to use any more that I already have. Given that, DW and I are convinced that me being able to retire early is one of our greatest blessings, especially since she needs someone to be with her almost constantly, until we get her issues under control.

So, think again whether you have enough, whether you will be happy with what you have (or if only more will give you the satisfaction you seek), and if you have what you need to be satisfied and happy until the end, why not pull the plug?

Likewise, a little more could always come in handy. But most people are pretty good at getting comfortable with their means. To be otherwise would just cause unhappiness in retirement. At some point you just have to put a pin in it and say enough. This "enough" will depend on many things and will be different for everyone. But basically when the "hassle" of working becomes bigger than the financial benefits of working, most people call it quits.

 

[flyingaway]

Figure out what you most want to do in retirement and start doing it. If work becomes a problem, reduce your work load or retire.

I reached financial independence. My job as a professor is really easy and it does not make sense to walk away. I want to do a lot of travel in my retirement, so I started last year and visited 12 countries. I have booked tickets and hotels to 6 countries in the first half of 2017. I just want to see how much travel I can do joyfully. If I need more than half of my time for travel, then I will not hesitate to walk away from my job.

For me, I could not find other things that I want to do in retirement and I cannot do with my teaching job. So staying at work makes sense.

 

[ElizabethT]

Someone once posted something here about the OMY syndrome that has stuck with me ever since: The reason your pension and SS numbers increase with each 12 month period you delay taking is because actuarial, your going to die one year sooner.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it a bit, if you will. It might help.