My BS bucket is too heavy

[brewer12345]

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Originally Posted by jime444 Brewer, Close......but, being the conservative sort, probably not close enough for me about 83% FIRE at the moment, figuring till age 90 or so. I still feel like I want to work, have some value to add and most of all, I think, don't go riding into the sunset like this. Strangely, I just feel sadness......not pissed, not ashamed, not fear, not even revenge. I've certainly cared way too much........it's a fault of mine, never been able to solve it. At least the can't send me back to the middle-east. Anything else to add?

Sure. Go sharpen your pencil and start playing with firecalc. Arguably I am somewhat undercapitalized to begin pulling the plug. Since I can't stand this crap any more, I have chosen to be flexible and creative in dealing with this. DW has a small business that covers 1/3 to 1/2 of our expenses. She will keep it going for a while. I have a number of possible small business ideas and several possible areas that I could get contract work in. This really matters over the first 5 years or so. After that, we will know what the sequence of returns will be and adjust accordingly. That could mean generating more income or it could mean we are free to go out and play all day. Instead of putting myself through the meat grinder once again, being flexible seems like a much better choice.

If you are at 8X% on firecalc that tells me you need to be in no hurry or panic to do much of anything. When you exit, file for unemployment benefits and take some time to relax and recover. You will feel a lot better and be in a better position to make good decisions for you. 6 months on the beach won't make a lot of difference financially over the long term, and I think you need it.

[LoneAspen]

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Originally Posted by traineeinvestor I found it surprisingly easy (possibly because, while my w$rking environment came with all the irritations that are common to just about all j*bs, it was actually a good place with good colleagues and very good income). Once I reached FI, while I still cared about my performance I found things just didn't bother me the way they used to. Try drawing up a list of milestones and think about each one as they draw nearer. Here are some of mine: last office Christmas party to avoid last self assesment to fabricate last assesment of colleagues last annual collections push telling close colleagues of my imminent departure officially resigning stepping down from various management roles last office spring dinner last month last week last day last pay cheque (the only one I wasn't looking forward to)

That is exactly what I'm doing. I even printed out a similar checklist that I'm marking off as things go by.

I can't wait until I give notice (if I even give any) and walk out the door.

Before I leave, I'm going to take some videos on my iPhone...last cube, last office building, last commute in, last time leaving the building, etc. For posterity.

Can't wait.

[sunnysideup]

I sympathize. My target date is next spring, and I am not sure I will make it past December. I changed jobs due the BS bucket, hoping to stay one year in the new job. But the BS bucket still exists here, just different things in it, (not altogether a huge surprise) and I am starting to be apathetic, which is not my style. I really don't care to do more than I need to. This is sad for an "achiever".

I am now focusing on what I need to do when I give that notice and retire. DH and I are going to downsize, so I am looking for houses, and cleaning out the many years of accumulation so there is less to move. Every day we talk about it so it takes my mind off the BS

Wish I could give you more advice, but definitely empathy here!!!

[Options]

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Originally Posted by Live And Learn I'm certain I won't care once I'm gone, but in the interim I still care about my reputation and my work quality. Its not really about how megacorp see's me, its about how I see me. I need to feel that I am earning my pay.

I'm more than earning my pay. I took a 30% to take the current job. In fact, my (over) abundance of value add (based on my background) is the very thing that precipitated my deciding to go into temp mode. I'll add value; I won't do floors or windows. Seeing FIRE on the not too distant horizon also helps tremendously.

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Originally Posted by Katsmeow OP's planned date is March 2015 which is 16 to 17 months from now.

Ouch. If I had that long to go, I'd probably get another job, rather than waiting it out in one place. On the other hand, given my current stressless situation, I'd probably just suffer through it.

[utrecht]

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Originally Posted by Live And Learn I'm certain I won't care once I'm gone, but in the interim I still care about my reputation and my work quality. Its not really about how megacorp see's me, its about how I see me. I need to feel that I am earning my pay.

I feel exactly this same way. I have until Jan 2015. It has gotten a little easier for me as I have started to learn to not care about other people's stupidity but I cant help but still care about the quality of MY work.

[Live And Learn]

jime444 - I'm sorry that your ER timing is not yours. But if you are only 20 months away you might find that this is a blessing in disguise. Play with Firecalc. If you could work part time or cut an expense that is only 5 or 6k a year it might make a world of difference in your success rates.

[Live And Learn]

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Originally Posted by Katsmeow I think what is happening is that at some level you know that you really do have enough to retire right now. So one option for you would be might be to question whether the lack of tolerance of BS right now is you really knowing in your heart that you are FI and that you would be happier just going ahead and retiring before the TMY were up.

Yep - I decided to hang in because I was carrying two houses while we waited for the "big house" to sell after we moved out. Well - it sold in 9 days and now I have more solid numbers. I'm at a 3.25% WR, which was the original goal I set. So yes, I could ER and yes, that has definitely shortened my fuse. The BS hasn't changed but my bucket is much smaller now.

I like the idea that a couple of people mentioned of thinking of myself as a temp. I'm going to hang up a "Live And Learn Temporary Agency" sign on my PC. Since I w*rk from home the boss won't see it and perhaps it will help me keep perspective.

[ziggy29]

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Originally Posted by utrecht I feel exactly this same way. I have until Jan 2015. It has gotten a little easier for me as I have started to learn to not care about other people's stupidity but I cant help but still care about the quality of MY work.

Yes, agreed totally. In reality, for several years before my layoff I increasingly became indifferent about the work I was doing, feeling like I wasn't doing anything to make society better. Only my own professional pride in a job well done kept me appearing to give a damn.

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Originally Posted by Live And Learn jime444 - I'm sorry that your ER timing is not yours. But if you are only 20 months away you might find that this is a blessing in disguise.

This was true for me. I was already probably within a couple years of calling it quits anyway. But Megacorp forcing my hand not only freed me from agonizing over the timing of it, but helped me avoid "one more year" syndrome and gave me six months pay to boot. I know it's not financially feasible for everyone to feel this way, but getting laid off was the best thing that has happened to me since I married my wife.

[Rambler]

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Originally Posted by Rambler I can sympathize. I got as far as I did because I cared and always tried to make a difference. Problem is that the mega-corp doesn't usually have the same care for you as you (perhaps in your case and perhaps mine) had for it. I know in my case, the organization has gone downhill since I left. They replaced me with a guy who cares pretty much only for himself, and it is all too obvious to the staff. Now that I'm gone, I'd like to say I no longer care, but the reality is that I do, as I see my own legacy being slowly reduced to ash. R

I'm going to have to eat my words, a little. Just when I thought megacorp had probably forgotten me, my former boss, the CEO of the US$ 22 billion corporation, called me to see how I was doing and wish me a happy birthday. I was shocked, and I needed a shovel to scrape my jaw off the floor. I was one of his best performing region heads, but did not expect him to keep in contact after I retired. In many ways I have always admired him, even though I did need to have a serious discussion with him about some issues before I retired. Needless to say, even though I admired him and had an amicable relationship with him for the most part, we were not what I would call friends or buddies. I was grateful to receive his call, and I thought I detected serious care and concern for "an old member of the megacorp family". Anyway, it was a nice chat.

R

[Meadbh]

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Originally Posted by Rambler I'm going to have to eat my words, a little. Just when I thought megacorp had probably forgotten me, my former boss, the CEO of the US$ 22 billion corporation, called me to see how I was doing and wish me a happy birthday. I was shocked, and I needed a shovel to scrape my jaw off the floor. I was one of his best performing region heads, but did not expect him to keep in contact after I retired. In many ways I have always admired him, even though I did need to have a serious discussion with him about some issues before I retired. Needless to say, even though I admired him and had an amicable relationship with him for the most part, we were not what I would call friends or buddies. I was grateful to receive his call, and I thought I detected serious care and concern for "an old member of the megacorp family". Anyway, it was a nice chat. R

Happy Birthday Rambler!

My guess is that there will be a follow up call to invite you back. CEOs never call anyone for no good reason.

[Rambler]

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Originally Posted by Meadbh Happy Birthday Rambler! My guess is that there will be a follow up call to invite you back. CEOs never call anyone for no good reason.

Yeah, that's what DW says too. I wouldn't mind doing a little consulting for them, but going back to them full time is no longer an option.

R

[Chuckanut]

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Originally Posted by brewer12345 I am also making full use of vacation and sick days. Find a way to unplug and it really helps. I took today off to go chase deer (and other critters). The cell phone was off all day and I probabluy hiked at least 10 miles with pack and bangstick. I came face to face with a beautiful buck, but I have a doe-only tag. Could have been frustrating, but really I was almost pitifully grateful to be outside, away from the crap, and watching a beautiful creature bound away into the woods.

You are handling it very well.