Retirement Dissatisfaction is Inevitable

[Moemg]

You don't have to have a grand plan to reinvent yourself you just have to take baby steps . I certainly did not plan on being a successful ebay seller it just evolved . First I was looking around my house to dejunk it and next I was clothing 30 & 40 year olds and really enjoying it . Sure it's not a lofty ambition but it meets my needs . It gives me pleasure and mad money to squander on my favorite grand son . I could have easily gotten a part time job in nursing but "Been there done that " it was time for something new . When I get bored with this I'll find something new and maybe loftier to conquer.

 

[NW-Bound]

bbbamI, I did not intend to be funny. OK, maybe just a little. But again, I was not sarcastic.

I think it may be difficult for me to give up w*rk completely. And don't tell me to do volunteering work. I prefer to donate money to charity as I have done, but not my time.

I want to w*rk for pay. The fact that people pay me for my work means a lot to me. I mean it! So, I could not empathize with Midpack's desire to start a new career. For me, that means starting from scratch, learning to do something that I am a novice in. And that means little pay, which reflects the fact that my new work is not as valuable as what I did. I would not be able to handle that!

 

[bbbamI]

bbbamI, I did not intend to be funny. OK, maybe just a little. But again, I was not sarcastic.

I think it may be difficult for me to give up w*rk completely. And don't tell me to do volunteering work. I prefer to donate money to charity as I have done, but not my time.

I want to w*rk for pay. The fact that people pay me for my work means a lot to me. I mean it! So, I could not empathize with Midpack's desire to start a new career. For me, that means starting from scratch, learning to do something that I am a novice in. And that means little pay, which reflects the fact that my new work is not as valuable as what I did. I would not be able to handle that!

Oh now doncha know...I always take you seriously....

Mmmmm...I'm as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine when I know other folks are livin' their dream. Mmmm, hmmm..... Carry on...carry over...which ever way your passion leads you.

 

[Purron]

I had a varied, interesting and challenging career. After over 30 years of working, I got tired of many things - the commute, office politics, and travel (no fun when it's for work).

Monday morning meant up at 4:30am, on the Beltway by 6, traffic jams, work about 9 hours, errands on the way home, eat dinner, do some chores and collapse. Rinse and repeat Tuesday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday were nearly filled with chores. Just a few hours weekly to reflect, relax and contemplate life. There was no time to be concerned about the meaning of life.

Now I'm retired, I do have time to think more about my life. I'm free to question my choices and purpose more than when I was in the blur being a "career woman".

Then I realized I just missed the comfort of not having to think. I was like a machine on an assembly line producing stuff. Some of you may recall I had a more difficult time than many letting go. My own little "identity crisis". Almost went right back into the pit about 6 months after I early retired. It was pretty daunting to find myself responsible for my life instead of mindlessly running in the hamster wheel.

I still feel a need to be part of something bigger than myself and make a contribution. Yeah, and be busy - sometimes. That damn German work ethic is programmed in me. That's why I've done so much volunteer work. The difference is, now I have more control and more time to ponder my life. I believe Socrates had it right when he said:

An unexamined life is not worth living

 

[NW-Bound]

Carry on...carry over...which ever way your passion leads you.

Now, people may think that I am an egomaniac... Maybe I am... But I think perhaps I simply have the need to feel that people need me. If not for my sunshine personality, then for my work. Whatever. If I were to disappear tomorrow, these people I do some work for would miss me.

Oh, and some people here in this forum would miss me too.

 

[bbbamI]

Now, people may think that I am an egomaniac... Maybe I am... But I think perhaps I simply have the need to feel that people need me. If not for my sunshine personality, then for my work. Whatever. If I were to disappear tomorrow, these people I do some work for would miss me.

Oh, and some people here in this forum would miss me too.

Mmm...hmmm...I think most everyone wants to be needed. I am one of them....

....and yes you would be missed I'm sure by many...and I am one of them.

Ahhh...but right now my passion lies in having a frosty adult beverage; sitting on my patio and watching the clouds float by. After all today is my birthday... Mmmm...hmmm...too many candles to blow out, so I'll just pop a cherry in my mouth.

 

[harley]

Presumably no one here disliked their job/career early on, if you did you have no one to blame but yourself.

Actually, I want to disagree with this sentence, even more than the rest of the OP. I personally never liked working, but I did like eating and having a place to live. I never wanted to work for anybody else, but I'm also not entrepreneurial. Working has always been just a method of paying the bills and financing my entertainment. I basically found the least offensive way of raking in the dough, and then worked toward FIRE, even long before I knew what it was.

That being said, I can't imagine EVER being happier working, all things being equal (health, financial security, etc). I may get bored on occasion, but it will never be as bad as it was during the working years. I can always make better use of my time than a boss could, even if it just means hanging out at Barnes and Noble and reading books for free.

So, look for someone else to justify your need to keep working, you won't find it here. JMO, of course, YMMV.

 

[ls99]

Presumably no one here disliked their job/career early on, if you did you have no one to blame but yourself.

At the time the Baltimore Light Rail was about to open, there were jobs to be had. about 35 in addition to internal transfers. There were 900 plus pre-selected applicants for [-]grease monkey[/-] entry level tech positions. We spent four days interviewing all 900+ applicants. HRD was a little dim in their pre-qualifications. One reason I hold HRD types at the level below frog's a$$, and the mid/senior managers who should have nipped that stupid crap in the bud.

We ended up hiring at least 20 degreed engineers electronics and mechanical plus some techs with 25+years experience.....to be grease monkeys. Most left about two years later when the job market improved. I doubt they actually liked the j*b. Getting money to pay the rent/mortgage/etc. was the prime motivator.

As for retirement, heck no j*b is worth undoing it, I'd rather starve to death. And I do know hunger, not the kind that says is dinner ready, but the kind that says I'll eat a dead rodent, maggots and all.

 

[REWahoo]

Ahhh...but right now my passion lies in having a frosty adult beverage; sitting on my patio and watching the clouds float by. After all today is my birthday... Mmmm...hmmm...too many candles to blow out, so I'll just pop a cherry in my mouth.

Bappy Hirthday bbbamI!!!

 

[ls99]

Jeez bbbami, robbing the cradle ?

On your birthday anything goes! Happy over 18.

 

[bbbamI]

Thanks for the birthday wishes... Don't ya know I'm finding everything funny today....and a drop of booze helps.....

wooo hooo...closer to getting my social security checks...

Now...should I take them early...or later....hmmmm....

 

[Khan]

At the time the Baltimore Light Rail was about to open, there were jobs to be had. about 35 in addition to internal transfers. There were 900 plus pre-selected applicants for [-]grease monkey[/-] entry level tech positions. We spent four days interviewing all 900+ applicants. HRD was a little dim in their pre-qualifications. One reason I hold HRD types at the level below frog's a$$, and the mid/senior managers who should have nipped that stupid crap in the bud.

We ended up hiring at least 20 degreed engineers electronics and mechanical plus some techs with 25+years experience.....to be grease monkeys. Most left about two years later when the job market improved. I doubt they actually liked the j*b. Getting money to pay the rent/mortgage/etc. was the prime motivator.

As for retirement, heck no j*b is worth undoing it, I'd rather starve to death. And I do know hunger, not the kind that says is dinner ready, but the kind that says I'll eat a dead rodent, maggots and all.

Same here.

 

[NW-Bound]

Thanks for the birthday wishes... Don't ya know I'm finding everything funny today....and a drop of booze helps.....

wooo hooo...closer to getting my social security checks...

Now...should I take them early...or later....hmmmm....

Happy BDay there, young lady!

It just so happened we also went out to lunch today for my wife's late B-Day. We had to wait until today, so that my daughter who had been out-of-town could join us.

About that SS check, sorry my dear, but I am in line before you.

 

[freebird5825]

Bappy Hirthday bbbamI!!!

Hey lady. I'm stilll 1 year YOUNGER. nyah nyah nyah nyah naaaa

Happy Birthday !

Can someone (besides bbbamI) post a birthday cake emoticon?

For now, this will w*rk. I'm kinda partial to the giraffes.

YouTube - Happy Birthday

 

[Purron]

Happy birthday bbbamI!

Here's your special horoscope from today's Washington Post:

Today's Birthday: November 14th.

This year, your comfort zone undergoes a complete rezoning. You'll meet new people, learn skills and suddenly feel bold and ready to break out of old limitations. Your finances are favorably affected in November and December. Professions of love come your way in January. Aquarius and Aries people adore you.

 

[travelover]

 

[RAE]

"Retirement" to me means having the freedom to choose my activities, every day. I will be able to reinvent myself whenever needed with minimal outside constraints. If that leads to dissatisfaction, then it's pretty clear that only I will be to blame, and it will be in my power to do something about it.

Yup, that is exactly it. If you feel like you need a job to be satisfied with your life, I think you need to do some serious thinking about what is really important to you in life. Retirement brings freedom, and there are a world of possibilities out there as to how you can occupy your time. If you need to feel "productive" (whatever that means to you), there are a zillion opportunities to do things that can help with that. I've only been retired a short time (less than a year), but I cannot imagine feeling like I need to get another job to somehow feel fulfilled or satisfied with my life. I worked 31 years for someone else (and I did have a good/satisfying career)........but it's definitely time to explore opportunities of my own choosing now.

 

[dex]

The title may be overly provocative to attract readers, but the intent is actually to foster insightful comments, I'm not trying to offend anyone.

I wrote a long post (for me) saying you raised a good question. It didn't get posted because of connection problems.

After reading some of the replies, it appears you might as well posted "I'm going to 100% cash."

 

[W2R]

Mmm...hmmm...I think most everyone wants to be needed. I am one of them....

....and yes you would be missed I'm sure by many...and I am one of them.

Ahhh...but right now my passion lies in having a frosty adult beverage; sitting on my patio and watching the clouds float by. After all today is my birthday... Mmmm...hmmm...too many candles to blow out, so I'll just pop a cherry in my mouth.

Happy Birthday! and many more...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

bbbamI!! bbbamI!! bbbamI!!

Happy 40th and have a tall one on me. Beer, that is

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

3 lessons I have learned in FIRE bootcamp:

1. You don't have to hate your job to find fulfillment in FIRE.
2. If you do like your job, you probably have a greater likelihood of liking FIRE.
3. If you do hate your job you probably have much more to gain from FIRE than to lose from it.

I figure I'm a type 2, and have been stunned by how easy it has been to like FIRE. It's almost embarrassing how easy, if you have the right frame of mind (and to think I started one of the "Just 1 More Year" threads).

 

[REWahoo]

...(and to think I started one of the "Just 1 More Year" threads).

One? ONE??

 

[freebird5825]

I'll be 4 years into early retirement on April 1, 2011.

I'll admit to boredom while I was on my own during the day. I'll admit to a winter of pure unadulterated [-]"doing nothing but chilling out"[/-] self imposed hibernation for 1 of those 4 years.

But dissatisfied? Nah

 

[Moemg]

Ahhh...but right now my passion lies in having a frosty adult beverage; sitting on my patio and watching the clouds float by. After all today is my birthday... Mmmm...hmmm...too many candles to blow out, so I'll just pop a cherry in my mouth.

Happy Birthday !

 

[NW-Bound]

Ahhh...but right now my passion lies in having a frosty adult beverage; sitting on my patio and watching the clouds float by...

I am still full from the lunch we had, so will skip dinner. But the mention of booze gave me an idea. I am going to get up and make myself a brandy Manhattan. I think I am out of Maraschino cherry, but, ah, what the heck...

People can retire, or they can work. I do half-n-half. Works for me so far, and as they say, "Don't fix it if it ain't broke".