This Is How Terribly Short Your Life Is

[sheldon cornped]

If you are contemplating whether to ER or not and especially if you fall in the OMY category, this clip might push you off the fence. Runs about 5 min., worth watching even if only for the thought provoking content.

 

[tmitchell]

Amazing reminder! I've been straddling OMY and was seriously thinking about pulling the trigger but Covid has got me spooked again :/. Luckily I don't HATE my time at work.

 

[RunningBum]

Yeah, I gave up when they said that your life expectancy is 82 years, so at age so you have 82-20 years left. The 82 number includes those who died in their first 20 years, so you should, so your life expectancy is over 82 if you've made it past those first 20 years. Maybe not a whole lot more, but at least a little bit more.

 

[MichaelB]

Moved to Life After FIRE, where it should get better visibility.

 

[HI Bill]

Interesting. But it doesn't look at the concept that doing a job you may not love, but pays a lot, may help one FIRE earlier, such as age 50. This might add 20 more 'usable' years to your life. It also discounts your workday evenings and mornings. Many people work out, visit with friends, and do enjoyable things, even on work days. This sounds like Ernie Zelenski's writing....but it discounts what you're potentially gaining for what you're giving up.

 

[LARS]

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

 

[Nemo2]

Shakespeare updated by Kansas:

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Oh, ho, ho
Now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy

 

[njhowie]

Sleep less.

 

[Maenad]

I'm glad they didn't jump into the "follow your dream and the money will follow" b.s. that so many carpe diem videos propose. The message was more of a "be aware of the cost and benefit of your choices, that making yourself miserable today and solely living for tomorrow has a very high price". I can't argue with a message to think about our choices and decisions, being thoughtful is generally better than being mindless.

 

[pacergal]

Thanks for sharing.
A reminder to find some joy in every day! Life does go by very fast.

 

[Karloff]

Thank you for sharing this. Perfect timing for such a reminder. Work has been very slow due to the Pandemic, but this is an important, sobering reminder of what is really important.

 

[Poopycat]

Wow, powerful message. I was one of those people living for the weekend. And I’m contemplating getting another job and living for the weekend again I’ve got some thinking to do...

 

[DrRoy]

Good reason to RE!

 

[Andre1969]

For some reason, this made me think of a calculation I did a few years ago. A friend of mine, who lives in DC, in a rowhouse that was converted to condos, had a small backyard. The mowable part was probably around 10x15 feet, at the most. He just hit it with a weed whacker. Yet, he griped about having to "cut the grass", and mentioned that he couldn't even fathom the idea of being out in the suburbs or more rural areas (like where I live), because of all the grass cutting. I simply told him that "you get used to it" and "it's not that bad" and so forth, but he didn't want to hear any of it.

Anyway, I think I was around 42 at the time. I probably started cutting the grass when I was around 10, when Granddad taught me how to drive the lawn tractor. Being out in the boonies, we don't have an HOA breathing down our necks, so we can sometimes let the grass go a bit before cutting it. On average, I'd say 10 cuts per year, at 2 hours per cut, is an over-estimation. But, let's use that. That's 20 hours per year. Over the course of 32 years, that would have been 640 hours of my life. Or roughly 26 days and 16 hours.

So, at the age of 42, not even a month of my life had been devoted to cutting the grass. Even now, at the age of 50, that would only be 800 hours, or roughly 33 days and 8 hours. As I've gotten older, I've learned I like cutting the grass less and less. When I was a kid, it was exciting, like being one step closer to driving a car. But now it just seems repetitive and dull. Plus, now that I've moved, I have a much larger yard. I let the grass go about 4 weeks without cutting, and as a result it took almost 7 hours to cut it all.

Still, to put it in perspective, even if it took me 70 hours total to cut the grass this year, that's about the equivalent of 11 weeks worth of commuting back and forth to work for me. And, I know I'm not going to cut it 10 times over the course of the year. Last year I think it only got cut 5-6x, and later in the season when it was drier, it didn't take as long.

So, whenever I'm having trouble finding the ambition to cut the grass, I remember this little math exercise, to put it in perspective. Even though it drones on and seems to take forever, in the overall scheme of things it's such a tiny portion of my life.

Another statistic I just figured out. With my current commute (75 minutes round trip on a good day, 5x per week), in about 2 1/2 years, I will have spent the same amount of time driving to and from work as I did cutting grass for 40 years!

Now that, more than anything else, makes me want to retire!

 

[mystang52]

Criticism: Plenty of "confirmation bias" facts.
Compliment: It still provides food for thought, including the need to live today and not just save for tomorrow.

 

[Rianne]

This video made me think of the documentary "Free Solo." The El Capitan climber in Yosemite. I wonder what he'd think of this video. I think it's all about risk/reward. How much risk would one take to be rewarded exponentially? Some people thrive on stress. Setting that aside, I'm a take it easy, ER and enjoy the day. I do enjoy watching and reading about others who are super risk takers and do shocking things, even if it will kill them.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

For some reason, this made me think of a calculation I did a few years ago. A friend of mine, who lives in DC, in a rowhouse that was converted to condos, had a small backyard. The mowable part was probably around 10x15 feet, at the most. He just hit it with a weed whacker. Yet, he griped about having to "cut the grass", and mentioned that he couldn't even fathom the idea of being out in the suburbs or more rural areas (like where I live), because of all the grass cutting. I simply told him that "you get used to it" and "it's not that bad" and so forth, but he didn't want to hear any of it.

Anyway, I think I was around 42 at the time. I probably started cutting the grass when I was around 10, when Granddad taught me how to drive the lawn tractor. Being out in the boonies, we don't have an HOA breathing down our necks, so we can sometimes let the grass go a bit before cutting it. On average, I'd say 10 cuts per year, at 2 hours per cut, is an over-estimation. But, let's use that. That's 20 hours per year. Over the course of 32 years, that would have been 640 hours of my life. Or roughly 26 days and 16 hours.

So, at the age of 42, not even a month of my life had been devoted to cutting the grass. Even now, at the age of 50, that would only be 800 hours, or roughly 33 days and 8 hours. As I've gotten older, I've learned I like cutting the grass less and less. When I was a kid, it was exciting, like being one step closer to driving a car. But now it just seems repetitive and dull. Plus, now that I've moved, I have a much larger yard. I let the grass go about 4 weeks without cutting, and as a result it took almost 7 hours to cut it all.

Still, to put it in perspective, even if it took me 70 hours total to cut the grass this year, that's about the equivalent of 11 weeks worth of commuting back and forth to work for me. And, I know I'm not going to cut it 10 times over the course of the year. Last year I think it only got cut 5-6x, and later in the season when it was drier, it didn't take as long.

So, whenever I'm having trouble finding the ambition to cut the grass, I remember this little math exercise, to put it in perspective. Even though it drones on and seems to take forever, in the overall scheme of things it's such a tiny portion of my life.

Another statistic I just figured out. With my current commute (75 minutes round trip on a good day, 5x per week), in about 2 1/2 years, I will have spent the same amount of time driving to and from work as I did cutting grass for 40 years!

Now that, more than anything else, makes me want to retire!

Interesting observation. I personally loathe mowing the grass. We have about 1.5 acres of fescue lawn that looks great, but takes a lot of time for its care. The front and side yard has irregular swells that neccesitates using a push mower. Depending on my motivation, this takes between 1.5 and 2.0 hours. The back side is larger, but can be mowed with a tractor, that's about 1.0 hour. Then, weedeating and blowing is another hour. So, for just the "basics" it's about 4 hours of w*rk. This doesn't include weeding the numerous flower beds (I won't count, I don't want to know!) that are weeded often. And, since we live in a fairly warm area, mowing starts in earnest around early April and by May it's a once a week chore....until end of September. So, I would estimate that my basic lawn mowing is about 105 hours a year. And the leaves come fall?!? Oye...that's a whole 'nuther thing!

In spite of all that, we have a wonderful, beautiful yard and I enjoy it throughout the year. Oh, and no w*rk means no commute, so that's a double bonus!

 

[Onward]

Bad numbers, but I agree with the sentiment.

We had rock 'n' roll to remind us of all this. The current generation has YouTube videos.

 

[6miths]

Interesting observation. I personally loathe mowing the grass. We have about 1.5 acres of fescue lawn that looks great, but takes a lot of time for its care. The front and side yard has irregular swells that neccesitates using a push mower. Depending on my motivation, this takes between 1.5 and 2.0 hours. The back side is larger, but can be mowed with a tractor, that's about 1.0 hour. Then, weedeating and blowing is another hour. So, for just the "basics" it's about 4 hours of w*rk. This doesn't include weeding the numerous flower beds (I won't count, I don't want to know!) that are weeded often. And, since we live in a fairly warm area, mowing starts in earnest around early April and by May it's a once a week chore....until end of September. So, I would estimate that my basic lawn mowing is about 105 hours a year. And the leaves come fall?!? Oye...that's a whole 'nuther thing!

In spite of all that, we have a wonderful, beautiful yard and I enjoy it throughout the year. Oh, and no w*rk means no commute, so that's a double bonus!

Interesting on the mowing the grass. Yesterday, DS said, 'Dad I finally get why you like working in the yard.' This after he had helped me by pulling a few weeds. He said that it allows one to focus on something simple and take one's mind off the stresses of life. Turns out my DS is becoming wise. From the time I started cutting grass at about age 8 I have always enjoyed it for many reasons. Certainly, DS is correct that removing one's mind from the stress of life is one aspect but there are many others. Small things well done, tending plants, working in the dirt with one's hands, being outside, physical labour when one's primary occupation doesn't involve same, making something look appealing, etc. Finding satisfaction in small things is part of mindfulness and practicing thankfulness and gratitude. I don't look forward to the day when I can't mow the lawn, appreciate the smell of cut grass or stretch out in the sun on the turf. Soon enough I'll be under it! (Or in my case, just spread around as fertilizer).

 

[mcbraemer]

Bad numbers, but I agree with the sentiment.

We had rock 'n' roll to remind us of all this. The current generation has YouTube videos.

Funny, after reading this thread and this comment I looked up to realize that "Live for Today" had been playing on the speaker. The Grass Roots, I believe!

 

[Nemo2]

Funny, after reading this thread and this comment I looked up to realize that "Live for Today" had been playing on the speaker. The Grass Roots, I believe!

I was on the elliptical listening to this: "My body's aching and my time is at hand."

James Taylor.

 

[bolt]

A good friend whom was Bostons Central Artery & The Big Dig's primary architect recently retired @82/83'ish yrs old.
He succinctly viewed ones lifeline on an actual "tape measure" using .gov metrics.
Then he changed the numbers to %'s.
He, like Hank Paulson*(financialcrisis08) jockeyed back and forth between .gov employment and private industry retiring with .gov service bennies for close to 60yrs.
Life's not fair eeh?
Its not theoretical, its pragmatic.

 

[Poopycat]

This video emphasizes to me just how lucky I am to be set up to retire now. Yes, I worry about the ability to get health insurance once COBRA runs out, but I will find a state that protects people with pre-existing conditions if the ACA is struck down. Work has made me sad and miserable. Being forced to work on stupid projects, at the mercy of terrible bosses, and having to interact with people when I’m a natural introvert. Everything screams, “enjoy your life and never return to an office!”

So why am I still conducting a job search? Why am I hoping that one of the companies I interviewed with will call with an offer, or at least move me to the next step of the selection process? Why do I feel anxiety about not being chosen? I wish I understood why I’m feeling like I need to go back to work when financially I’m fine, and work has never made me happy in the past. Maybe my identity has been so rooted in my job and career that I’m having trouble letting it go? Or because I was laid off instead of being allowed to control when I left?

I don’t know but these mixed up feelings are unsettling.

 

[Markola]

One’s reaction to this video is highly individualistic. It assumes “everyone hates their job” and career at 22. I didn’t and I don’t consider my life up to this point at 54 “wasted,” by any means, just the product of choices I’ve made, feel grateful for and accept responsibility for. I remember tromping around in the woods with wet boots for weeks on a job at age 24 and deciding, “Screw this noise. I want to be in a dry office with unlimited coffee nearby.” I certainly had zero interest in making YouTube videos like this guy, who has found his calling and seems to want to preach about it.

Lately, I want something different than an office environment and am planning accordingly. Thanks to excess savings my profession afforded me, I can follow my new interests. The tragedy is people who go through a career unintentionally, don’t save, and don’t have the means to make a change when their bucket almost inevitably runneth over after doing anything for too long.

 

[samm]

Thanks sheldon cornped.

If you are contemplating whether to ER or not and especially if you fall in the OMY category, this clip might push you off the fence.

Great video. This is why I retired ASAP at 60.