...A while ago I posted this phrase which seem to resonate with a lot of folks
"Your best months working will be better than your best months in your retirement, but your worst months in retirement will be much much better than your worse months working." Lower highs but way higher lows.
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I think it is worthwhile for young retirees to ask the question where will I find that sense of fulfillment and self work that working provides. I suspect that by the time most people hit their 50s and certainly by the time they get into their 60s they have accumulated a lifetime of validation, and idealism has been replaced by cynicism.
+1 Clifp, yours is one of the most insightful posts I have read here. Certainly resonates with me.
You have so eloquently stated many of the things that have been going through my mind while reading this thread.
I started out at a young age in the sciences, felt we were making a difference. The money really was always secondary. I often did extra work on my own just for the joy of learning and sharing it with others. When we wrote papers, and they were cited by others there really was a feeling of joy at doing something we felt was worthwhile. And I got to work with really brilliant people! Sometimes I could even make a small contribution, it was such fun I would have done it for free, and often did!
Later started my consulting business and got to work on projects and with people that would never have happened outside of business. I started my business in my early 30s, would not have retired even if I were FI, just would have done it bigger.
One time when business was slow I got to thinking about "when were the times when I was the happiest?" It was not the times I had nothing to do, or could do only what I wanted. In fact there was one full year after a facility I was consulting for closed, and they kept me on at full time pay for doing nothing, just because the VP wanted to retain the knowledge. I got good money and had nobody cared if I did anything. You would think it would be great, but really it was the worst and most depressing time I had in my career. I still worked hard trying to find ways to help, but nobody cared. I was miserable and depressed.
So for me when was I the happiest? I boiled it down to these five things: 1) A project that was very difficult, but not impossible, 2) Somebody really needed and wanted it, it would make a difference to them, 3) I had some helpful skill in that particular area where I could make a significant contribution, 4) I was given the problem to solve, but not told how to do it, had to figure that out on my own, and 5) I got to work with really smart and creative people. (I found I was only successful when I worked with people smarter than me, don't know what that means but it always seemed to work that way).
I was lucky in my career that I was able to work on a number of projects that fulfilled these requirements, and I would always think it was special, and wonder if it would happen again.
If I had not been in the business and working world I would never have had these opportunities, never felt the joy of successfully doing something that somebody said was "stupid" or "impossible", never been to trade show where a lot of people were standing around looking at my creations, never have gotten the chance to work with really brilliant people, never have traveled the way I did, never have felt the feeling of exhilaration at succeeding at doing something difficult.
Now I am not particularly smart, but I did always seek out opportunities that were fun and where I could contribute. Someone once told me, you don't need to be the brightest light in the world, only the brightest light in the room (and I might add: you get to choose the room).
Now I am retired and don't feel the urgent need for this kind of stimulation (maybe I will someday I don't know) but I am grateful for the experience. And you can't get this if you checkout too early.
Sorry for this long post, it just kind of spilled out...