Welcome to the board, Bob. If it's as easy as JG says then everyone would be doing it. But you can too.
bob58 said:
Wow! How does one get the courage to finally quit? When you retire at 59, you know you have to live on less than your regular salary (for me 2/3 of my regular salary per year to survive). You know you have to get your own insurance. You know you just cannot spend foolishly anymore because the retirement funds just don't equal the salary you once had. Being in a rut is hard to get out of when your job pays so well even though you are unhappy more often than not going to work.
You get the courage by finally deciding to rescue yourself from a toxic situation. Sure, retirement has its problems (challenges), but they're YOUR problems and you're in charge of their solutions instead of being a cubicle rat on an exercise wheel. The advantages (and longevity) far outweigh the disadvantages. There's a reason that they're called "golden handcuffs".
bob58 said:
Did any of you out there have difficulty just saying "I quit". Was it hard? Did you momentarily have regrets leaving your job security?
It's like smoking cigarettes. You "enjoy" it but you realize that someday it's gonna kill you. Eventually the latter realization exceeds the enjoyment, your brain clicks over to a decision, your body agrees that you're ready, a tremendous feeling of relief washes over you, and you start the quitting process. Once you get past the decision point it's a lot easier, but it's not easy. However it will save your life.
You begin to realize that "job security" is as oxymoronic as "prison rehabilitation." The idea is to REPLACE your employment income, not to abandon it for a life of deprivation. You'll still have income from a pension/401(k)/SS, right? That's at least as secure as your current employment, and much less likely to go through a merger or a round of layoffs. If you want to work part time, then go ahead. You can always quit & retire again.
bob58 said:
Did you want to work part-time, and were you forced to because of your finances.
Don't want to and haven't had to.
One nice aspect of retirement is the opportunity to relax, destress, get some sleep & exercise, and start learning & thinking coherently again (or perhaps for the first time since you entered the workforce). When you're working it's very hard to visualize your retirement life and even harder to make a plan to get from one to the other. But if you have time off you can see what the life is like and make the plan to bridge the gap.
I was offered jobs after retirement, but by then the whole commuting/workplace concept was anathema. The money wasn't worth the price, especially to family harmony. As much as our kid complains bitterly about our eternal presence, she really likes having us around to check up on her every thought & deed when she needs us.
I hope I'll never work for money again, but I know that I can if I have to. There are job opportunities everywhere if you're willing to go part time without benefits.
bob58 said:
I am having one hellava time quitting my high paying stressfull job and saying enough is enough. Help! Bob58
Help is here but you're the only one that can make the decision and complete the process. If the "58" implies that you're only a year away, then visualize your new life in 2006 and try to decide what has to be done between now & then... and go do it.
One big help to those considering retirement has been to take some time off. Two weeks is an absolute minimum, four is better, and six is great. Don't travel the world or rebuild your house or "stay in touch with the office" or try to complete the great American project. Just relax, get plenty of naps & exercise, and try to live a life without the workplace or lots of To Do lists. Pretend that you're not going back and that your replacements are just going to have to learn how to run the office without you. After a couple weeks you'll start realizing what kind of life you want. You'll find it a lot easier to finish the financial planning and make the personal transition. Aided, of course, by over 1600 assistants on this board...