I’m in semi-retirement right now and I’m twenty-six. Back in my college town, eating Carolina Mud Pies (double-fudge pie w/fudge on top, á la mode), getting hit on by pizza delivery men and, to anyone but me, perhaps, living the good life. If this is retirement, I’m planning to come out of it.
I am living the good life, but have my eyes open, looking out for the next thing, all the time. And that’s because I’m conditioned to be busy, rushing around buying things and selling them, working and working and…just like you. Filling up my life with lists of all sorts: dreams, groceries, overdue, possibles. This self-imposed hiatus is the best “job” I could be doing right now. It’s forced me to come face to face with me. It’s better than any Buddhist retreat I’ve been on, in terms of coming to know my own mind, because my days are unstructured and meandering. Imagine if I had been doing this for seventy years and then suddenly, I stopped (that’s called retirement, right?)
I quit my job for the first and last time in Japan, in 2003. It was a corporate job that drained me, filled me with dread each day and exploited my talents without challenging me. I still went to work even though I had quit. I mentally said, “I’m through with this job because I hate it.” That was only half the equation, I was to find out later.
The Other Half: How to Become an Entrepreneur Overnight
The other half, I discovered later while reading Die Broke, was to define what I want to do with my life if I had indeed left the corporate world for good. Reading that book opened me up to new possibilities. The four tenets are simple: Quit Today, Pay Cash, Don’t Retire and Die Broke. Without going into too much detail, Stephen M Pollan advocates mentally quitting your job even as you continue to go to work. See your job as just that, something that pays the bills. Do your best while keeping one eye on other opportunities, both within your company and outside of it. The nature of work has changed since the Ford days: your company is no longer loyal to you. Why should you be loyal to it?
I take this one step further in my own life. I encourage people to see themselves as entrepreneurs starting immediately. Regardless of the kind of work in which you engage, you should be networking constantly. If you’re not already a part of LinkedIn, for example, become part of it. Learn the business of You…how to sell yourself. Carry business cards with you at all times of what you’d like to be doing next or see yourself becoming in your next incarnation. Give them to everyone you jive with, kids even.
Another reason I see myself as an entrepreneur and don’t rely on any kind of pension way down the road is that I do my reading. My social security statement came this year. This is straight off the SSA website:
I’m 26 years old. If nothing is done to change Social Security, what can I expect to receive in retirement benefits from the program?
A. Unless changes are made, when you reach age 60 in 2040, benefits for all retirees could be cut by 26 percent and could continue to be reduced every year thereafter. If you lived to be 100 years old in 2080 (which will be more common by then), your scheduled benefits could be reduced by 30 percent from today’s scheduled levels.
The world around us is changing so quickly that I think the one thing we can rely on is that much of what our parents and grandparents held as Universal Truths will melt, even as the glaciers do, around us. It is up to us to find workarounds, hacks and new solutions to the age-old question: how am I going to feed myself and my family? And to dislodge that notion that it boils down to having a good job and steady pay.
Take It From Me, Retirement Isn’t All it’s Cracked Up to Be
If none of the things you’ve heard or read have convinced you that retirement sucks and you’re better off working until the day before you die, let me add my voice to the chorus. Developing my passions has long been a top priority of mine. I officially begin tango lessons this week. I’m meeting with someone tomorrow to start photography tutoring (all those pretty pictures and I have no idea what ISO means). One of my friends told me that it’s like I never left high school. I’m involved in countless “extracurricular activities.” To which I responded, “Makes sense– I think that’s about the only thing I liked about high school.”
Fill your life to the brim with the things you love to do. Keep the student mentality that a multiplicity of interests will get you into a good school. They will. The school is life after retirement. It’s closer than you think, people. Prepare by developing your interests now. If you’re at a loss, let me know and I’ll brainstorm with you. Your kids (and grandkids) will thank you one day.
Gwen, great post. I retired from doing things I dont like to do a long time ago. For the last ten years I have been “semi-retired,” and its be 12-13 since I have had to have a “job” (defined as doing something simply to make money). My advice: dont un-retire, just change your definition.
My grandmother always says: to learn is to live; to achieve is to live better. (Yeah, I always thought it was a little pushy too.)
brilliant. i love the way you think. thanks.
Okay you, I just started taking voice lessons and decided to figure out what ISO and all the other little mechanisms on my Nikon SLR (Single lens Reflex)- I know that part, are all about….we are definitely on the same wavelength… and my father has been asking me most of my life if I am retired or something….:)
Gwen, wonderful post. Well written for sure. This was one of my main reasons to move out to Boulder. Yes, I am still at a 9-5er but it’s not something I do simply to make money. It’s where my passion lies right now and I love it. I do agree with Micah though. You just need to change the way you’re thinking about semi-retired. Cheers!
Great post, Gwen. I’ve got a 9-5 office job right now, but it’s so draining - I think I actually started looking for an exit strategy the day I got the job.
And I love what you’re saying about having a student mentality - that’s the most fun way to live one’s life. Kudos to you.
I pretty much gave up on Social Security more than a decade ago and realized anything I had when I retired would be whatever I earned from investments or saving.
I guess I’m retired now - I needed the break.
muah
This is exactly what I needed to hear. I’m trying to liberate myself from corporate life … and it’s scary! After this post, my manta is going to be be “it pays the bills, but it doesn’t make you who you are.”
Great stuff Gwen, very inspirational. Sign me up to work till I drop, and die broke.
Work need not be a boring chore or a distraction from life. It can be a rewarding and important part of it.
Thank you! I really needed to read this. I am mentally quitting my job today!
You have no idea how much I needed to read something like this - well done! Smooches :)
-E
Job? People still have jobs? You mean the automation of common tasks didn’t yield the boon of free time our ancestors were promised? Shite. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make love to a fertile robot… For reals though, good post, and very encouraging. The “Monday” is a bit tight of a deadline, I like it.
I have been searching for a place to respond to “Stupid White Zen” and stumbled upon this cool blogsite. I want to take more time exploring. I so support the idea the abandoning the big career to create a custom-made alternative (lost on purpose).
About the Zen is Stupid episode, Privilege…I read the Shambhala review you mentioned and I appreciate what the younger buddhist men are writing about. Buddhism is about practice…and engaged action. Yet, where are the second-generation western buddhist women? I have found inspiration in Pema Chodron, Joan Halifax, Victoria Austin, Diana Winston. I would call these women first generation, though. I think it take longer for women to find their way to visibility. There is an element of privilege that is quite helpful when anyone wishes to pursue the dharma. Obtaining the credentials to teach (meditation) and get published requires a lot of time on the cushion in places that cost time and money to attend. Many women tend to spread themselves around creatively. They may not go straight from A to Z. Aimless wandering, marriage (non-marriage), motherhood (non-motherhood), dharma, karma…so much to say about all of this. To be continued at datingthe dharma.com. I like your idea, Gwen. Thanks
Does any one know what the Die Broke model is for asset allocation?
I know I should just buy the book, but I’m feeling cheap.
gwen-
thank you for this post. i loved it so much i had to gush about it, and your fabulous blog and writing in general, on my site. i am now dying to read that book. sounds like an excellent read. glad to hear that things are going well for you. it is a treat to follow along with you as you go.
keep up the great work.