Well... Piss on it

Think I’ll retire tomorrow this is the way

https://www.reuters.com/business/fi...nt-launch-lunar-mission-next-year-2021-05-09/

When I was 62 I decided to retire and move interstate to where most of our kids and grandkids were living. I loved the job I had and was proud of what my organisation had achieved, but it felt like time to take a new direction in life.

On the threshold of leaving, a friend told me about a vacant CEO job in my destination city. He told me that it had lots of challenges, and that was enough to entice me into one last fling.

Big mistake. After the previous twelve years of working with lots of freedom under a strong and supportive board, I thought I could handle anything the new job threw at me. It was a reasonably large ($55m annual turnover) not-for-profit community service organisation that operated as a business under the auspices of a national church.

The national church appointed the board, while the service reported to a separate national business arm of the same church. What I soon discovered was that the business arm seemed to be in constant conflict with the church leadership, and the conflict rippled all the way down. I thought I could negotiate and resolve almost any set of problems, but after a year of constant stress and not a single outcome I could be proud of, I resigned. This time it really was retirement.

I regret the year I spent in the swamp, but I still recall the wonderful feeling of weight coming off my shoulders on my first day of retirement.

Had a few fits and starts consulting. Did a few conferences. A few calls came in to see if I wanted another Director slot. Then Covid saved me from all that temptation.

@Fritz

Congrats on your decision, and for showing that life is worth living, and one can still build a future even when you're not 18 yo.

We, my partner and I, are somehow and somewhere on a similar situation, crossroads.

We, both, worked in financial services sector, starting young. I decided to call it quit 10 years ago (very early midlife crisis lol) and launched our Bed and Breakfast.

We had bought a house, a few before that, that needed a lot of renovation, and it was a good excuse and opportunity to do something nice with it, and for me to stop worrying about Excel sheets and PowerPoint presentation, internal egos, "sense of urgency", all the corporate crap basically.

(I still something read some old emails sent by management and HR, and I'm wondering... The f$*k are they talking about? Just get straight to the point, if any. So much BS to "empower" people, to sugarcoat a difficult decision etc...sorry I'm diverging)

It also allowed us to find a nice balance in our relationship.

Fast forward 10 years, to nowadays, my partner has decided to also call it quit and recycle himself into woodcrafting! He has been going to class for 3 years to get his diploma in July, so he can officially launch his business at the age of 50!

Obviously, it is something he had always like, and was already quite good at it previously, having build many cupboard, doorframes etc at friend's and here in the house.

So our mindset is that for the last 15 years of his working time before any official retirement, he will be doing his passion, be happier, having a healthier stress... It obviously means risks to start a new business, less money in the bank most probably, but we will be happier all together doing things we like.

We both don't regret our corporate time during our younger years, when it was still the "good years" to travel for business (business class trips, fancy hotels etc), well paid, loads of experience that have and will contribute to the new chapter in our life.

So I fully understand you, and even it is not relevant to you, encourage and support you in your decision and new adventures.

Good luck to you, and bravo!!

Nearly a topic for its own thread - but maybe better not...

My own favourite was project boards, where we would divert time and effort from the job in hand into receiving "challenge and support" from our supposed betters. One totally unnecessary, the other completely absent, IIRC!

Congratulations and enjoy.

my wife was recently promoted to partner at EY so I decided accounting/ audit was no longer for me. The last few years I really started to just absolutely hate audit. I took some time off to focus on my happiness and well-being. I’ve always enjoyed working out at the gym but never saw true results. I now lost 13 lbs and can actually see results of my hard work in the gym. I also do part time work for now just to keep a little busy but it’s easy stress free work. I can drop my kids off at school and pick them up.

the extra time is spent focusing on what I want to do next in my career that won’t put this knot in my stomach every time I walk into an office or log into my computer. I have some things coming up that I’m excited and looking forward to. I am blessed that my wife is a tireless and bright person that her hard work allows me to find my happiness in my career. Without her I wouldn’t have these opportunities.

I enjoy working so I’m not sure that I will ever fully retire, but my retirement job will not be land based. Sea kayaking and/or sailing instructor sounds appealing. 😀

This is true and precisely why I don’t mind if my watches are running slow...

Tonight I go for an MRI on my left shoulder which I injured rollerblading back in the late 90s. I never got it repaired because the docs said it was 50/50 and I Was Too Into My Career! Literally got onto a plane the day after the fall and came home with a frozen shoulder. I’ve suffered it going out from time to time over the years, last was three weeks ago in Zion when I slipped in some sandy boulders. As I met with the docs last Friday, I reflected on how f...ing stupid that decision was. Funny how retiring causes a review of ones priorities.