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Retirement Sucks

By Thom | February 22, 2008

Why you need to start planning a mini-retirement now…

I think that I first heard about this “retirement bashing” when I was listening to Brian Johnson talk on Zaadz.com. It went something like: “Ditch the cube – Why work in a job that you hate for the next 35 years, for someone you don’t like, in a place that isn’t healthy for you, with little time and fun in your life, so that you can spend the other “good” parts of your precious time on this planet, hanging out in Florida?” Once I thought about it, I thought – O’man I’m never going to retire, I’m going to be working until I hit the grave… – Well, recently I was reading “The Four Hour Work Week” by Timothy Farris, and he simply states: stop hanging out at your job so much, and enjoy your life on this planet NOW, NOT IN 35 YEARS!

I’m a striver and a conqueror – I love to start working at one place, or one thing, and laterally deviate towards other jobs. Right now I work as a lifeguard, personal trainer, front desk staff, yoga instructor, and run the special events. Basically any hours that I can get, I steal; ruthlessly. I’m not an 8 to 5 kind of guy. Napolean did the same thing – set a goal and eat the thing for breakfast. But Why… Why… Why????

I’ll tell you why. So I can “retire” this summer. What??

Because I want to take the summer off… yep, that’s right, I want to just hang out this summer, go on my motorcycle trips and relax. I’m a twenty-two year old retiree. No job, no class, no time rules – other than I start school in September. That’s my only deadline for the entire summer.

So you say: “That’s great Thom, good for you, but you’re a college student living on a small income and you naturally have the summer off to do what you want.” I say – SO DO YOU!!! People thought I was crazy last year when I stopped working and took the month of August off to travel the U.S. on my motorcycle. Unless you are legally bound to working your job (doubtful), you don’t have to – right now you are CHOOSING to work your job. Most jobs have periods of downtime throughout the year, so take that part off – sales get slow in July – get out of the office! If you can, work outside the office. We live in such a connected word that a laptop and a phone can get 80% of the work you need to get done. That other 20% can get done during one day in the office! What would it take for your to convince your boss that you would be more productive after coming back from your mini-retirement. Why is that people in Europe are given several more weeks off per year than Americans – yet are most likely more productive AND live longer? Do you think it’s because you need to recharge your batteries every once in a while, and 1 week here and 1 week there, just isn’t enough?

A great mentor of mine, during my physical training, aways states: Approach your rest days with the ruthless vigor of your training days. – This means when you have a day off – like this coming Saturday, TAKE THE DAY OFF, ditch the work phone/email and resist the urge! Schedule some YOU time. DON’T ACCEPT THE WORLD THAT YOU LIVE IN RIGHT NOW AS THE ONLY WAY! Remember: you teach people how to treat you. If you allow your coworker to call you up on your day off to talk pointlessly… he or she is going to do it! Don’t think that you are being mean – just teach, teach, teach.

Deviate, move, change, switch, stop, start, jump, go forward, go back – just THINK about changing it up! What do you do for “life” is much different than what you do for a “living.”

Start soon and never look back…

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