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I learned that the barber (owner of shop) where I get my hair cut has invested in real estate since 25 (he's about 60 now). During those 35 years, he bought 5 apartment complexes and they are all paid off now so he's just raking in the dough. I was so shocked to hear that and congratulated him. I then asked him why the heck he was still working cutting hair. He told me he would be bored sitting at home doing nothing.
Then I read somewhere that people who retire are more likely to die sooner than those who continue to work. The reasons why that might be vary. Maybe because they're not as active anymore so it's easy to get sicker or maybe no purpose, no social contact, etc.
I think work is important. It gets too much of a dirty rap. Work keeps us active, helps us serve others, gets us outside ourselves.
I think the biggest trap of retirement is that the whole "I'm going to live just for me and do whatever I want to pleasure myself because I earned it slaving away at a job I hate for 40 years". That seems overrated in the long run. Yeah, it feels great for a couple of months, but I can see how it's easy to get bored. People have all these grandiose plans but when you do all that, now what? It seems kind of silly that the purpose of our lives is to work at jobs we hate for the majority of our lives and then for a small fraction of our lives "do nothing" or do whatever pleases us. Seems like kind of a waste.
So maybe people approach retirement wrong.
Maybe the right way is to continue working in some capacity, whether through volunteering or a part time paid job you enjoy, or your own side business, etc. and of course, take some initial time to do things that you always wanted to do.
Retired people seem to toot the "I get to do anything I want, me me me, screw work, it's all about leisure, I feel sorry for people who have to work" horn too much but the more I think about it, the more I think that kind of life seems to be overrated and maybe even harmful in the long run.
I think its different for different people. I think perhaps just the statement about he would be bored to death if he retired says more about him really.Doesn't take much read on this forum to see not many agree with your friend.
Things may look quite different to you when you reach the age where you're ready to stop working.
Maybe because you used the word "overrated" but your post brought back memories of my son when he was 12 and he announced that dating was overrated. And he proceeded to make a very logical argument why he intended to avoid it. Three years later he reached the age when he was ready to start dating. Things then looked different to him (even though the arguments were still just as logical).
Things may look quite different to you when you reach the age where you're ready to stop working.
Maybe because you used the word "overrated" but your post brought back memories of my son when he was 12 and he announced that dating was overrated. And he proceeded to make a very logical argument why he intended to avoid it. Three years later he reached the age when he was ready to start dating. Things then looked different to him (even though the arguments were still just as logical).
True. I was just basing the overrated observation with the actions of my barber who has already reached that age when he could stop working and where money isn't even hardly an issue for him anymore.
My father's friend too has said he was going to retire 3 times already, but he keeps on postponing it. He likes his job too much and wants to keep on doing it.
I used to think retirement would be this grand time where I can do "absolutely nothing" and it would be everything I thought it would be (like that guy from Office space said) or I would travel the world, wake up late, enjoy my coffee, read the paper, do whatever I want, whenever, but I'm beginning to think that's a mirage and not as cracked up as it seems to be.
True. I was just basing the overrated observation with the actions of my barber who has already reached that age when he could stop working and where money isn't even hardly an issue for him anymore.
My father's friend too has said he was going to retire 3 times already, but he keeps on postponing it. He likes his job too much and wants to keep on doing it.
I used to think retirement would be this grand time where I can do "absolutely nothing" and it would be everything I thought it would be (like that guy from Office space said) or I would travel the world, wake up late, enjoy my coffee, read the paper, do whatever I want, whenever, but I'm beginning to think that's a mirage and not as cracked up as it seems to be.
As it has been said before and will be said again. Retirement is a individual process and not a group process. How it plays out is individual.
Why would you base if you want to retire by what a few you see or what they say. Its your life ;decide for yourself. I would have done alot in my life that I would hate not to have if I lived it by what others said or what I observed of their lifes.Life ;IMO ;isn't a series of lines you get into that you are doomed to because others see nothing else to do but get in line and stay there.
To see the problem with this argument, try the substitution trick. Try making the same argument but substituting the word "cherry pie" for retirement. You would have:
I used to think I would like cherry pie. However, my barber does not see any reason to try cherry pie. He is happy not eating cherry pie. Therefore cherry pie is overrated.
In other words, some people never want to stop working--and I'm happy for them, but it doesn't mean retirement in general is overrated. It just means he is a person who is happy working. We all find happiness in different places, and if you;ve found something that makes you happy by all means do it for as long as you can.
To see the problem with this argument, try the substitution trick. Try making the same argument but substituting the word "cherry pie" for retirement. You would have:
I used to think I would like cherry pie. However, my barber does not see any reason to try cherry pie. He is happy not eating cherry pie. Therefore cherry pie is overrated.
In other words, some people never want to stop working--and I'm happy for them, but it doesn't mean retirement in general is overrated. It just means he is a person who is happy working. We all find happiness in different places, and if you;ve found something that makes you happy by all means do it for as long as you can.
Funny thing is I read this after coming from the beach and having a nice long shower. I had to say What the hay!
Funny thing is I read this after coming from the beach and having a nice long shower. I had to say What the hay!
LOL Hey, you know what "taking a shower" works even better than "cherry pie". Try it:
"I used to want to take a nice long shower. But my barber doesn't like to take showers. Therefore taking a shower is overrated."
OK OK enough with the substitution game. I'm now thinking about Saturday mornings at the beach. Ahhhh.... brings back memories. The only thing better than Saturday at the beach is Monday mornings at the beach. I remember the days of being able to walk on a beach every day. Never got tired of it.
LOL Hey, you know what "taking a shower" works even better than "cherry pie". Try it:
"I used to want to take a nice long shower. But my barber doesn't like to take showers. Therefore taking a shower is overrated."
OK OK enough with the substitution game. I'm now thinking about Saturday mornings at the beach. Ahhhh.... brings back memories. The only thing better than Saturday at the beach is Monday mornings at the beach. I remember the days of being able to walk on a beach every day. Never got tired of it.
I am giddy with excitement because tourist season is about to end and it will be just residents mostly and no crowds and a couple more months of awesome weather.
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