Early-retirement wannabe

Anonymous101

Moby wrote: »

I suppose it's also part of human nature to believe the fantasy that you are part of something bigger and you are 'really valued' when you are young and ambitious. It takes time and experience to realise that really the bottom line is you are an asset to be sweated. Despite this, (I'm on the verge of early retirement as are many on here), I realise it's now important for me to try and make it a positive change rather than one I feel angry or resentful about, because I'm the only one affected if I have a bad exit. I think the best way of doing this is to understand that the corporate crap is not directed at you personally and to make sure you have as much control as is possible over the manner and timing of your exit.

As I've gotten older I view it as a two way street. You want something from them and they want something from you. I find if you view it as a trade where each party is trying to get the best deal for themselves without upsetting the other party too much it goes a long way to making sense of much of what goes on in the workplace.

OldMusicGuy

Bravepants wrote: »

I've spent my career in academia or in civil service, so I've not had the misfortune to work for "The Man" in the corporate world. I've never felt like a wage slave, and at least I'm doing something for the public good and not just making profits for companies and shareholders - although I'm also a shareholder of course, dirty little capitalist scoundrel that I am!

Ah, the world of academia where there's never any back-stabbing between academics, no inter-departmental politics and no overpaid CEOs that seem to get outrageous money compared to the people that actually do the work......;):rotfl: "The Man" is everywhere, and as for those naive musicians that said "stick it to the man," they all happily grabbed "The Man's" money and were happy to be exploited by the music industry (my username tells of past experience in that world).

It's just the way the world works. As long as you are enjoying your job then that's great. There is often a tipping point (like Anonymous 101 said) where you become disillusioned. It generally happens as you get older and if you stay in one job for too long. That's the time either to think about self-employment, starting your own business or retiring! That feeling was a big contributing factor in my decision to retire early.

blisteringblue

bugslet wrote: »

That's pretty much my experience of the last two years, including toys sailing out of the pram. Corporate culture has really wrecked some good firms.

Totally agree. It's a payslip now. I'm actually having great fun being bad and pointing out how their new structure simply doesn't work (see here if remotely interested )

happyandcontented

I think the freedom that comes with not having to work can make you a better employee! You are not constrained other than by politeness! If they are prepared to isten...which, rarely happens.

uk1

Moby wrote: »

I suppose it's also part of human nature to believe the fantasy that you are part of something bigger and you are 'really valued' when you are young and ambitious. It takes time and experience to realise that really the bottom line is you are an asset to be sweated. Despite this, (I'm on the verge of early retirement as are many on here), I realise it's now important for me to try and make it a positive change rather than one I feel angry or resentful about, because I'm the only one affected if I have a bad exit. I think the best way of doing this is to understand that the corporate crap is not directed at you personally and to make sure you have as much control as is possible over the manner and timing of your exit.

I totally agree as long as it becomes a part of an even wider awareness and recognition about the "life experieince" outside of simply the work environment. That awareness should take what for many is quite a leap from a realisation that within the work environment our importance was limited to our tactical value to a realisation that we're also pretty much an ant in wider life generally.

Understanding that the "meaning of life" is that we are here for as long as we are here and that we are therefore obligated to enjoy the experience as much as we are able before it is taken from us. It seems to me that I was only able to make sense of things when I realised that "the meaning of life" is that it has no other meaning at all other than we are here for a while for what can be a really great and wonderful coaster-ride if that is what we make it and we really must make the most of it. Life is what we and who we share it with, make of it.

If you also understand that it is quite difficult for a person to make themselves happy irrespective of the size of their wealth and however much they indulge themselves, but others can make us happy by pretty small things, forexample with the small kind things they say to us and we can make them likewise happy then if we are thoughtful enough and if you are blessed for example, with a happy partnership and are fortunate enough to not to have to worry about the very basic needs of your life, then in my view you have as pretty much a perfect life or "a good life" as Epicurus would describe it as possible. That is why so many people that you see who have made themselves enormously wealthy are suprised to find that having achieved "all that" it didn't make them happy as they had predicted, but sharing their wealth with those at the bottom of the pile does. Making others happy makes us happy and making ourselves happy can often only be done by others however hard we try to make ourselves happy.

I think I have been a little too profound for this thread so I hope I have been forgiven. But a sound life philosophy and the balance it might offer us is as important a part of retirement as having enough cash.

bugslet

blisteringblue wrote: »

Totally agree. It's a payslip now. I'm actually having great fun being bad and pointing out how their new structure simply doesn't work (see here if remotely interested )

I hope the new old role is still working out for you. Are you feeling that you will be staying on for a while longer yet?

happyandcontented wrote: »

I think the freedom that comes with not having to work can make you a better employee! You are not constrained other than by politeness! If they are prepared to isten...which, rarely happens.

Oh yes. I've written some flipping fantastic (if I say so myself;)) explaining my customer's incompetence. Seriously, I make more money by charging them cancellation fees and turning trucks round than I do by actually delivering the product.

uk1 wrote: »

Understanding that the "meaning of life" is that we are here for as long as we are here and that we are therefore obligated to enjoy the experience as much as we are able before it is taken from us. It seems to me that I was only able to make sense of things when I realised that "the meaning of life" is that it has no other meaning at all other than we are here for a while for what can be a really great and wonderful coaster-ride if that is what we make it and we really must make the most of it. Life is what we and who we share it with, make of it.

If you also understand that it is quite difficult for a person to make themselves happy irrespective of the size of their wealth and however much they indulge themselves, but others can make us happy by pretty small things, forexample with the small kind things they say to us and we can make them likewise happy then if we are thoughtful enough and if you are blessed for example, with a happy partnership and are fortunate enough to not to have to worry about the very basic needs of your life, then in my view you have as pretty much a perfect life or "a good life" as Epicurus would describe it as possible. That is why so many people that you see who have made themselves enormously wealthy are suprised to find that having achieved "all that" it didn't make them happy as they had predicted, but sharing their wealth with those at the bottom of the pile does. Making others happy makes us happy and making ourselves happy can often only be done by others however hard we try to make ourselves happy.

I think I have been a little too profound for this thread so I hope I have been forgiven. But a sound life philosophy and the balance it might offer us is as important a part of retirement as having enough cash.

Good post and very much in line with my thinking. I have a couple of philosophies in life, one of which is that the meaning of life is to arrive at the end having harmed no one.

The other FWIW is, to deal with what is and not the way you want things to be, which applies to your love life as well as working life and all things in between.

When I finally come to finishing the business, the thing I will be most proud of is that I created a firm where the employees were happy. They keep telling me so and that it's the best place they have ever worked at. I was genuinely touched when I rang/spoke to all of them yesterday to tell them the Company was finishing and that so many of them said they understood my reasons completely.

uk1

bugslet wrote: »

Seriously, I make more money by charging them cancellation fees and turning trucks round than I do by actually delivering the product.

One of the things I learned was never say "no" to a client, because it only irritates them.

What I learned was if you don't want to do something tell the client your reservations, quote an eye-watering price in the hope that they will not proceed, but either way they will understand that you "must be good because you charge so much" and were candid and honest about the risk of success. Then if they decide to proceed, remind them that the full fee get's charged irrespective of the outcome.

Like you I made seriously more profit doing stuff I didn't want to do than I did the successful stuff.

bugslet

uk1 wrote: »

One of the things I learned was never say "no" to a client, because it only irritates them.

What I learned was if you don't want to do something tell the client your reservations, quote an eye-watering price in the hope that they will not proceed, but either way they will understand that you "must be good because you charge so much" and were candid and honest about the risk of success. Then if they decide to proceed, remind them that the full fee get's charged irrespective of the outcome.

Like you I made seriously more profit doing stuff I didn't want to do than I did the successful stuff.

The answer has always yes, even if I didn't have a clue how I was going to do the job!

It's their mess ups that drive me nuts. last week I had two trucks heading for Italy, got half way there and had to turn them back round because no-one had actually asked the customer if they were ready for the goods. It's literally a daily occurrance that something stupid happens. I've tried telling them, really I have!

blisteringblue

bugslet wrote: »

I hope the new old role is still working out for you. Are you feeling that you will be staying on for a while longer yet?

Undecided if the right role comes up I will likely jump ship. IT as a whole is really suffering, if they put it right as I am suggesting I will probably stay, but its a toss up.

End of the day I have 4 working years to go, I want them to be at least enjoyable. I don't mind hard work, its served me well for my working career but I do need to enjoy it. At the moment its pretty toxic.

Marine_life

Some interesting points being discussed on the thread.

uk1 wrote: »

If you also understand that it is quite difficult for a person to make themselves happy irrespective of the size of their wealth

I believe you're talking about the law of 'diminishing marginal utility' (which appeals to me as an economist ). that is the additional value derived declines as we consume more (think cars or houses) and can even become negative (think Mars bars). But there's more to it than simply consumption, it about what I would call the 'effort to achieve'. Which means that if you have to scrimp and save to buy something (and I am not just talking paying the rent or putting food on the table) then there will be far more satisfaction ('utility') than if it's easy to come by. Essentially combining thre laws of utility and scarcity.

Its probably why we so often hear of lottery winners being unhappy.