Originally posted on Facebook HERE
The Fisherman and the Businessman is a parable I think about a lot. I often use it when I give a talk as well. If you’re unfamiliar with it I’ll post it below. Not a bad idea to read it before moving on with today’s post. It’s got a great message about working and striving for more. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with working and striving for more, actually — as long as you love it. Of course if you love it, it won’t feel like work. Did The Rolling Stones really need to release an album and do a tour when they had band members in their 80s? I would think not, but… it’s who they are. When you love what you do, you just keep doing it, right? Unless you work in an industry that has a mandatory retirement age, there is nothing stopping you from working your entire life. I think sometimes people will continue working for what they see as the payout at the end, though. I’ve seen people work jobs they hate and keep doing it just to get to a point where they have enough years in to get a pension payout that will allow them to retire. Or they’re shooting for a net worth goal. Or they’ll work to age 65 just to keep the health insurance benefits provided from work before qualifying for Medicare. In some cases, the goals I just described are necessities. But we get so caught up in our own little worlds that we often don’t see we have other options available. Sometimes, the goal we seek is available today even if we’d just stop and look. I’ve really been noticing as I age that my body, which never was extremely flexible, is getting less and less flexible over time. Yoga poses that came easy to me five years ago aren’t so easy anymore. I think it happens to our minds, too. As we age we settle into what we believe and aren’t as open to new possibilities as we were when we were younger, or just starting a new job, business or project. You find what you like and stick with it. But things change. Ask Blockbuster. MySpace. Kodak. You get the picture (pun intended). What happened to those companies can happen to us as well. A job we once loved can become a chore. Management can change. You can be moved to a different department, or a different location, and all of a sudden you can’t stand going in anymore. But — only five more years to get that pension, or hit that goal, or get to Medicare age… is it worth it? Only you can make that decision. Would you work a job you hate for five years just to get to the end game you’re looking for? Or would you seriously consider other options? It depends on what you see for yourself. If you can’t see yourself doing anything else, you are basically Blockbuster in human skin. There are always other options. And at some point, you might realize — maybe after a great day fishing, playing with your kids and/or grandkids, and hanging out with your friends — that… hey, I’m in a position where I don’t need all the stress from work anymore. I could do this everyday if I wanted to. Then the only reason to continue working is because you love it. You’re The Rolling Stones in that case. Better to be The Rolling Stones than Blockbuster IMO… And I’ve been at that point in life for a while now. I could retire. I’ve had several offers to buy out my business. I’ve turned them all down. Because I love what I do, I feel like we make a difference in the lives of others, and I’m not ready to move on. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready, but I know today isn’t that day. If and when that day comes, I have many things I like to do to fill my days with though. And one concept I’ve always lived by — once it becomes a chore to head into work, it’s not worth it anymore. Find something else. I walked away from music for two years because once I got clean the bar atmosphere wasn’t where I wanted to be. Years later, I walked away from sales to get back into music — same situation in reverse. And the jobs I’ve had since then — Realtor and, to this day — Financial Advisor, I love(d) them both. Stay open to new ideas. Head on a swivel. Remember — you’re The Rolling Stones, not Blockbuster 🙂
