March 26, 2010

5 career facts you gotta know: Facts 5



This is the last of 5 facts I’m presenting to business owners and working folk on May 14.

Fact No 5: Retirement? Really?



The myth goes… Work hard, salt away money. Because… retirement will make it all worth it.

The fact is, retirement may not resemble the idyllic existence those commercials portray. The fact is, your retirement won’t be rife with fun-filled days lolly-gagging on a beach, warm tropical breezes on the 18th green, or romantic sunsets as you quaff Dom from your sailboat’s foredeck.

The fact is, you really won’t be doing any of that. At least not always. At least not even semi-regularly. The fact is, no matter how tidy your retirement fund, you’ll probably spend a lot of time at home. The fact is, retirement may see you wondering what to with those long, repetitive days. Don’t believe it? Ask Michael Schumacher.

The fact is, those bucolic depictions are a fabrication—a marketing program. The fact is, retirement is a myth. The fact is, if you don’t now have an itch for travel, a yen for golf, or the jones for sailing, there’s an even lesser chance that you will in 20 or 30 years. And the fact is, many people are too young for retirement, ending up, quite simply, bored.

The fact is, if you hate your job, not having to punch in every day will be the best thing about retirement. The opposite fact is, if you love your career, your retirement will mean a loss of identity, responsibility and accomplishment—resulting in you padding around in your kitchen, striving for a more efficient strategy for stocking the dishwasher.

The new reality is, don’t call it retirement. Call it a career change—a chance to finally, and once-and-for-all, do what you love doing.  And, if you do find something you love, if you do find your vocation—your calling—(as described in Fact 4), chances are you’ll end up earning income at it too.

The new reality, therefore, is this; if you agree with the above, if you agree it’s a career change—and not retirement—then why wait? Why wait until you’re 58 or 60 or 65 to finally do what you love? If you agree to call it a career change—and not retirement—why not change now? (And if this idea sounds improbable, might I suggest you revisit Fact 2?). If you do make that change, you’ll then begin to see life as a series of never-ending, meaningful careers. You’ll see it as an experience where work feels like play. And you’ll then see each morning as an introduction to a life of retired non-retirement—where, every day,  you’re doing exactly what you love doing.

Case study: Michael Schumacher, the winningest driver in Grand Prix history, retired four years ago at the age of 37. Citing that Formula 1 had become a sport for young, testosterone-laced jocks, he declared being doubtful about his aging instincts. After 4 years in humdrum retirement, he returned, this year, to his calling—to a sport where many of his competitors are half his age.

Harland (Colonel) Saunders only started to build his franchise at the age of 65. Ten years later, Saunders moved to Ontario to oversee his Canadian franchises, and to make continued public appearances.

Les Paul, jazz guitarist and father of the solid-body electric guitar, was a lifelong musician and a tireless innovator. Well into his 90s, Paul continued gigging. In 2006, at the age of 90, he won an unprecedented 2 Grammies for a just-released jazz album.

People. Regular people, deciding to pursue their passion. That’s what this is about. And my sincerest wish is that these 5 facts you gotta know do inspire you to seek out your true calling.

Let me leave you with two more items… If you’re thinking, oh sure it’s easy for you to say, you probably caught all the lucky breaks… then please read this post..

And last, please click on the image below for an inspirational trailer that illustrates how some folk used a catastrophic event to find their true calling:



More on this: This blog has quite a number of posts on retirement. This post called A “way better” retirement strategy details some of what you read here, while this post takes a somewhat tongue-in-cheek view of the retirement thing.

Yesterday: You want fans

Suggestions? Ideas? Questions? Please post a comment.

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March 20, 2010

5 facts about your career



Here it is then. Here’s an outline of that half-day discussion I’ll be having with Halifax business owners, managers—working folk. Remember? I mentioned it before that I was invited there, and I also mentioned that I’d appreciate reading any comments you’d be kind enough to provide.

And so, with no further preamble, no unnecessary illumination, here are 5 Career Facts You Gotta Know:

  1. It’s what you think, not what you do, that’s important
  2. You can do it
  3. You want fans
  4. It’s not about money
  5. Retirement is a myth

Rather than explaining all 5 items in one post, I thought I’d briefly elaborate on one per day. Given that I also discuss these 5 facts elsewhere on this blog, I’m also providing a link to those previous posts. Does that sound OK to you? Alrighty then. Let’s get going. Here’s Item 1:


Fact No 1: It’s what you think, not what you do, that’s important


The myth goes… If you always do the right things, you will always get positive, successful results.

The fact is, there’s more to it than that. Have you ever heard the expression, going through the motions? Seems to me that whoever coined that phrase was onto something. Whoever coined that phrase was suggesting it takes more than mere doing.

It takes belief and commitment.  It takes conviction, passion and the feeling that you’re doing the right thing. If you don’t have any of that, then you’re just going through the motions. Whether you’re running a business, leading a department or just getting started in your career, remember that success takes more than Following 12 Proven, Effective Management Steps, it takes more than Assuming 10 Tried-and-True Habits. It takes the right mindset, positive thinking, and an unflagging, deeply-ingrained belief in what it is you’re going to accomplish.

Case study: I love the guitar. I love playing guitar, and I look forward to my Monday evening classical guitar lessons. Over the years, I’d often play a piece for my teacher—my timing dead on, my notes precise. After I’d finish, my teacher would shake his head, and say, “No, you’re not quite there yet.”

What? Why? The notes were right, the beat was right.

The issue, though, was that I was going trough the motions. Yes, I was playing it correctly, but I wasn’t revealing, whatsoever, the passion, the phrasing, or the emotion of that piece.

“Play it again,” My teacher would often say, “And this time, make me cry.”

More on this: This post also discusses the topic.

Tomorrow: You can do it

Ideas, suggestions, questions? Please leave a comment.

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March 16, 2010

Are we broken? Can we be fixed?



I read the news today, oh boy…

Yes, John Lennon at his finest.

Unlike Lennon though, my news—this morning—didn’t include a story about a lucky man.

No, plastered in my news, this morning, were voices—forceful, compelling, convincing.

And yet, the voices were confusing and contradictory too. Urgent, cautious and dire in their assessments, their predictions.

You know those voices.

You hear them every day.

They’re the voices telling you; things go better with a Cola.

They’re the voices convincing you; even though you haven’t thought about it, you’d really be happier in a Nova.

They’re the voices urging you; NOW is the time.

NOW is the time to buy stuff—more stuff—bigger and better stuff.

It’s good for the economy.

But.

They’re also the voices telling you; NOW’s the time to think about retirement.

Save for retirement.

Don’t spend, the voices tell you.

Invest.

But have you noticed those same voices—now more formal, now more grave—also telling us to be careful.

Telling us the jig’s up?

Telling us; People, face it, we’re broke.

All of us, broker than broke. Paupers in a pauperdom.

Individuals. Businesses. Government. Broke and barely admitting it.

Yes, those voices say, go ahead, buy, spend, invest, but, please, don’t go into debt.


Memo to voices: can you explain how we’re supposed to do that? Buy all that stuff, spend all that money (so the economy can pick up again), salt away money (for that future la-la land called retirement), all without getting deeper into debt? If we’re broke, and in debt, then how can we do all that? Can you please explain it to me?


Lookit, I’m sorry if this might upset you, distress you.

But it’s in the news and it’s ridiculous.

And besides, it’s not my intention to agitate.

My intention is to offer an option—a way out.

But first, I needed to point out the imponderable landscape—the vacuous, illogical insanity of it all.

The news, so irreconcilable, so inconsistent, tells me the model is broken, kaput. And there aren’t enough of us noticing.

Don’t you see?

The model says work hard, make money, spend, spend, spend.

But remember, the model cautions, to put something away for the future. And remember, too, to stay out of debt (even though you’re already broke).

Other than, that go for it—work, spend, save, stay out of debt.

And then…

Kick back.

Enjoy retirement.

Go on, enjoy it.

It’s all yours. You earned it. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

But what if?

You don’t enjoy retirement?

What if?

You work hard.

For decades, you work hard, maybe at a job that sucks the life right out of you, only to find that…

You don’t enjoy retirement. It’s boring.

What then?

Well, the model provides a solution—offers a recommendation.

Rejoin the workforce.

After all, big-box stores do need greeters.

No? Not your thing?

Volunteer then. Babysit, drive a school bus, keep busy.

Just find something to do, dammit.

….Like I said, illogical insanity. We’re supposed to sacrifice 30 or 40 years doing something we may not enjoy, we’re supposed to be mindful of our finances (all the while trying not get tripped up by the conflicting minefield of debt, investment and disbursement), and we’re then supposed to sail into  the allegorical sunset…

And that’s why I’m invited to Halifax.

Because I disagree with that vision.

Because I’m proposing a rethink.

Offering a new solution.

A solution I’m calling The 5 Myths of a Working Life.

Which I’ll outline in my next post, I promise.

And, by the way, if you’re the impatient type, it’s in the book. What I’m presenting in Halifax is a subset of what’s in my book, The Net Present Value of Life. Obvious plug, I know, but the experts tell me to keep doing that shameless self-promotion stuff (and to not be so damn apologetic about it).

I’m working on it.

And so, what say you? Is the model broken? Let me know what you think. Please leave a comment.

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September 5, 2009

A way-better retirement strategy

Remember, a while back I suggested that I just might have a new, better and novel retirement strategy? Remember that I suggested, I’d provide the details in a follow-up post?

Well, here it is. Here’s my better retirement strategy.

Forget retirement.

No, no, wait! Come back, let me explain.

You’re back? Great, let’s get started.

First off, I want you to think about retirement and, more specifically, I’d like you to think about what you’ll do, post retirement. I ask because, based on my observation (and, believe me, I’ve been observing the sucker for more than four years), most folk view retirement in one of three ways:

1) The chance to finally escape from an unpleasant, stressful (and probably boring) job

2) The opportunity to be on “permanent vacation”

3) The chance to begin pursuing a passion

In all likelihood, those in the last group are the only ones who stand a chance of enjoying retirement (and I’ll explain why in a minute). As for the first two groups? It seems that most in that lot will be in for an unpleasant surprise. That’s because they’re so focused on escaping from their current employment environment, or they have such an unrealistic expectation of what’s awaiting them, that when that magical, supposedly idyllic, retirement arrives, they realize—very quickly—that the retirement reality is nowhere near as great as the the retirement dream.

In a word, I’m describing boredom.

The simple truth is, for many people (but not for all people, I must emphatically point out), retirement is boring.

So what’s the alternative?

Well, an obvious solution is to make sure you align yourself with group number three. That way you’ll, at least, have a plan for what you’ll be doing, all those single days that will make up the rest of your life.

Think about it. Whether you enjoyed the experience or not, that daily employment routine is going to have to be replaced with something else. And watching TV, or visiting the mall, or relaxing in the backyard—each and every day—is not going to cut it. Not by the longest of shots. It’s all going to get real monotonous, real fast.

If you plan, however, on pursuing a passion, I’d say you have a near fighting chance of beating the boredom blues.

And, if you agree with that premise, here then is my way better retirement strategy.

[Beginning of Disclaimer] Do not interpret, in the following public-service message (and/or unsolicited suggestion), that there exists a recommendation that you stop salting money away. It’s always good to have rainy-day money salted away. And here’s the interesting thing, the strategy I am about to describe may actually result in you salting more money away. Why? Simply because you’ll be happier and you thus won’t have to spend money to buy a bunch of stuff that is supposed to make you happier, but which, you soon realize, is just a bunch of useless stuff. After all, isn’t it really all a mistaken belief that such stuff will make you happier anyway?  …But I am getting quite off topic now, and this is starting to look like an editorial (OK, a rant), and not so much like a disclaimer at all. So let’s get back to our regular programming… [End of Disclaimer]

Now, where were we? Ah yes, the way better retirement strategy… Here it is:

Deep-six that anticipated retirement day entirely and find a way to begin pursuing your passion right now. Let me say it again; don’t wait for retirement, just do it (whatever your “it” happens to be) right now.

The idea (and it’s not a new or original idea, I will admit), goes like this; if you did, every day, what you loved doing, wouldn’t you want to keep doing it forever?

I’m thinking; yes.

Now here’s the twist. All you have to do is figure out how to earn an income while doing what you love.

Impossible? No. Difficult? Maybe at first. Requires imagination? Perhaps. Takes commitment? That’s an affirmatory.

And, I know what you’re thinking too.  You’re saying, “I’ve got responsibilities to live up to, bills to pay.” You’re wondering, “How the hell am I supposed to do that—start pursuing my passion, and earn income?”

Well, sorry if this sounds like a cop-out, but I had to write a whole book in order to explain that (and a bunch of other stuff too). But be assured, the strategy is described in the book. And the publisher is now telling me that we should avoid the pre-Christmas rush and the post-Christmas blahs.

So we’re looking at a February 2010 release.  If you’re willing to wait ’till then, be assured that I’m willing to continue blogging–and ranting–until then.

Ranting, after all, is one of the things I do best.

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