Pretty Much Retired

I like to say that I am Pretty Much Retired (PMR). In some ways that is the biggest whopper I have ever told, but it's also absolute truth.

It's a whopper because I often work dawn to dusk and beyond. Even when I'm not working, my mind is never far from it. My phone and my computer or iPad are always close at hand and if a phone call doesn't interrupt me, an email probably will. I'm "on" all the time.

On the other hand..

After so many years of doing this, most of what I do is a well oiled machine. I have to tend to it, make sure all the gears are meshing, but a lot of it just runs by itself. I'm "working", but most of it it is pretty easy. I can do it almost absent-mindedly.

More importantly, mostly I can do it when I want. I have no fixed schedule most days, no deadlines. If I want to go for a walk, I do. If I want to go play Scrabble on-line for an hour, I can.

Finally, I like my work. I enjoy it. I look forward to it. A lot of what I do involves helping people solve problems. That's rewarding and satisfying. I often get to see direct and tangible results. I see people made happy because of my work. That feels good.

I like the freedom to choose, too. I've always been somewhat fussy about the kind of work I will do and the people I will do it for. I'll accept some stress - stressful work is usually what pays the best - but I won't take on a lot of it. I like a challenge, but some challenges are just too far beyond my abilities. I turn those down. I don't work for unpleasant people either.

There's a story that goes with that. I often pass work to other people when I'm too busy or if I think they can do a better job than I can. I had passed several small jobs to a local kid who was just starting up his business and had called him to give him another. "Your customers are all so NICE", he gushed.

Well, yeah, they are. That is simply because if they aren't nice, they stop being my customers. Life is trouble enough as it is without putting up with jerks and nasty people.

I talk about this stuff now and then and sometimes someone will say "You are lucky".

Yeah, maybe. But a lot of it wasn't luck. It was years of hard work and planning. I forget who said "Successful people make their own luck", but there is truth in that. The other one I remember is "Luck favors prepared people". That's also very true.

Sure, bad luck can ruin all your hard work and there certainly are people who got whatever they have purely through luck. So, yeah, I'm "lucky", or at least the bad luck I've had hasn't been bad enough to put me down. This recent recession hurt; my income is down 40%, but the machine is still running,

You can be "lucky" too. With just a little bit of luck, a bit of hard work, and a lot of keeping your eyes on your goals, you can get to where ever you want to be.

But: you can't sit around waiting for something to fall in your lap. You have to plan, and scheme, and work toward your goals. You have to see set backs as opportunities to learn. When things go bad, you have to shrug your shoulders and keep on trudging.

Abject failure is aways possible. I had business failures before this business. Even though this effort has been running along well for many years now, I've had some things that came uncomfortably close to putting me out of business. I got through them, and I'm still here, but it might not have turned out that way. But one thing is for sure: if I hadn't worked and schemed and planned, if I hadn't kept moving toward my goals, it never would have happened.

Luck favors prepared people, so be prepared.

Living the life

By the way, five years ago we moved to an over 55 retirement community. We love it here. Yes, I still work, but most of it is right from my living room, so living in a resort-like community is very nice!

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