Monday, 3 July 2017

What will you do AFTER retirement?


People who ask such questions are frequently the same person who use "work" to avoid the unpleasant task of figuring out the reason why they get up in the morining (ikigai).

Its not "work" - if you enjoy what you do.

Why stop if its stil fun and giving you a sense of purpose and self actuallisation satisfaction?

Perhaps that's why Warren Buffett, Li Ka-shin, Lao Lee, never retired?

Eh, don't say Li Ka-shin will be retiring next year. "Retiring" at age 90 is not retirement OK?



No need to look up.

Just look around you.

Can you spot some plain vanilla seniors in their 70s and 80s loving what they do so much they still continue to do what they like despite the paycuts and job title demotions?

They are definitely not working because they "have to"; or using "work" as the perfect tool of denial (too busy to think mah!) that they haven't figure out why they get up in the moring...



You know why corporations have grey grey fuzzy fuzzy Visions and Misson Statements before more concrete and SMART business goals?

Concrete goal setting is like climbing a ladder - the rungs representing the various milestones before you reach the top of the ladder.

However, shit happens when you discover at the top and after reaching your goal, that your ladder has been leaning against the wrong wall...

Argh!!!

Maybe that's why we have mid-life crisis?

Some woke up one morning and realised they no longer wish to spend the rest of their lives with the woman or man sleeping next to them...

Some found out the same job that nourished and inspired them yesterday no longer motivates...



Want to have a bit of fun learning to read people?

Next time you see friends or bloggers with manifestos to be financially free by age 35, see if you can spot those who are trying to "escape", and who are seeking to "achieve"?



Tip: Those who seek to "achieve" are the ones who have figured out which wall to lean their ladder against first ;)








P.S.  If you need a listening ear to your ikigai questions, just jio me out for kopi.

As a man-whore, professional ethics dictate I won't spill the beans on you. Who dares go to a prostitute who sleep and tell on clients?

Many have asked precision questions like how much money they need to retire...

How many will spend time figuring out why they get up in the morning in the first place?

Any people wonder why after achieving their goals, and having loads of money, still do not make them happy...







Posted by Singapore Man of Leisure at 11:06
My interests ,

28 comments:

  1. Jes3 July 2017 at 12:14

    Hi Jared,

    Wah, first time I am first to leave a comment! Anyway, very true. I see zombies every morning, struggling to wake up, faking illness, waiting for time to hit 5pm. I think it's real waste of time and their lives. On the other hand, I see retirees who stay at home every day, watch TV and have nothing better to do, it's not exactly the 'retirement' I have in mind. For me, to find a job I like to work on till old age is the best situation.

    What is your ideal 'retirement' then? What motivates you to wake up in the morning?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure3 July 2017 at 13:08

      Jes,

      There's a first for everything!

      I'm not surprised. This kind of philosophical post will appeal more to women and men with a song or book in their hearts ;)

      It's words; not numbers.



      1) I am living my ideal "sabbatical from fulltime work" NOW ;)

      You and I are the same. We are BOTH living in the NOW.

      We are not living in the FUTURE with: When I have achieved this and that, then I'll do... LOL!


      2) Why do I wake up in the morning? The joy of breathing!
      In, out. In, out :)

      How many are conscious of their breaths?

      (Of course I'm speaking in metaphor)

      Delete
  2. B3 July 2017 at 14:22

    Hi SMOL

    Good post there.

    It's hard to envision that in the past for me because it's a lot blurrer when there are financial matters that are involved but as it comes along the blurred gets clearer along the way.

    Definitely I will be looking forward to the day when every morning is worth its own calls :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure3 July 2017 at 16:24

      B,

      When you wrote your post about understanding your dad better, there and then I knew you got it ;)

      Now that you are a dad too, everything will get clearer and clearer why you get up in the morning :)


      P.S. The test of your ikigai is when your wife becomes more successful than you...

      Funny during our mothers' time no one asked housewives what they intend to do from age 35 to 90?

      But when a man retires at age 35, we get such questions?

      The questioner is not intereted in what we do.

      They are more interested in what "labels" to call themselves when they can no longer address themselves as Manager, Doctor, Engineer, Generalissimo, or Master of the Universe ;)



      Delete
  3. CreateWealth88883 July 2017 at 15:40

    Hmm .. no reason to wake up but naturally. So how?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure3 July 2017 at 16:29

      CW,

      Then go wash face and brush your teeth lor!

      Eh! Don't jio me for kopi without doing the above OK?


      Delete
  4. STE3 July 2017 at 16:22

    Hi SMOL,,
    Yes! Good point to ponder over about life after big " R" ...for me... is time to catch Pokémon " ,,, hahaha ,,kidding...I don't think any retiree will just spending time watching tv drama or doing nothing after retirement,,,one will need to hv something to kill time and keep u busy ,,,for my case,,, I have been acting like " kakak Siti" taking care of my two kids ,,,doing housework,,, running errands ,,,, doing more exercise...writing blog if I like ,,,,that will really keep me busy throughout the day.
    Well.. why I choose to " R" ? ... as u said ,, ,,two S ,,, " stress n suck " ,,, hahaha..
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure3 July 2017 at 16:52

      STE,

      Lucky I got some "cultivation". If not I would be so jealous and full of envy looking at your Facebook posts! LOL!

      You lucky man!


      Don't say don't have. You must be living in newer HDB estate. Come to older HDB heartlands like Queenstown and spot how many old retirees sitting near the market staring into space...

      Then there are those seniors with money but children and friends all working - so uncles make frequent "excursions" up North to Bangkok or South to Batam to "meet new friends"; bored aunties go visit football clubs to play with their "one-handed best friend forever" who got time for them...


      If working our lives are empty, I don't think miraculously the emptiness will go away just because we are retired or financially free.

      Of course got money can buy "activities" to numb and make us forget the hole in our hearts.

      Temporarily.

      Until the morning comes...








      Delete
  5. Unintelligent Nerd3 July 2017 at 19:31

    Hi SMOL,

    Dangerous to say "Agnostics like me don't have this "luxury"

    Later our friend present Pascal's Wager to you then you know!

    ReplyDelete
  6. cookie3 July 2017 at 21:31

    hi
    don't work cannot lar.
    personally i tried only to work 2 days a week then found its not a wise thing to do. work-weekend feeling all went topsy turvy. feels strange when walking around the streets to find pple rushing for work.
    you are right, lots of older pple sitting around in older estates like telok blangah rise, henderson road, jalan kukor, chinatown staring at pple, doing nothing, perhaps just complaining about everything from government to their family.
    by choice or not by choice i don't know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure3 July 2017 at 22:46

      Ang gong gong,

      I love the confused look people have when I tell them Mondays to Fridays I "work" (by not working); while weekends are my days off (when I go to work).

      LOL!


      I suspect parents of young children and/or aged parents may concur with me ;)

      I'm so glad my parents gave me siblings! LOL!





      Delete
    2. Unknown5 July 2017 at 08:53

      SMOL,

      So how do you keep yourself busy during the weekdays when most of the people are working?

      Delete
    3. Singapore Man of Leisure5 July 2017 at 09:51

      Blursotong King,

      I hungry eat; thirsty drink ;)

      Why must I be busy?


      Its always a process. Just listen to our body and mind.

      When I first came back, the days were easily filled as I was getting reacquainted with Singapore. Imagine exploring Singapore as a "tourist"?

      After 18 months, that novelty wore off. And I noticed mom and me were getting on each other's nerves by seeing each other 7 days a week... LOL!

      So I went back to my 初心 on the retail selling floor to recapture the feelings when I was 16 by working weekend and public holidays.

      2 years later, changed job to this current one where I can do more consultative selling (flirt with female customers) as a promoter for home appliances. This time, I work weekends only ;)

      Adjust according to how I feel here and now.


      Mondays to Fridays the days pass very fast!

      Don't thnk; feel.

      We get waylaid if we "force" ourselves to seek artificial constructs like purpose and/or meaning in our daily lives.

      You also 道友. Next time asks your teacher/mentor why Zen buddhist monks can sit around doing meditation all day doing "nothing"?

      Yet, why do people from "red dust" with goals and plans come to seek advice from Zen buddhists on how to discover happiness and calm their restless minds?


      I just know when I happy, more people come near me.

      If I mooody, moody, grouchy, depressed; it will affect others around me and they stay away.

      ;)




      Delete
    4. Unknown5 July 2017 at 19:42

      SMOL,

      Just curious if you have read the blog truthlesstruth and the book Everthing You Need You Have?

      Delete
    5. Singapore Man of Leisure5 July 2017 at 19:54

      Blursotong King,

      Nope.

      Delete
  7. la papillion4 July 2017 at 22:08

    Hi SMOL,

    "I love the confused look people have when I tell them Mondays to Fridays I "work" (by not working); while weekends are my days off (when I go to work)."

    I suspect that like you, once I 'retired', I will work even harder without the monetary constraints that bounded me in before I retired. What sort of work? So many to choose from...from the mac donald's kind to the office politics kind...must experience everything once mah haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure4 July 2017 at 22:46

      LP,

      Do it!

      During my "lost years" from age 21 to 24, I job-hopped in so many jobs and sectors that now looking back, it was fun!

      OK, during that time, it wasn't fun coming home to mom telling her I just quitted again... LOL!


      Delete
    2. WTK5 July 2017 at 21:51

      Hi SMOL,

      Try job hopping without the worry of financial worries. I think that such approach is great and enable one to explore more on what he/she want in life. I am implementing such approach.

      Ben

      Delete
    3. Singapore Man of Leisure5 July 2017 at 21:59

      Ben,

      I always envied those from young already knew what they wanted to be when they grew up.

      I am clueless. I had to crash my face against lots of walls before I found out what I'm good at and what I enjoyed...


      I see you have the same modus operandi ;)

      LOL!


      Delete
  8. Singapore Man of Leisure4 July 2017 at 22:38

    temperament,

    You call it "chiat ka kee"; I call myself a man of leisure.

    But when I sense my not working "status" is making people uncomfortable, I'll quickly call myself a man-whore.

    Then all is well :)

    When I'm shallower than piss on the side-walk, people will start giving me unsolicited "advice" - its for my own good remember?

    Then they start to feel more "superior"...

    The things I do to help others feel good about themselves! LOL!


    You religious people have it good. To you, this current life is just prepartion for the what comes after. A full dress rehearsal, if you will.

    Agnostics like me don't have this "luxury"... If I let this life go to waste, that's that!

    No extra ball or game play extensions :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. Singapore Man of Leisure4 July 2017 at 22:40

    Unintelligent Nerd,

    How can it be "dangerous" when we are already in Pascal's Wager just by being ;)

    That's why I am not a Buddhist. All that reincarnation stuffs just make my eyes glaze over...

    But I do like what Dogen, founder of the Soto Zen sect in Japan, asks, "What's the point of reaching paradise AFTER death?"

    I find Zen more fun; although I have no clue what's it all about!?

    LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  10. WTK6 July 2017 at 00:00

    Hi SMOL,

    I do it in contrast from you. I opted for the kind of job which give me the financial stability.

    I dare not say that I have achieved financial freedom. I have fund which can last my family and me for about 10 years of moderate living lifestyle without active employment.

    I have come to the stage in which I can afford to take calculated risk with the cash buffer. I will not hesistate to make job change which I feel that it is right for me. Such ability to make decision is priceless to me.

    Ben

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure6 July 2017 at 09:15

      Ben,

      Ah! You did it in a position of strenght ;)

      Jobs choose me; not I choose them. LOL!

      I remember at age 21 to 24, my salary was only between $650 to $800 per month.

      Hence the opportunity cost was almost non-existent.

      There were no golden shackles to limit or restraint me ;)



      You're in a sweet spot! Good for you!

      Including you, I think we already have more than a handful of fellow journey companions at this watering-hole who:

      Want to work also can; don't want to also can ;)


      Delete
  11. WTK6 July 2017 at 20:26

    Hi SMOL,

    I think that there is a price to pay for being in such position.

    It is the choice of opting to stay single. Being single allows one to be free of financial commitment.

    I guess that one cannot have all the side of the pie and consume it. Of course, one has to opt for simple lifestyle in order to sustain the status of not having to work for a living for a long long time.

    Minimalist lifestyle is the way to go.

    Ben

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Singapore Man of Leisure6 July 2017 at 23:16

      Ben,

      Ah! The price of success is what we have to give up to achieve it.


      I see you are single too ;)

      We'll pay for it later in our old age. No free lunch!


      Delete
    2. WTK8 July 2017 at 11:38

      Hi SMOL,

      I totally agree with you. Nothing is perfect in life. One has to give up certain aspect to get the other aspect.

      The freedom to do things I like and keen on, is my preferred choice. I cherish every day and tend to be zen on this aspect. Slowly take the time to reflect on the daily event before I retire at the end of every day,is a precious insight.

      Ben

      Delete
    3. Singapore Man of Leisure8 July 2017 at 23:52

      Namaste to you :)

      Delete
    4. WTK9 July 2017 at 13:53

      Hi SMOL,

      The same applies to you. A man with leisure at ease!

      Ben

      Delete

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