First of all I’d like to thank @lizelle for having the foresight to create this group. The blockchain desperately needs the voices and wisdom of seasoned citizens among us.
I have a somewhat unique story when it comes to my career. To make a long, drawn out story shorter, I left my full time job of twenty-three years as a project manager with an insurance company at age forty six to write professionally in 2017. It was a transition I had been working towards for the previous twenty five years. I will always be thankful for what that company, Securian, taught me and those who mentored me. I was in that position for a VERY long time and had developed lots of great relationships in those decades but had hit the glass ceiling after the first five years or so. I was lucky to get a salary increase that kept pace with inflation (2-3%), no matter how much value I contributed to the company. The knowledge of that kind of limited earning potential has a way of stifling something inside of you.
When I left my job in 2017 I was co-creating a block-chained based dystopian sci-fi television series that some friends and I were hoping to sell to Netflix.
What did taking that leap of faith feel like?
I won’t lie, it was a terrifying giving up that perceived security and leaping into the void of the unknown. I almost changed my mind a few times at the last minute but it turned out to be the best thing I ever did for reasons you might not expect.
"The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.” - Abe Lemons
That first year of freedom was as disorienting as it was mind blowing. The crypto market was still booming so I decided to defer my salary, this was a mistake I’ll never make again. I dove in head first, replacing my previous work schedule with a writing schedule just as rigorous. I was energized by the limitless potential of what we were building. Our team was scattered around the world between several time zones and we did hours’ long Zoom calls to work on the scripts and other business related meetings.
I was a Gen-X'er getting used to working like a Millennial. The line between work hours and my personal life was frequently blurred. My attention was fractured and I spent a lot of time refocusing. My phone was constantly notifying me of something important. I was traveling to New York City frequently to work with the team members face-to-face in Brooklyn. Living in that city for weeks on end was a dream of mine fulfilled.
In the end, we got some funding secured, a couple seasons worth of scripts written, and game partially developed. Then shortly after this the crypto-winter of 2018 descended. Cryptocurrency suffered through a years’ long bear market, interest in the crypto/blockchain niche seriously cooled off, our money ran out, and the project fizzled in 2019. I had seemingly nothing much to show for that two years of my life except for the experiences and the lessons learned. I realize now it was totally worth it.
Suddenly, I found myself in a vacuum. I was forty-eight years old, without a steady income for the first time in my adult life, and no clear direction. It was at this exact moment I had to deal with the same set of challenges that many retirees have to face after the euphoria subsides.
Following are some of my lessons during my partial retirement and how I’ve dealt with them:
I Used To Say I Hated Schedules But I've Found I Need Them (Most Days)
Sleeping in got old for me after about two weeks. I found I love those early morning hours when the sun is coming up, the air is fresh, and the day is new. I do much better when I’m in bed at a decent time and wake up early. I do this even if I’m traveling. There’s nothing better than roaming some foreign cobblestone street and getting lost while the city’s waking up. Too much unstructured time is not our friend. After having your schedule set for you for most of your life in retirement you are the one who gets to decide it. You are the master of your own domain. Seize that power.
Setting Goals
There are a lot of hours in the day. Most of us are hard-wired to be productive and decades in the workforce only further cement this into our psyche. There’s only so much television you can watch. At the end of the day it feels great to have accomplished something. I set goals for myself each day, whether it's a writing project, something on my “honey-do” list, or sometimes even running errands.
Finding Deep Purpose
Luckily this was an easy one for me, writing helps me fill those hours and gives me a deep sense of purpose. If I skip a day of writing I feel myself longing for it. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to find something you really enjoy doing and that gives you purpose.
What makes you happy?
What fills you with positive energy?
After a few years of semi-retirement under my belt I’m convinced that finding and maintaining a sense of purpose is the greatest factor in continuing to thrive in every way or beginning to march down the road of deterioration. It's important to retire from work, not from life.
Deep Purpose Doesn’t Equal Work
Most people who’ve been in the workforce as long as we have been institutionalized in a sense. We were subconsciously programmed for decades to toil away as the workhorses. We were conditioned to wring as much productivity from the day as we could and were punished in some way if we didn’t.
“Choose a job that you love and you won’t have to work another day.” – Confucius
When I was faced with a calendar full of empty hours I went through what can only be described as deprogramming. I began to realize a day off here and there when I was beginning to feel overloaded was a good thing and a luxury I allowed myself to indulge in.
Purpose can mean -- volunteering, learning a new language, taking an acting or painting class, starting a hobby, improving your physical fitness, meditating. It can also mean traveling somewhere you’ve never been before, facing a fear, jumping headlong into a new experience. Basically your highest purpose is to work on you so you can be your best for those around you and reach your fullest potential.
Money Evaporates Quickly
Even if you’re frugal, money evaporates quickly if you don’t have a regular income. It’s a good idea to find ways to make your money work for you and to be creative in discovering new income streams from hobbies or side-gigs. An extra income stream can be something as simple as opening a high yield savings account or a credit card with good cash rewards, using it like a debit card then paying it off in full at the end of the month. If you're not making at least 2-3% on your savings you're losing money to inflation.
In Conclusion
Probably the largest lesson I’ve learned in the past few years is life is a never ending series of lessons. This rings true no matter what season of life you’re in.
If you ignore these lessons or are too afraid to face them the result is -- depression, desperation, and a limited life.
Whereas if you’re proactive and willing to face these lessons, you have exactly the opposite result -- growth, purpose, and happiness.
Now, at nearly fifty, I'm the most professionally productive and generally the happiest I've been in my entire life. After this taste of freedom and realizing how lucrative it can be when you're spending your time and energy on yourself instead of making someone else rich I could never go back to work for someone else.
As the great Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) said, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” Retirement can be the beginning of the very best phase of your life...if you let it.
--
All for now.
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com)
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
Let’s Keep In Touch
Great lessons you have here. I have it in plan to retire at 40 but I guess I have to rethink this after reading this post.
I seem not to know what I enjoy doing. For now, I enjoy helping people find ways of succeeding, assisting people in things that eventually make them happy. I enjoy tennis but I can't seem to place my hands on something that gives me joy and still give me purpose.
Great write up I must say. Cheers
Thanks! My advice would be to zero in on what you just said....I enjoy helping people find ways of succeeding, assisting people in things that eventually make them happy. There's a great need for people who are willing to do this and it can be highly lucrative on many different levels.
Thank you for this reply..
You’re welcome.
I know what you are saying about only being able to watch so much TV. I feel the same way with the Internet. There are many times I will just sit at my computer and think, "there is absolutely nothing to do on the Internet". Literally the world at your fingertips, and I feel like there is nothing to do, or nothing it has to offer me at that exact moment. How crazy is that?! Great pieces of advice here! I am still a bit away from retiring, but I have already started to kick around some plans for what I will do when that time comes.
Yeah, I understand what you're saying. Sometimes I just need to step away and take a break. I've turned into a YouTube fanatic lately. It's so much fun to geek out on certain things and travel vicariously through some of these YouTubers. Harold Baldr has had some amazing episodes on Africa lately. Watching this series of his has made me want to see that continent. The opportunity to retire might be closer than you think. If you would've told me five years ago that I would be leaving my job and would have never believed it. You're smart to lay those tracks before the train comes.
I don't know why, but I have never been able to get into youtube watching like many people do. Usually it is only if I want to watch a music video or performance or I am trying to fix something.
Your stories have always been an inspiration to me and this one more so than most. I plan to retire from full time employment this year. The income streams of which you speak have been uppermost on my mind lately. The many opportunities made available through Hive and Leo, the staking and farming avenues and interest earning platforms out there have already been tapped a bit and that money is now making money. Just wish I had started earlier and had worked harder on making an online presence here, but as they say....the second best time to start is now, the BEST time to start was yesterday.
I'm so happy to hear that, Tamara! Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. There are so many opportunities for decent income streams now from crypto but I always have to remind myself that any crypto-related revenue stream is dependent on market cycles. With that in mind I try to keep one foot in crypto and the other in legacy finance.
I read a lot of blogs like My Money Blog to educate myself different strategies on how to make my money work for me. The returns in legacy finance are horrible compared to crypto though, crypto spoils us in that regard.
Staking coins like Zil (on Zillet) and Tezos can create an amazing passive income.
Patreon is another option for creative folks and, of course, merch. Companies like Teespring make designing and selling your own merchandise super easy.
I wouldn't be too hard on yourself for not starting earlier, the fact that you're here and have some presence in the crypto world put you far ahead of the majority.
Thanks so much for the encouragement! Tezos is already in my bag and I love it. Zil is not so familiar to me, though I will certainly check it out. I will also check out the blog you referenced in addition to the other avenues you mentioned.
A great writ here Sir Eric and yes, we are programmed and brainwashed to perform every day in employment. I haven't had a boss for the last 30 odd years and to me personally the best that you also mention here is to find one's purpose.
Now many cannot, or will not do that, but if only they would follow their hearts instead of their conditioned minds, then the old adage to do what you love and love what you do will become effective.
Once the decision is made to tread one's own road, the doors seem to swing open.
But of course there are always some problems (training) to overcome and should one learn from them, then all of a sudden some successes start to make an appearance.
I hope that many will read, actually read your well written post as it makes a lot of sense to me.
Blessings and !BEER
Thank you! I was really blind to the extent of my brainwashing. It's taken years to fully deprogram from it. Having this freedom at first felt so foreign. When a person is caught up in that cycle of working all the time they miss so much of life. It's sad that so many people give the best years of their life to employers who really don't care about them.
I understand exactly what you mean, as a good friend of mine spent 45 years of his life at one company, even though he hated his work and always moaned about it. So, he finally retired and a few years later he died as a very unhappy man.
It's a trap that many feel powerless to change, as they have to pay the rent. They do not understand that there are many other ways in which one can pay the rent, if only they would do what they love.
You love writing and yes, you faced many hard times, but in the end you endured and more importantly, you learned, so now look at where it has taken you. All respect to you.
This can never be achieved in a slave job and yes, most of the good things in life goes a begging.
Cheers and hope that your week started well.
Zac.
That's so incredibly sad. I think a lot of people settle for what they think is security and sacrifice their happiness and true potential. That was certainly true in my case. The company I used to work for began forcing long term employees out shortly after I left. They would have them resign so they no longer have to contribute to their health insurance costs or contribute to their pension and then rehire them as "contractors" with zero benefits or just terminate their employment altogether. I was lucky to escape at a very good time.
I'm amazed sometimes and how it all worked out and will be forever grateful to be doing what I love now.
I hope you had a great Monday! Take care.
Oh? I thought that they only do that here? My father in law is a senior geologist and he worked for the counsel most of his life. He was not happy, as they were forcing all of his white colleagues out of the department. So, 3 years before he left, het gave them notice that he was going to take an early retirement and he requested a replacement, so that he could train the person up to run his department. They appointed a young graduate as his deputy, but the guy was useless and only lasted 3 months. No other replacements were provided and when the 3 years was up, he simply left.
Absolute pandemonium resulted as nobody could operate the data bank that he created over the years and shacks by land invaders were already going up on ground that was rated as ustable due to sinkholes. They offered him a lucrative contract, but he refused.
Now the data bank is closed.
People are now developing shpping centers on red zoned wetlands and a few months later the walls start to crack and that is only the beginning of a catastophe that are awaiting some souls.
So, yes, you did the absolute right thing by following your heart my friend.
This is the only time that doors will be opened unto you.
Cheers and thanks.
Wow Eric, you are an amazing man, where does all this wisdom spring from? You've given this old gal a ton of food for thought, a simple example is going to bed at a decent time, that's my big problem!
I need to start setting times for doing bnb admin otherwise I end up doing it in the wee hours.
The one thing I still do though is:
That's sooo important, I do try to make the most of each day as I know just how precious time is and still want to do so much!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderfully inspiring story with us Eric!
Thank you my friend. I don't consider myself extraordinary at all, just lucky mostly. I've made a lot of mistakes and missteps to get to this point in my life but I try to learn by each of them.
My semi-retirement has been a process of getting to know myself better. I don't function well at all on less than 7 hours of sleep so I try to get at least that. Scheduling has been a huge help for me. I use Siri on my iPhone to set reminders for things like -- writing project goals, errands, appointments, etc. The good thing about retirement is that schedule can be more fluid. There's nothing more satisfying than the feeling of getting goals accomplished. I find I sink into almost a mild depressive state if I don't make daily progress on something.
I hope you're having a great Sunday!
Armed with lessons learned, sound advice given Eric taken note on some you have found to work more efficiently.
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome journey into the Crypto world and how it made you realise your dreams, wonderful blog @ericvancewalton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's too early to think about retirement, everything is just beginning. Everything is good ahead :)
how are you dear friend @ericvancewalton good afternoon.
I loved reading your life experience, many things you have gone through, I have to live on my journey of living outside the system, I have been doing it since 2013 and to be honest, I am happy to have made this determination.
It is very true when you say "life is an endless series of lessons", it is also true that you have to assimilate these lessons to be a better person.
I really appreciate that you have shared this experience with us
I take this opportunity to wish you a splendid afternoon
Thank you! Wow, you've lived outside of the system since 2013? That's amazing. It so nice to have the time to actually notice and appreciate the little things that we missed before because we were "too busy" or "too stressed". I consider it to be a blessing, every single day.
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Your post is reblogged and upvoted by me. It is a good post. Thank you @ericvancewalton
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hello @ericvancewalton,
being able to count on the experience of others is one of the wonders of blockchain, we all need help and experience, on the other hand schedules shape the work, you are absolutely right that you have to structure your day to be more productive, finally from my point of view the best thing about having free time is that you can choose where to spend it.
publicity note:
I'm promoting That curation trail on HIVE and it would help me a lot if you forward it, You can also check it yourself: you might find it interesting to join, I'd love to hear your comments.
I absolutely agree with that...having the freedom to determine how you spend our time is the most valuable thing there is. I'll check out the curation trail. Thanks for the link!