Stockrules my admiration for you grows. You have wisdom beyond your tender years and an attitude towards making a contribution to society that sadly is becoming less common in today’s rat race where wealth ownership confirms Darwin’s theory about rats. I salute you, guru.
May I respectfully suggest that the "happening" you refer to is where you make it. Importantly you can choose your role in the “happening”. Making it, watching it or wondering what is all about. The pointy end of the normal curve suggests that the “makers” are in the 3% minority. This is where the leaders, visionaries, drivers and often the wealthy are. The 3% do not (trust me for I know) lose these characteristics in the latter stages of their journey. “Work” is indeed where it happens but what is “work”? I believe it is the activity where you choose to deploy and grow what ever talents God, rat cunning and learning have endowed you with.
The chosen activity, be it cutting people up, constructing things or giving advice is a great life because the “activity” delivers fun and profit. Reflect on this. Both come from other people. Somebody benefits from your “activity” and you get rewarded as a result. We have had our moments with the MAE directors, but we will benefit from Jeff Clark’s vision, drive and, of course, rat cunning. The exception are those who end up in accommodation courtesy of the government. They took but did not give (unless you count the benefit to the legal profession).
This is a long winded lead into a view on retirement. I fear your comments may cause impressionable 3 percenters to think that work is life and retirement is something else. My three “activities” so far have been multinational (medical), change agent (universities) and strategist (multinationals) roughly equal periods. All provided fun and profit. My next “activity” is divided between helping talented 97 percenters get into that 3% and traveling. Both of which provide continual challenge and learning opportunities. Fun is huge, profit is huge, but largely non monetary, sustainable thanks to past “work” and our lovely Maid Marion. The profit from my current “work” is far more rewarding than from any of the previous “activities”.
Your comment SR, quote: “Perhaps too, its realizing the commitment to help others less fortunate along our common journey that is - in the end, more fulfilling.” Is a compelling observation to share with us all. This is where the optimal, but intrinsic, fun and profit really are.
My final comment (and maybe I should have only posted this).
Life for the 3 percenters is a roller coaster journey of fun and profit resulting from contributing to others. The contribution never stops, the fun and profit continue, just the activity changes. Retirement is hard “work”. All you young guns, remember where you heard this first.
MAE Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
