I’ve been tossing around the idea of easing into semi-retirement from writing since the height of the pandemic. For quite a while, whenever I thought about it my psyche panicked and my brain screamed,
No! You can’t give up this thing you love to do!
So too crept in feelings of lessor self-worth. In the back of my mind I was afraid that, even if I didn't totally quit writing, that I’d be like some rudderless ship drifting about, getting fat in front of the television. So much of our identity and self worth, especially here in the United States, is tied to our careers that it’s difficult (and scary) to think outside of that box. We’re conditioned to work until we drop dead, or close to it anyway.
Recently, when people have been asking the inevitable question, "How's the writing going?" I've been telling them that I'm easing into semi-retirement. I'm not going to lie, it feels damn good to say it.
“Preparation for old age should begin not later than one's teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.”- Dwight L. Moody
I read somewhere once that most creative people really only have one decade of what could be considered prolific creativity. At first I didn’t necessarily agree with that but then discovered I was thinking about it in entirely the wrong way. When we're younger we're just naturally more hungry for success and notoriety.
It’s not that most of us lose the ability to create but once we’ve achieved a certain level of success the hunger, desire, and immediacy to feel like we NEED to prove our worth and talent dissipates. There are exceptions, of course, but not many that I've experienced.
I can so clearly feel that hunger in my earlier writing. I feel that "zing" from other authors' early work and that is the element or X factor that attracts readers and ultimately sells books. Deep down inside I know I’ll never stop writing completely, I won't be able to. What I can do is be more picky about the projects I devote my time to. They will be pet projects or for actual causes rather than just for profit.
Lifestyle Debt
The other aspect that makes semi-retirement so attractive is the desire to get out of, “Lifestyle Debt”. This, in my mind is the final step to true freedom after you've achieved a sound financial foundation. It's also a step that many people never achieve.
I consider lifestyle debt to be a situation, despite your net worth, where you have very little control over how you spend your time. I know many “successful” people who have gone directly from escaping time-burning, soul-killing careers to dwelling in cages they built themselves by engineering their own hectic schedules.
The problem is it literally takes years for the mind to settle and deprogram itself from the traditional work-world. I wasn't immune to this after I stepped away from my corporate job in 2017. I didn't really start to get used to my newfound freedom until 2019.
The “hustle and grind culture” that’s so popular amongst social media influencers and life coach gurus these days is as every bit as destructive and unhealthy as a toxic corporate management team lording over you, it’s only a different devil.
The “hustle and grind culture” that’s so popular amongst social media influencers and life coach gurus these days is as every bit as destructive and unhealthy as a toxic corporate management team lording over you, it’s only a different devil.
It took me years to deprogram from the brainwashing received through decades of unconsciously tethering my cubicle job to my identity and self-worth. Then it took another couple of years to deprogram myself from my own fallacies surrounding my writing career, which in many ways was just another virtual prison of my own construction.
Now, my days are lived more slowly and gently, with purpose. Each day I write a little and read a lot. I exercise, meditate, and practice gratitude. I also am taking very deep dives into things that really interest me like — learning new languages, martial arts, baking, traveling, and self-care.
Since the pace of life has slowed I find I notice much more and feel a lot more connected to nature and the environment. I see time as my most valuable resource now and I think profoundly about how I spend it. I also place a very high value on my own personal peace and guard it closely. This shift in focus has truly transformed my life beyond my wildest imagination.
I have no regrets for those things I’ve left behind and the phases of life that have passed away. At this moment I’m happy more often than not. Ironically, all of this spawned an idea for my next book, how to successfully navigate “retirement”. I’ve been working on it a while. It could take two months or two more years to finish. Who cares? I’m in no hurry after all.
~Eric Vance Walton~
(Gif compliments of Giphy.com.)
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
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.