A lot of life is the same old thing day after day after day.
Sometimes that same old routine can actually be very beneficial. Something I recently learned is that it can be very difficult to break a good habit. Which of course brings up the question why would you ever want to break a good habit? That doesn't make a lot of sense. You might be right but I'll take a moment of your time to explain.
.... and it all starts with ....
Now for most people they either retire or they don't. Usually there isn't a middle ground. However in my case there were reasons for me to stay on. Here are my reasons:
I am 57 years old. A little early to retire but I'm physically allergic to work. If I go to to work too much it gets painful within a day or two.
My work has been my identity for a very long time. If I give up my license it will be (a) virtually impossible to get back and (b) I'll lose my sense of identify
I need a couple more years with income to bump up my Canada Pension income a little bit. Without going into math lets just say that working just a little for a two years will help my pension income for years to come. Not by a huge amount but by enough to be worthwhile to work a couple shifts a month.
I'm only doing 2 shifts a month. Often enough that I can honestly say I'm a part time worker and keep my license. Often enough that I can stay abreast of what is happening in the business. But not often enough for me to feel trapped at work.
However, as I've spent 2 months away on a trip there are a few things I've needed to change my mind about. It is hard to just switch gears after so long but these are things I've needed to focus on unlearning / learning.
For so long my entire identity has been wrapped up in a very short list.
I am a:
Those are the four pillars of my whole identity. However.. what happens when I'm not a Pharmacist? When happens when my children leave the house and I'm not in "Dad" mode all the time? Who am I? I have to unlearn my old roles and try to focus on a new sense of who I am and where my worth comes from. That is a very daunting task!
Okay. When I work full time and when I have kids who are in school full time a trip is travel away to some new and exciting destination! It was time away from work, away from school, and it was time to forge new memories with the family. From the beaches of California to the hot springs of Iceland and the mountains of Hawaii I've been to a lot of different places.
The itinerary is usually jam-packed with every sight and activity we can fit into our day. There have been many great memories and many odd ones (like when my wife forgot to pack any pants for the kids...that was fun). There was always a time crunch though. There was only 10 days or maybe two weeks and in that time it was go go go because work and school were looming Sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation when you return.
Now?? I have to unlearn the go go go lifestyle and realize that I can just be. I can sit in my hotel room and enjoy reading, watching TV, or writing an article. I can spend a morning in a coffee shop. I can enjoy just going to church or taking a walk down the streets and talking to a nice lady in the laundry. My life isn't about seeing everything before returning home... It's about living life in a new place and enjoying a different way of living for a while.
During my previous life there was work, activity and rest. Any day without work was a "lounge around the house and rest day". The problem now is that every day is a rest day. I have to "unlearn" the pattern of a day off is a day to be lazy. If I lounge around at my age? I'll wither and die. Going to the gym and being active are my new full time job!
However the hardest thing...
.... money!
If you ask most people spending is not a problem. Saving is the problem.
I've been wise through my working career. I started saving and investing early. I started using frugal budgeting techniques and developed a thrifty mindset. End result? I can retire at 57. Not wealthy but comfortable.
But now I have to think about spending money. A person works all their life to put away for retirement but that doesn't prepare you for actually spending your nest egg at a certain age. There is this "I'm going to live for a long time so I should protect my money" mentality. There is certainly something to be said for proper money management as people age but the other half of the equation is:
Any money left over when you die? You never get to spend it. It is a value of hard work and sacrifice that serves no useful purpose to you. Sure it can be useful for children or spouse but YOU get nothing more after you have died. Your account is set like you came into the world....at ZERO.
It is hard to get used to the idea of a bank balance that goes down every single month after years of trying to build it. It is weird looking at a vehicle purchase and thinking a much shorter timeframe, possible even a (gasp) lease! However, I'm not the same as I was 30 years ago and my time frame is much shorter. That is something that is hard to unlearn.
...because every old person still has a young person inside wondering "What the heck happened". It changes your mindset. 30 years ago if I bought a car there would always be thoughts about longevity and resale value because there was a strong likelihood that I would live longer than the car. At this point in my life that is no longer a given. I walk into the dealership and have to think... "This is the last car I may ever buy" and that is a sobering thought.
People think that learning is for the young. I'll agree that much of we learn in youth helps us to live a long and productive adult life. I'm just learning that I have to do everything all over again. More learning and unlearning so that I can finish the remaining years of my life strong.
.... and as the title of this article says. "Old habits are hard to break".
But I'll try my best.
However, I have a habit of thanking people who read my articles. That isn't going to change (I hope). If you have made it to the end, thank you for your time and attention, I really appreciate it. If you feel like leaving a comment, well, I'd really enjoy that too. Thanks.
