2d (edited) • Questions for the Community
Story time...
In an earlier post in this Community, I talked about my prior job, and the success I had there, increasing my income every year for 10 years, but what I didn't mention was that the company cut that income every year for the last 4, so that by the time I left, I was making 40% less than I had been.
But that wasn't why I quit last November.
In a YouTube video, I talked more about deciding that I didn't want to maintain that level of stress and commitment, so I planned my way out. That took me 5 years... but I had already been saving diligently up to that point, maxing out my 401 (k) and investing outside it as well. I was building my safety net and my net worth for many years.
But that wasn't really why I quit either.
What I haven't talked about is the REAL reason I decided to walk away from the perceived comfort and security of my cushy 9-5.
My Dad struggled financially his entire life, but especially after he got laid off from the job he thought he would retire with a big pension from. That was after only just over a decade of working for them. His experience and knowledge made him one of the preeminent experts in his field in his area, but he was never able to fully capitalize on it, even after running his own business for years.
Then he fell off a cliff.
This was meant literally, but there is a figurative aspect as well. He shattered his pelvis, his hip, and got a massive concussion. He was life-flighted out of a remote area of Utah back home to Colorado. He got patched back together and went into recovery fairly hopeful. Then he just...gave up.
Long story short, over a 10-year span, he went from re-learning how to walk, to living in a wheelchair, and finally ending up bedridden in a nursing home...at age 70. It probably had something to do with the head injury, but he stopped trying to get stronger very early in the recovery process. It just hurt too much.
I took care of him in those final years, selling his only assets to try and pay for the care he needed, getting him eligible for Medicaid to qualify for the long-term care he needed, and then finally making the final arrangements when he died at age 72, lying in bed.
My father-in-law has been incredibly successful. He came from absolutely nothing, built multiple businesses, and has done some absolutely massive real estate deals. He is the definition of successful by many measures. He talked about retiring from his 9-5 for years and finally sold the business to the employees, making many of them instant millionaires.
As soon as he retired, bought a house in Hawaii, and made plans to travel the world, he began to lose his sight. He is now legally blind, can't drive ( he used to drive over 100k miles per year), and that put a lot of plans on hold for him. Since then, he has started to travel more, has a driver so he can still go out and do his real estate stuff, and is generally moving forward.
These two events happening to the two men I was closest to changed me.
They made me re-evaluate what really mattered, where I should spend my remaining energy, and how I should show up for my wife and daughter each day.
That is WHY I quit.
What's your WHY?
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Story time...
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