The Myth of Working 50 Years to Retire & Enjoying Life

 

#MythFiftyYearsWorkToEnjoyLifeLater
I have been working for myself for 35 years now and have crossed business paths with many millionaires plus a few billionaires
The constant theme i have heard from all of them, they wished they would of done more when climbing that ladder of wealth, as they (i am afraid) all know now;
They are not running out of money, but they are running out of time

My Passion
For me my "outlet" has always been travel, one time i was getting ready for a trip and had some of my colleagues say that i was leaving "money on the table"
My reply; you cannot put a price on memories or experiences
So for 15+ years i would take time off to enjoy life abroad, then when i was back locally i would avoid people on my free time 
Not because i was anti-social, but to rid the outside "noise" for 24 hours or so and defrag
my surroundings
Maybe i do a piece of art, some writing / reading and so on as i was never scared to challenge myself in trying something new (terrykeys.ca)
My point is, whatever you like to do ALWAYS make time for it

The History
As you read ahead, the corporate sector has borrowed some old rules that has been engrained into our mindset and workplace society that we are all programed to follow
 Which is to put in our 50 years of work within that structure and not questioning why
Hopefully this writing will change how you view things 

Otto Von Bismarck
He was the first Chancellor of the German Empire and he viewed the growing urban working class as a  threat to his traditional elite social order
So to pacify the industrial workers who were facing low wages, dangerous conditions and zero job protection he introduced legislation throughout the 1880s

A) Health Insurance; it protected workers against temporary income loss due to sickness with the costs split between employees (75%) and employers (25%)
B) Accident Insurance; paid to the employees for care or pensions if injured on site
(100% paid by the employer)
C) Old Age; mandatory retirement pensions for workers who reached the age of 70
 (50% employees / 50% employers)

The Issues
Bismarck openly admitted his social programs were a form of political "bribery" to get voters away from a more caring social democracy
A) Anti-Socialist Laws; the government actively banned those people friendly organizations, meetings, trade unions and publications 
B) Day to Day Benefits; the government intentionally left out daily regulatory protections of maximum hours worked or child labor bans to appease the wealthy industrialist allies
C) Life Span; the average expectancy in the 1800s in Germany was around 40 years, so a pension when you reach 70 years old seems like a dream
D) Work Accidents; because the policy system pooled the insurance risk by entire industry groups instead of careless firms, workplace deaths were extremely high (68.2 per 100,000 workers) 

Today
The Bismarck 19th Century social reforms laid the blueprint for the modern corporate and national labor practices which are still in use today
Thankfully the rights of the worker has improved dramatically since those early beginnings, so know what you are entitled to as in some cases you are paying into those benefits

A) Payroll Tax & Shared Funding Model; for health care and other social security, so know what your covered for with your weekly deductions
B) Pensions; as we humans living longer, the retirement age seems to be getting raised up
by our governments. So when your able start taking your pension, do it only if it makes
sense for your situation
C) Using Perks to Recruit; make sure you know what they are offering to you as an employee and ask for more as they (the business) will counter back
D) Growth of Corporate Bureaucracy; Human Resource (HR) departments in many companies have become massive as they govern everyday hiring, benefits administration and labor tracking
So realize you are just a number in the clog and can be replaced as the "Machine" keeps humming along

In Closing
If you work for a company, are an entrepreneur or doing some side gigs, just remember that only
you will take care of you

Everyday Enjoyment
People "life" does gets in the way sometimes, as we all have had rough days when things did not go the way we planned it
But you know what, if it did what a boring existence that would be
I have always seen any situation as the "glass half full" and think why this happened, then learn from it
Amazingly in time the reasons become clear why that past event occured

Each Morning
I think how i am not going to waste this day and do something positive, it could be saying hello to a stranger, achieving a goal you set no matter how small it was, text / call a friend or relative to catch up, plan a trip in the future etc

Hobbies
Research shows that taking on a hobby is one of the most effective ways to reduce stress, improve long term brain health and improving your human connections

KeyTip
Before you "try" a new hobby that requires you to buy expensive gear like a
camera or some instruments
Look into rental options, check the local library item lending programs or just borrow from a friend
Maybe if your interest is still there, check the online marketplaces for that gear that other folks have discovered it was not their thing for their leisure activity

Your Zen
As mentioned, when i am not traveling i like being by myself for what i call "me" time, as i am around humans all week so i enjoy the solitude 
We are all different, so discover what makes you happy and run with it and enjoy life on your terms
 Not by a set of rules from the 1800s