Working for Now

When was the last time you really thought about the work you are doing every day?  Do you find meaning in your work?  Are you good at what you do?  Just because you are good at what you do, does that mean you have to do it?  Do you enjoy your work?  Do you smile while you are at work?  Do you wake up eager to get to work?  What are your reasons for doing the work you do? 

Have you really looked at the financial reasons for doing the work you currently do?  Is the work you are doing being compensated enough for your time and life energy?  Are your financial goals really what you want or are they based on some idea of what you should have?  Do you even have financial goals or are you just going along for the ride? Are you expecting to stop working completely when you retire?  What will you spend your money on after you retire and how much do you really need?

One common way of thinking is to work and save until you have a certain amount.  Then you can completely stop working and do whatever you want.  Have you thought about what you are going to do during those twenty or thirty years after you stop working?  If you retire around sixty years old that is how much time you could have in retirement.  Retire early and you may have even more time. 

One option is to reconsider when you will stop working.  You may be thinking, “I just have to get through ten more years at this job then I am free”.  What if instead you left your current stressful job and worked fifteen or twenty years doing work you really enjoy?  You may even find that the ten years time frame can still be enough in different work if you adjust your spending.

The point is that you have options.  If you are burnt out, bored or wished you had traveled a different path in life, you still have plenty of time to change.  It will take time and energy to figure out exactly where you are and where you want to go.  The effort will be worth it when you are doing more meaningful and enjoyable work.  In twenty years, do you want to look back and regret that you didn’t live with intention in these years?