We had a talk once from a man who had sold his company at around 23 years old for several million, a lot to a young man. He said he thought he would live the dream, travel the world, go and do whatever he wanted, waking up at 10am every day and having a cooked breakfast!
Then he realised how boring and lonely it was. His friends were all at work while he was "free" and most people don't want to sit by themself at a bar in Tahiti, even if you can afford the drinks!
He quickly went back to working/advising companies and found it much more engaging.
I know this statement is controversial but honestly: for some people, work gives life meaning. Whether for a salary, or stock or for free.
But it should be revised to meaningful work. Not schlepping a mop at 7-11 to eke out next month's rent.
Heck, I don't have that level of success, am very middle class in fact, but even I think it's so boring to just sit in a beach sipping drinks for the rest of my life.
It means more to me when it's a nice well earned break from the work but for that to be the rest of my life .... I couldn't. I'd always find something else to work on as long as I was able bodied and of sound mind.
Yup, sitting on a beach is lovely for a few hours. Then pretty soon I seek something more interesting. And, even if I had FUll retirement funding, my mind would soon turn to what else can I build — what's interesting and helps the world?
Sounds to me like he left a lot of options on the table. There's a lot more out there than working in corporate or sitting alone at a bar in Tahiti. I'd love to be able to get creative and indulge hobbies as full-time work; it'd be nice to brew beer, or write a book, or take up woodworking, without having to worry about financing or making a profit from any of those activities.
I am the same way. I would very quickly fill my time if I stopped working today. I'd have more time to dedicate to strength and conditioning, being in the nearby mountains, expanding my garden, finishing my woodworking projects, getting back into beer brewing, cooking for fun vs. necessity, canning and preserving food, etc. Simple hobbies that are all very deep and rewarding.
Right? There's so many things I enjoy and would really like to spend more time doing and getting good at. As it is I am constantly having to force myself to abandon some in favor of others. My job just takes about 50hrs of every single week from me and fills it with meaningless drudgery to make someone else money.
Giong to make some bold guesses here: This is a single man without children.
The idea of a single guy in his mid-20s being unable to find meaning in his life seems pretty normal. I'm not saying getting married or having kids mean you're winning at life or are the only ways to have meaning, but as a married person in his 30s, I'll gladly take a few million and retirement to go on adventures with my wife for the rest of my life when I'm not just enjoying my hobbies or visiting loved ones.
TL;dr- Different strokes. I would have gleefully retired at 18 given the chance.
Not trying to come at you here, but is the implication of this statement I only think I want millions of dollars and no responsibility to a job/"the grass is always greener"?
No, it was just a quite innocent paraphrasing of a sentence that Jordan Peterson tells to young men in their twenties who struggle to find meaning. “Pick someone’s load.” Take on responsibilities.
Getting shit done with the team feels great, agreed. I guess our hunter-gatherer group mentality is holding us back from simply enjoying fruits of labor.
Then he realised how boring and lonely it was. His friends were all at work while he was "free" and most people don't want to sit by themself at a bar in Tahiti, even if you can afford the drinks!
He quickly went back to working/advising companies and found it much more engaging.