Last year around this time, Barb and I were in great shape physically. Coming into Fall of 2019, we lost a bunch of unwanted fat, had a regular exercise routine, and were eating right.

By October 2020, we had gained a bunch of fat back.

So what the heck happened?

You could say it was “COVID”. But I have a problem with that.

Continue reading What the Heck Just Happened? →

This meme reflects my attitude toward the value of time.

Time is the most valuable commodity we have. We each have a limited supply, with some having more than others. How we spend our time is important.

I obsess about the value of my time. I am constantly aware of what I do with it and I make decisions based on this awareness.

It’s one of the main reasons I retired from my job early. The job was rewarding and I enjoyed the people I worked with, but decades were going by and I felt my time would be better spent elsewhere. The question I asked myself was “Did I have something better to do or was this job the best use of my time?”

When I was getting ready to retire, others of retirement age approached me to pick my brain. The two main questions were “Why?” and “What will you do?” For each question, I had a long list of answers, which no one really wanted to hear. So, I pared down my responses to one sentence: I’m leaving because I have better, more important things to do such as run my businesses.

Many people ask such questions to reflect on their own circumstances. I often found the retirement conversation would drift back to their own intentions to retire. My advice to those considering retirement: If you don’t have anything better to do, stay at your job.

You should know that I took a big financial hit to leave my job in my 50’s. Suze Orman would have given me a big thumbs down. But it has never been just about the money. It’s about how I prioritize my time.

And that’s the key for me – to spend my time on those things that have the highest priority.

Continue reading Are You Free Today? →