What would be your chosen lifestyle and why don't you live it?

[PocketAces]

Great thread. Thank you for starting it.

I've been at the same job for over 15 years now. Just like a few of you have mentioned, the money was always decent but it wasn't satisfying or enjoyable. The grind was wearing on me but just as all of you, I have a family and bills to pay. A drastic change wasn't appealing to me.

About two years ago instead of changing jobs or professions I began to do some volunteer work about 20+ hours a month. The effects have been amazing. I could go on and on but the main point is that I actually started enjoying my job more than ever. The increased enjoyment has led to more success and more money.

The positive results are snowballing.... My health is better and my habits are better too. I'm a better teammate, husband and father. I know it is directly related to my volunteer work.

For me, making a few small life changes led to unbelievable things personally and professionally.

You are a great bunch of guys and gals. This is going to be a great week!

:toast:

 

[buddy]

Still, I wonder if "taking a chance" and leaving that comfort zone wouldn't make for better days. Maybe not though.......

Signature from elsewhere: "You can fail on your own terms."

 

[Penguinfan]

Great thread. Thank you for starting it.

I've been at the same job for over 15 years now. Just like a few of you have mentioned, the money was always decent but it wasn't satisfying or enjoyable. The grind was wearing on me but just as all of you, I have a family and bills to pay. A drastic change wasn't appealing to me.

About two years ago instead of changing jobs or professions I began to do some volunteer work about 20+ hours a month. The effects have been amazing. I could go on and on but the main point is that I actually started enjoying my job more than ever. The increased enjoyment has led to more success and more money.

The positive results are snowballing.... My health is better and my habits are better too. I'm a better teammate, husband and father. I know it is directly related to my volunteer work.

For me, making a few small life changes led to unbelievable things personally and professionally.

You are a great bunch of guys and gals. This is going to be a great week!

:toast:

Good stuff. I agree, volunteering can give you a greater perspective on life. I "made" my kids do it when they were younger and it's become part of their routine still (as well as my wife and myself). This isn't a "woe is me" thread, quite the contrary. I know, given my background, I'm very fortunate to have what I have. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking there might be a more satisfying way to go about the rest of my life.

 

[PocketAces]

Good stuff. I agree, volunteering can give you a greater perspective on life. I "made" my kids do it when they were younger and it's become part of their routine still (as well as my wife and myself). This isn't a "woe is me" thread, quite the contrary. I know, given my background, I'm very fortunate to have what I have. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking there might be a more satisfying way to go about the rest of my life.

:0074

I never took your comments as "woe is me". It sounds like several of us know exactly what you mean. For me, it was more like "Life is good. Could it be better?".

I reread my post and realized that I never answered your question. If I don't leave this job will I regret it someday? Yes. I would. If all goes well, in a few years my volunteer work could lead to a change in profession. This new profession would earn a fraction of what I'm making now and that will be just fine with me.

 

[pug]

Hammer1 need not respond, in fact I'd like Jack to just ban him from the thread from the word go.

Moving on......

If your reply is "Professional basketball player" and you're 5'4'' and can't play worth a damn that's not what I'm talking about, I mean within the confines of everyday life how would you spend your days if you could? This thread is not about The Trooper, but I'm certain he gets so much hate because people are jealous that they can't just pack it up do whatever it is they want in life. They don't have the means or they don't have the guts to walk away from their comfort zone. You gotta believe Trooper took some risks going to Vegas on a limited roll like he did. I'm rooting for him.

As for the rest of us, what do you want to do and what stops you from doing it? Life, as I've been reminded lately, is short. You don't know how long you get so maybe making the most of it is more important than that comfort zone we all seek. I'd love to live in Vegas, or by a beach, but what I'd like right now is just less stress from my day to day job. It's a job that treats me well, pays me well and still has a pension plan that I am 20 years into. It's been a real struggle recently. Too many hours, not enough support, etc... and it's not getting better anytime soon.

I'm struggling with the thoughts of walking away from it, but I'm walking away from a lot. Good pay, 5 weeks vacation, make my own schedule, pension, etc...., but I hate it anymore. Financially the only right move is to stay where I am, but shouldn't life be more important than that? What about enjoying the limited days we get?

We all have obligations, wives, kids, bills, etc... and the ability to provide for all of that can't be discounted. My kids both start college in the fall and maybe it's an excuse to put everything on the backburner but I'm thinking a four year plan to "start over" is in order.

Anyone here ever walked away from a good job they knew they couldn't replace? Do you regret it or maybe even recommend it?

I was an attorney for 15 years. I had my own law practice with my wife who was my law partner. We built our law firm up from nothing to a very successful practice. We made a lot of money but eventually we realized that money isn't everything. We worked very long hours. When we left the office we still thought about our cases. We went to sleep and had dreams about our cases. We went on vacation and had to constantly deal with emails about different emergencies. Then, at the height of our careers, we walked away. We had a 7000 square foot house on 35 acres and owned two other homes. We had 5 cars including two Porsches. We vacationed all over the world. Yet, at some point we realized our free time was worth more than "things". We watched many of our attorney friends die of heart attacks at young ages and others work until they died and decided that wouldn't be us. After 15 years of practicing law, we decided to sell everything, downsize and retire to an upper middle class lifestyle in Costa Rica. We don't have as much money as we used to have but we have stress free lives and unlimited free time. Sometimes you just have to realize that constantly working in a job you hate might not be worth the things you get to buy from your income. We moved to Costa Rica 38 months ago and haven't regretted it for even a day.

 

[Penguinfan]

Pug,

Thanks for sharing. Glad it's working out for you so well. I'm not in a position to move out of country or anything like that, but certainly ready for a career change and to move out of PA.

I'm from here and have always been a big fan of the local teams. Silly reason to stick around, but those teams have always been a big part of what I do from day to day with access to Steeler tickets anytime I want, half a season Pens tickets, and Pirate tickets aren't hard to get plus all the tailgates etc... I always felt like I would miss following my teams if I moved, but after going to 5 parades in the last 10 years I feel like I've had my fill.

It's just time for a change, but maybe not as drastic as yours.

 

[Betone]

Penguinfan , Everyone's situation is different...family dynamics, economic stabilities, personal wants vs personal needs. Life is not perfect, as are all jobs or companies we work for. Stress is hurting all of us now days in our careers on a personal level. Corporate emails that never end at 5 pm, government programs FMLA, Hazmat, managing within the laws that govern us now days. If you can find a company to work for that has better working conditions, located in areas where you and most importantly "the family" would be interested in living, with opportunities for advancement.....then I say go for it.

Fortunately for me, I made a leap of faith 18 years ago and have not looked back. I found a much better company to work for. Sure, the first couple of years was a learning curve...I had to start over at a lower position initially with much lower wages than I had prior. I went through most of my savings, learned quickly how to order chicken on the menu....Yet, within 3 years I was promoted and enjoying my job and life better than ever.
Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward in life.

If you feel living on a beach is the right move for you and your family? You should take a trip to the beach in the fall and see how few people actually live on the beach? Other than snow birds......it's a vacation spot for sure!!!

I wish you well on your quest for a better life.....My job has always dictated where I have lived, looking at retirement to find the perfect place to live has been extremely difficult. Two more days of vacation left, going back to work is becoming more challenging in my old age.....:lol:

 

[pug]

Pug,

Thanks for sharing. Glad it's working out for you so well. I'm not in a position to move out of country or anything like that, but certainly ready for a career change and to move out of PA.

I'm from here and have always been a big fan of the local teams. Silly reason to stick around, but those teams have always been a big part of what I do from day to day with access to Steeler tickets anytime I want, half a season Pens tickets, and Pirate tickets aren't hard to get plus all the tailgates etc... I always felt like I would miss following my teams if I moved, but after going to 5 parades in the last 10 years I feel like I've had my fill.

It's just time for a change, but maybe not as drastic as yours.

The only thing I miss about the US is going to Detroit Tigers games at Comerica Park. Anyway, just thought I'd chime in as not too many people walk away from a well paying career like you're suggesting. As Betone said though, each situation is different.

 

[JOSHNAUDI]

The only thing I miss about the US is going to Detroit Tigers games at Comerica Park. Anyway, just thought I'd chime in as not too many people walk away from a well paying career like you're suggesting. As Betone said though, each situation is different.

Glad to hear all is well Pug.

I'm glad you added your perspective because there was a question I wanted to ask in your moving to CR thread but it didn't seem appropriate there. How big of a part did Flight 253 play in the decision to move? I assumed that the flight and subsequent malarkey was the catalyst for the move but y'all may have had the dream for a long time. What matters is that y'all are happy now.

 

[heleanth]

Peng, before you decide to walk away from a good job, especially if you are of value to your employer, go to your employer and ask them to agree to changes that will make your job more acceptable to you. Example, maybe job sharing or part time. Good luck!:toast:

 

[Penguinfan]

Peng, before you decide to walk away from a good job, especially if you are of value to your employer, go to your employer and ask them to agree to changes that will make your job more acceptable to you. Example, maybe job sharing or part time. Good luck!:toast:

Thanks, that is not a bad idea. I don't know if they'd be willing to make enough changes to make it work, but it might be worth looking into.

Thanks

 

[pug]

Glad to hear all is well Pug.

I'm glad you added your perspective because there was a question I wanted to ask in your moving to CR thread but it didn't seem appropriate there. How big of a part did Flight 253 play in the decision to move? I assumed that the flight and subsequent malarkey was the catalyst for the move but y'all may have had the dream for a long time. What matters is that y'all are happy now.

Since 2003, my wife Lori and I began to put in place a plan to retire at an early age. We didn't know when that would be or where it would be. We discussed retiring in Las Vegas or possibly San Diego. From 2006 forward, we also began visiting foreign countries to see if we could see ourselves living in any of them. Of course, flight 253 happened on Christmas Day 2009 and changed our lives forever. I'm not going to get into the details about it here, but needless to say, that incident and what followed related to that incident caused us to lose faith in the US Government, the police, the Court system (which we both worked in) and the press. In 2012, as a last ditched effort, I decided to run for US Congress in the hopes of cleaning up corruption in the federal government that we discovered through our involvement in the flight 253 incident. Lori didnt want me to run for office but compromised and we agreed that if I lost once, I would never run for political office again. Personally, I needed to know if the widespread problems in the US that we discovered through our involvement in the flight 253 incident were fixable. When I ran for US Congress, the Democratic Party, which I ran under, helped to stack the deck against me(that is another interesting story) as it decided it would rather have an extreme right wing Republican tea party member, baptist minister in office than a Democrat that would fight corruption in Washington. That was the final straw as now we knew for certain that the political process was also a fraud. On the night I lost the general election in November 2012, Lori and I agreed that we would leave the US. At that point, we understood that all of the corruption in the US was not fixable through the political process. It took us two more years before we left the US and the legal field at the height of our careers. Our nephew finished law school in early 2014 and we waited to move until he could take over our law firm. Sorry for the long winded answer. The flight 253 incident played a huge role in determining if we would leave the US or not. It was the deciding factor. We still would have retired early but it might not have been that soon and it might have been within the US.

 

[Betone]

Since 2003, my wife Lori and I began to put in place a plan to retire at an early age. We didn't know when that would be or where it would be. We discussed retiring in Las Vegas or possibly San Diego. From 2006 forward, we also began visiting foreign countries to see if we could see ourselves living in any of them. Of course, flight 253 happened on Christmas Day 2009 and changed our lives forever. I'm not going to get into the details about it here, but needless to say, that incident and what followed related to that incident caused us to lose faith in the US Government, the police, the Court system (which we both worked in) and the press. In 2012, as a last ditched effort, I decided to run for US Congress in the hopes of cleaning up corruption in the federal government that we discovered through our involvement in the flight 253 incident. Lori didnt want me to run for office but compromised and we agreed that if I lost once, I would never run for political office again. Personally, I needed to know if the widespread problems in the US that we discovered through our involvement in the flight 253 incident were fixable. When I ran for US Congress, the Democratic Party, which I ran under, helped to stack the deck against me(that is another interesting story) as it decided it would rather have an extreme right wing Republican tea party member, baptist minister in office than a Democrat that would fight corruption in Washington. That was the final straw as now we knew for certain that the political process was also a fraud. On the night I lost the general election in November 2012, Lori and I agreed that we would leave the US. At that point, we understood that all of the corruption in the US was not fixable through the political process. It took us two more years before we left the US and the legal field at the height of our careers. Our nephew finished law school in early 2014 and we waited to move until he could take over our law firm. Sorry for the long winded answer. The flight 253 incident played a huge role in determining if we would leave the US or not. It was the deciding factor. We still would have retired early but it might not have been that soon and it might have been within the US.

Wow bro, did not discuss this over lunch in CR, you spoke about the Uni-bomber.

 

[pug]

Wow bro, did not discuss this over lunch in CR, you spoke about the Uni-bomber.

It takes a lot of time to understand and digest what took place and how it changed our lives. Many people turn a blind eye to what happened to us. I rarely discuss the details anymore as it's too upsetting to the worldview of many people.

 

[Betone]

It takes a lot of time to understand and digest what took place and how it changed our lives. Many people turn a blind eye to what happened to us. I rarely discuss the details anymore as it's too upsetting to the worldview of many people.

understood.........

 

[Penguinfan]

It takes a lot of time to understand and digest what took place and how it changed our lives. Many people turn a blind eye to what happened to us. I rarely discuss the details anymore as it's too upsetting to the worldview of many people.

I'm unaware of any of the details and don't really care who gets their feelings hurt. I'd love to hear/read your story sometime.


If it's already posted here can I get a link to it?

 

[pug]

I'm unaware of any of the details and don't really care who gets their feelings hurt. I'd love to hear/read your story sometime.


If it's already posted here can I get a link to it?

This video is the most complete compilation of the entire story up until I decided to run for Congress and we moved to Costa Rica.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oOsflKjjNQc

 

[hedgehog]

Since 2003, my wife Lori and I began to put in place a plan to retire at an early age. We didn't know when that would be or where it would be. We discussed retiring in Las Vegas or possibly San Diego. From 2006 forward, we also began visiting foreign countries to see if we could see ourselves living in any of them. Of course, flight 253 happened on Christmas Day 2009 and changed our lives forever. I'm not going to get into the details about it here, but needless to say, that incident and what followed related to that incident caused us to lose faith in the US Government, the police, the Court system (which we both worked in) and the press. In 2012, as a last ditched effort, I decided to run for US Congress in the hopes of cleaning up corruption in the federal government that we discovered through our involvement in the flight 253 incident. Lori didnt want me to run for office but compromised and we agreed that if I lost once, I would never run for political office again. Personally, I needed to know if the widespread problems in the US that we discovered through our involvement in the flight 253 incident were fixable. When I ran for US Congress, the Democratic Party, which I ran under, helped to stack the deck against me(that is another interesting story) as it decided it would rather have an extreme right wing Republican tea party member, baptist minister in office than a Democrat that would fight corruption in Washington. That was the final straw as now we knew for certain that the political process was also a fraud. On the night I lost the general election in November 2012, Lori and I agreed that we would leave the US. At that point, we understood that all of the corruption in the US was not fixable through the political process. It took us two more years before we left the US and the legal field at the height of our careers. Our nephew finished law school in early 2014 and we waited to move until he could take over our law firm. Sorry for the long winded answer. The flight 253 incident played a huge role in determining if we would leave the US or not. It was the deciding factor. We still would have retired early but it might not have been that soon and it might have been within the US.

very interesting...were you on the flight?

Thanks for sharing this story

Wow

 

[pug]

very interesting...were you on the flight?

Thanks for sharing this story

Wow

Yes, I was 8 rows behind and watched the entire incident happen. I also saw how the perpetrator boarded the flight by bypassing security in Amsterdam. If you get a chance, watch the video I posted. I know it's long but it tells the entire story.

 

[buddy]

I just watched its entirety. Your story was presented in a timely and orderly manner and made it very easy to understand. Thanks for posting, pug.