Without boring you with the details, I attended an all-day seminar last week in an attempt to accumulate enough continuing education credits to maintain my CFP license (even though I don’t foresee actively using it again). Looking around the room, I spotted men who I hadn’t seen in years, all doing the same.
One individual I’ve known throughout my decades of practice came over to say hello. After asking about me, he told me how he would never retire and how deeply passionate he feels about his work. While the smile on his face conveyed one message, his eyes revealed another story. You could see the exhaustion and the boredom. Yet here he was, convinced that his pathway was singular to his last heartbeat.
It amazes me how many people have convinced themselves of how the rest of their lives should look. I have pondered this question very deeply, and only a few possible answers exist within the scope of my thinking.
- They have nothing else in their lives that they value.
- Financial concerns keep them earning.
- They lack the imagination to think outside the box.
- Change is difficult and, for some, nearly impossible.
- They are still deeply and completely engaged in what they do.
Perhaps there are additional possibilities that I haven’t sufficiently considered. I wonder, if these five choices were plotted out on a graph, what would the distribution look like?
Thoughts?
