Working To Live... It's Insanity!

I Know What Lies Ahead!

As I wind down my second career of real estate, I recently scoured my real estate blog and re-visited many of the hundreds of blogs I've written over the years. Sometimes it's interesting (sometimes scary) to re-analyse your thoughts from way back when, and in doing so, learn something about yourself in retrospect. I'm gonna call that process Refining Wisdom.

One of last real estate blog posts I published originated out of much frustration with the state of the housing market (post-Great Recesion), the real estate industry, and the economy on the whole. But it was the fact I was working much harder for far fewer peanuts, or much less than I was used to. It was like taking a huge cut in salary and being told to put forth twice the effort. Who in their right mind wouldn't say "Take This Job and Shove it!"

Here is that blog article as it ties into my decision to search out beaches and coconut trees:

Too Much Money!

While commenting on a particular blog in a different forum, I sided with the blogger's own personal dissatisfaction in generating income with something he really loves doing... Blogging. As I shared with him my love of earning an income doing something I really enjoy (real estate), I realized something about myself. It wasn't a new idea that just surfaced, but about a deep desire that has been burning within me for a very long time. Fulfillment. When will I have had enough and actually feel fulfilled? Was I ever going to retire?

Wanted: Two perfectly spaced coconut trees on a beach!

For many years, and like many other working-class slaves, I only understood the need for more money. There never seemed to be enough, because there were living expenses and bills to pay. And when did have enough money, we created more bills with it. At this pace, there would never be any fulfillment. But today, that "more with less" mantra has arrived within me like a pinned post comment on a viral blog article. And it's directly related to my fulfillment of life. Over the years I've learned that life is not all about owning your own businesses, living in a huge home on a golf course. It's not about having a certain number of cars, a motorhome, sailboat, or any other luxury items that one might accumulate. We achieved all that and we weren't happy.

What was missing in our life was definitely not comfort. We had more than our fair share. It was family, close friends, strong relationships, sunrises & sunsets, and in summary, a healthy lifestyle. Stress was having its way with our health. All the real needs in life can be easily out of reach when all the wants get in the way. Wants and desires only provide you with a false sense of security through the possession of material things. Having all those material things above turned us into participants in a voluntary slavery experiment... and we were enslaved to ourselves.

Broker/Franchise Owner - Success comes with a heavy price.

As "tried" as I am in the real estate business, I am at that point in my career where if I am the chosen one (for future real estate transactions), then great! I will accept that I was selected based on my past good performance and or my experience. If not, it doesn't matter anymore. I am okay with winding down. I have no need to be a top producer anymore and will work hard for those who elect my services. If I've learned anything valuable in this business, it's that good customer service is sacrificed in the name of top producer status.

The Desire of Less Money?

Yes, that's it... The exact opposite of wanting more money! Life can become very humdrum chasing the next almighty dollar, only to give more of it away through expenditures and taxes. From time to time, I will reel in my own common sense and analyse the how's and whys. It was only recently that I realized that nothing was registering on my quality of life meter. We work, we earn, we spend, we work harder, and we spend more. I call it the the work-to-live syndrome and in most cases it's not the healthiest of lifestyles.

In addition to the listing and selling of real estate, I found blogging to be self-satisfying (to a degree). But there are times when I start to feel like it's become obligatory. I've reached a point with my online presence that I feel saturated with these obligations. I've also realized that the return was not commensurate with the amount of invested time cranking out all this superfluous garb. Blogging did not directly equate to more income, it only bolstered my online presence. After several years building my online presence, I've slowly begun to dis-assemble myself online. And I'm enjoying the equivalent satisfaction of winding down. I have de-obligated myself. Now we just have to emancipate ourselves from self-slavery, and all the non-essential assets that are sucking us dry.

Living Life May Not Be Free, But It Does Get Cheaper with Age.

We have chosen the path to more relaxation and less work. We simply don't need more than we need to be content. Being content with working hard at something with only the expectation of success is pure insanity. With success comes stress. Contentment is not in the material things that we accumulate in life. Hell, it takes more work just to keep up with it all. These days, I'm mostly content with giving advice for free. I might as well, as I'm not using it anymore.

Besides, I have relaxation on my mind and it doesn't cost nearly as much as I thought!

Originally published 02/13/2012, Active Rain Real Estate Network