Comments on: Work, Retire… Then You Die.

By: jen

jen — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:30:52 +0000

I want to start living

By: Whitman

Whitman — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:24:34 +0000

In this world we have to make sure that we continue to be productive and useful. You don’t need a paycheck, but especially in this downturn, we need to be good neighbors and citizens.

Charity and supporting friends, family and community provide richeness and meaning regardless of how you define community.

By: Loren

Loren — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:26:44 +0000

Scott, You NEED to read the book “The Joy of NOT Working” by Ernie J Zelinski. He shares much of what you feel about life. He uses his laptop to work from wherever he is in the world. GREAT BOOK! I believe you have many excellent ideas. You are a free thinker, and think outside of the box. This is completely refreshing, especially at your age. I have lived on both sides of the fence. As a free spirit, I have travelled all across america and lived in several locations. I am by no means a digital lifestyle. I have lived with less and survived where most would give in to western thinking. I have worked part time jobs, done my grocery shopping of less then $20/week at the dollar store, and at the same time enjoyed good relationships, freedom to come and go, and the ability to use my time as I see fit. Why am I telling you these things? There are several things I have learned and I will share them with you:
1. You can never regain time lost with family.(always remember)
2. Living life on your own terms helps to define what you want and DON’T want in your life (ex. negative people, unsafe environments, dangerous habits etc.)
3. Never having to follow the 40 hours/week for 40 years “success” scenario (…”just 12 years & then I’ll start living”)
4. Realizing that comfort comes from a sense of balance in your life. You have to live “life in 3D”. We are not 1 dimensional creatures. (ex. a “successful” life as a rock star (without family and friends) is only an empty life, trapped on a tour bus, filled with one night appearances and endless demands on time, while your soul longs for “home” and real relationships.
5. You can change your goals/lifestyle/living environment, as what means most to you changes at various stages of life. When you learn the rules of life (as set down by adults before us) we can learn to re-define the rules to our own sense of what matters most rather than jus “going with the flow” of career choice, working part time vs. 40 or more hours/week, spending more time doing things that mean something rather than just “vedging” day after day waiting for our lives to change.
6. CHANGE HAPPENS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. Don’t wait for it.

By: Ranjith Dayaratne

Ranjith Dayaratne — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:41:11 +0000

Hi, Scott.

Thanks for the blogs. They sound great. I am particularly keen on the idea of vertcal and lateral growth, not only in personal development which is very true, but outside. I am an architect /professor and found your interpretaion very useful in dealing with city development/ Urban development. Could I use your ideas and particulary the graphs to tak about urban development in the Asian context.

thnx,
Ranjith

By: Scott Young

Scott Young — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:01:14 +0000

Naomi,

I hadn’t heard that. Perhaps there is more to the question than I thought.

-Scott

By: Naomi

Naomi — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:29:08 +0000

Scott, great post (great site, in fact!). I’m all for living the life you want to live, and I hope you really go for it for that reason but I think the latest research suggests that the “time goes faster as you get older” phenomenon is more to do with brain chemistry than lifestyle. From this documentary: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/time1.shtml I learned that we all have a “super chiasmatic nucleus” in our brains that controls how we perceive the flow of time. As children, it starts off very revved up – ask a group of 5 year olds to close their eyes and raise their hands when they think one minute has passed, and you’ll get a forest of hands after 20 seconds. But it slows down over our lives – ask a group of 60 year olds to do the same test, and they won’t raise their hands until 2 minutes have elapsed. From about 20 to 30 we’re bang on 1 perceived minute = 1 elapsed minute. You can try the test yourself to see where you are!

By: Scott Young

Scott Young — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:15:48 +0000

kei,

Check the archives for a post titled “How to Start Projects You’ll Actually Finish” (or something close to that). I’ve written before about the art of completing projects. “The Art of the Finish” is another great entry on this site written by Cal Newport.

-Scott

By: kei

kei — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:57:10 +0000

By the way, I am making a post request because I find your postings very helpful, clear, easy to understand and useful. Thanks!

By: kei

kei — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:56:16 +0000

Can you write a piece on how to keep on track and follow through on projects? Or even how to do this throughout the day? I often get distracted throughout my day. Then again, if you don’t have this problem, then you may not want to write about it…

By: Scott Young

Scott Young — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:37:30 +0000

Jurgen,

Perhaps, but we can always try, can’t we?

Dave,

Awesome comment. Thanks for posting.

-Scott