Work

My brother retired a few years ago - not like I retired - he did it in the more traditional way. After serving as CFO for a major corporation for some years, he threw in the towel, walked out, and began a life of leisure, which included buying more than one house in the country, doing multiple renovations, taking up a new hobby and playing golf.

When I first began to talk to him about retirement, he said, "keep working." He also mentioned that he wished he had more "consulting" work to do.

I gather from his example, and by that of quite a few other people, that "keep working" is sound advice. The key, however, is to work at something you love, preferably at something you are passionate about. That is the direction I am heading. Right now I work at things I am good at. More and more I am working where my passion lies. Result? Happiness.

We need to feel useful, needed, accomplished. Most of us need a sense of achievement or recognition. Work we love doing can provide that. And that sort of work should never end. When was the last time you saw a great Hollywood director or actor retire? Or a writer? Or an artist?