Working - whats the point?

Lsydsm on 30/11/2016 - 11:43
Last edited 30/11/2016 - 11:44

Hey guys,

I currently work M-F 8-5pm. I have generally loved working since the age of 15 (have been working non stop). Im currently in my mid 30's and realised that I actually dislike having to work for life…kinda like whats the point?

Paid off alot of the mortgage, have a nice car, decent life - not complaining about owning things, but generally realising materialistic things dont excite me anymore and working like a dog doesnt do it either. Now im not absolutely not lazy - rather im very driven and still in my workplace achieve above and beyond - I think its more a motivation thing but cant seem to find anything motivating about work these days. My friends are all in senior roles, travel extensively and yes remuneration is great but they arent "happy" either but plodding along working long hours.

I will say, my dream is to live off a hobby farm and relax in life but its the taking the leap scenario that scares me most - I have travelled extensively, and used to absolutely relish in my work and succeeding being top of my game (being in senior roles at a young age also). Met some great people, kicked goals at work, earned good cash and now im sitting here thinking…..is this all I do until im 65?

Wanting to know if others feel like this also.

Cheers

Poll Options

  • 60
    Over working for the sake of working
  • 47
    Love work
  • 329
    Wanting to semi retire and not even 40
Education & Work

Comments

    • troy1976 on 02/12/2016 - 14:08
      +1

      Good points.

      Just adding to the benefits of a cut in hours over extra pay is the taxation angle. Unless you are a mega-earner or running your own business (where you have access to plenty of taxation tricks) the typical PAYG taxpayer is really taking a hammering once they start breaking the $80k (or $87k) level.

  • retiredfeline on 30/11/2016 - 13:34
    +4

    You're thinking in circles. You have imposed many dependencies and preconditions on your habits that you are not sure what is really essential. Taking a break is a good idea, it puts you in a different frame of mind, and you may be able to assess your priorities.

    Not a good example, but for a long backpacking trip I had very little access to newspapers (pre-Internet). On return I found only one or two happenings that I would have liked to know. So I stopped buying newspapers from then on. (But now I have to learn to not read so much online news.)

    • Diji1 on 30/11/2016 - 14:32
      +2

      I stopped reading online news a while ago. It was like giving up a drug addiction.

      • ozbjunkie on 01/12/2016 - 13:39
        +2

        Just spent a year avidly reading news.

        Do not feel more educated or informed.

        Longer works are the go for me.
        Back to books - I love the smell and feel too (yep, unashamed nerdy weirdo here)

      • troy1976 on 02/12/2016 - 14:11

        I'm the same. Basically most of it is just filler and most things that happen that you really need to know about you will know about it soon enough through other means. Too many hours spent endlessly flipping between the same websites without asking myself why I did it when I felt worse for doing so.

  • mskeggs on 30/11/2016 - 13:37
    +17

    You aren't really talking about work at all, you are talking about meaning in your life.
    If you go live on a hobby farm, how will you derive satisfaction, achievement, self worth etc.?
    Some people get meaning from work, but I think most just have it and associated money worries distracting them from finding what is meaningful.
    It sounds like you have the financial side of life sorted.
    What about some of the things other people find meaning in?
    Family/children, religion, volunteering, art, hobbies, music, charity?

    • ProspectiveDarkness on 30/11/2016 - 15:14
      +1

      If you go live on a hobby farm, how will you derive satisfaction, achievement, self worth etc.?

      My thoughts too. The grass is always greener. OP should try some new hobbies and endeavours, take a (reasonable) holiday, and go see a counsellor before making massive changes like quitting and moving to a hobby farm or different country.

    • Donaldhump on 02/12/2016 - 18:51
      +1

      what is the meaning of life….

      • oogabooga on 04/12/2016 - 20:36
        +5

        42

        • bluesky on 04/12/2016 - 21:09
          +2

          Technically-speaking, 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question which is unknown, to be calculated by a special computer, the size of a small planet, built from organic components called "Earth"! :-)

      • frewer on 06/12/2016 - 10:13
        +1

        @unclesnake Love

      • malouphix on 06/12/2016 - 12:42

        To procreate and look after your young so they procreate and so on and so on…

        Reminds me of this quote from Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg:

        Look at all these little things! So busy now! Notice how each one is useful. A lovely ballet ensues, so full of form and color. Now, think about all those people that created them. Technicians, engineers, hundreds of >people, who will be able to feed their children tonight, so those children can grow up big and strong and have little teeny children of their own, and so on and so forth. Thus, adding to the great chain of life. You see, >father, by causing a little destruction, I am in fact encouraging life. In reality, you and I are in the same business.

  • boomramada on 30/11/2016 - 13:39
    +1

    You don't need to trap in same job; same location;
    https://www.seek.com.au/
    https://www.open.edu.au/
    http://www.businessfranchiseaustralia.com.au/
    so many options.

  • Toons on 30/11/2016 - 15:04
    +4

    i'm begging you to take a break before it breaks you and potentially your family

    i'm in a similar position however don't want to live on a farm very much city folk

    i wouldn't take a break saved my company more money than they paid me and i'm nowhere near the poverty line.

    however things change and if you can't adapt you will be doing this till 65

    and luckily you have time on your side

    i've travelled to more places in the world than my combined family i've bought the things i want "scrambled eggs" i bought the audi but bought the one giant killer that i can actually sell for more than i paid for it and i love it but it doesn't fix my work life balance and after smashing every Ferrari porsche and many other supercars it gets old quickly

    if i had made this choice a couple of years ago maybe things would be different but some wouldn't have changed

    I've had a (profanity) year a number of things out of my control 3 family members all diagnosed stage 4 in the same week 2 of them died a few weeks later within a couple of days

    i was smashed by an egomaniac VP because i disagreed with the strategy she wanted to take which failed btw however i was the one persecuted because she had to blame someone and i was the only one who didn't want to follow her wrong quick win. It's something they have to actually answer for and there is nowhere to hide in an electronic age

    KARMA is going to be a bitch and being the smartest person in the room only helps when you can back it up

    there was too many battles going on for me in work and life when i'd decided enough so i had to wait and it sucked i'm not saying your destined for rough times but being happy in your life will certainly make the tough times easier.

    Make your life work for you and your family

  • spacemansam on 30/11/2016 - 15:06
    +8

    I bit of a really random suggestion (and probably unrealistic given the time frame required), but it really was a life changer for me.

    If you are someone who likes the outdoors, do the Camino de Santiago walk in Spain - 30 days of walking, meeting people from all over the world who are all there to figure out something about their lives. Easily the best thing we've ever done and has certainly made us appreciate life a lot more, worry a lot less and really work on having a good work-life balance.

    Good luck

    • retiredfeline on 02/12/2016 - 10:02

      Hi spaceangelz, can I PM you to ask about how you went about preparing for it? (You have PM turned off.)

      • spacemansam on 02/12/2016 - 12:11

        yep sure thing :)

        Just turned it on (I think), let me know if I haven't

    • serpserpserp on 02/12/2016 - 21:27

      I really wanted to do this in my 20s but never got around to it. Now I have a kid and a hella mortgage so it is probably going to have to wait another 10 years! Hopefully there isn't a civil war when that economy collapses and a couple of years and has to exit the EU :P

      • spacemansam on 03/12/2016 - 08:34

        Definitely make sure you do it though! I'd say a large majority of people we met were aged 40+ with kids

  • Geekomatic on 30/11/2016 - 15:08
    +3

    http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-sim…

    https://vimeo.com/183016901

    It's nothing new or earth-shattering to save your money. What Pete does here is to show you just how far in front you CAN be— if you eschew the consumerism that only makes OTHER people wealthy.

    This, is a great video for anyone out there, right now, who are in their 20-30's, especially.

    ;)

    • auna on 30/11/2016 - 15:17
      -7

      Got to the part where Trump is "mocked" and closed the video. His credibility completely gone.

      • Geekomatic on 30/11/2016 - 15:19
        +5

        A shame other people must share your politics or else. To each, their own.

        • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2016 - 15:26

          I'd already watched the video but rewatched a bit of it to see when Trump was mocked. Can't see MMM really targeting the President Elect, so I rewatched it as I was curious.

          Pete takes a swipe at Trump in the context of saying 'ALMOST EVERYBODY sucks at money… this includes the middle class, the poor, our financial advistors, most of our stockmarket traders and even our Presidential candidates' and includes an unflattering photo of Trump on his powerpoint.

          I think that's it.

          LOL.

    • affable on 01/12/2016 - 07:56

      I was thinking of posting MMM as well.
      Sounds like someone's got midlife crisis, lol?

    • troy1976 on 02/12/2016 - 14:21
      +2

      I think I've encountered MMM before; might have been reading about early retirement.

      My only advice to 'young' people (I'm 40) - if they are thinking like I did at their age - is to really think through all the consumer stuff you are buying. I look back now and realise how much more financially independent I could have been so easily. It's not about earning more, the fact is I just wasted what I had and I would have simply wasted more if I was earning more. Sure live a bit but every nice thing I bought was umpteen hours more sitting at a desk in a stuffy office dealing with weird personalities and either absolute boredom or occasional periods of intense stress. Horrible stuff.

    • bl1027 on 03/12/2016 - 17:00
      +3

      I knew there were mustachisians hiding in ozbargain!😁

  • inherentchoice on 30/11/2016 - 16:07
    +25

    Have you read Ecclesiastes? It was written by a successful and wise king who tried everything, and it kind of echoes your sentiment. He had very great military and economic success. He even had a royal harem with 1000 women and billions in gold by today's money.

    Here's some snippets of his writings:

    What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?
    Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever…

    Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
    There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
    There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
    “For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
    “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
    This too is meaningless—
    a miserable business!

    And even if work is meaningless, pleasure too can be just as meaningless:

    I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
    My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
    Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
    everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
    nothing was gained under the sun.

    Personally I find work provides meaning when you consider that we're not just here for ourselves, but a there's a bigger picture.

    I did actually write a full blog post about this but I might have to publish it again. Anyway you could at least try read Ecclesiastes with an open mind, as I believe there's many things you can learn from this short book. It has more printed copies than Harry Potter.

    • idonteven on 02/12/2016 - 18:22
      -5

      Subtle evangelism is subtle.

    • brizzy on 06/04/2018 - 15:57

      Hey can you send me a link to your full blog post. I am really interested.
      Im kind of in the same predicament as OP. 29, 6 figure job, half paid off house etc.
      I am leave for asia (tibet, bhutan etc.) west coast of america and canada.
      Hopefully get a years break from work.
      i wish to pursue other interests that weren't "practical" when i was "choosing" a career. i.e yoga, organic farming, stand up comedy, documentary/youtubing.

  • narcoleptic-haze on 30/11/2016 - 16:16
    +16

    I was infinitely happier when I was living week to week doing what I loved. Now with a secure full time job, I'm depressed, bored, unhealthy, and generally in a state of zombie-like fuzziness throughout the week. And 90% of the money I'm making just goes straight back into sustaining this current situation. It just doesn't make sense.

    • troy1976 on 02/12/2016 - 14:39
      +5

      Nailed it.

      I'm working part-time in a relatively low stress job after almost two decades in full-time jobs. My current pay isn't that bad because while it is a lot less than before, I'm also not spending huge amounts on indulgences to make myself feel good about being chronically stressed. I've also noticed that:

      • I'm healthier (mentally and physically)
      • I sleep better
      • I almost never get a cold
      • I actually have time to use the things I bought previously but almost never used
      • I don't spend each and every Sunday afternoon in a depressive/anxiety state because I don't have a solid M-F block of work ahead of me
      • I cook proper food for tea most nights
      • I can actually enjoy daylight even in winter
      • I do shopping and chores when things aren't busy during the day
      • jellykingdom on 05/12/2016 - 10:09
        +2

        Amen guys. It feels like troy1976 and I are the same person. I literally hate my job/my boss (I am looking for new work, but the ones I have been offered aren't necessarily good substitutes) - it makes me bored/depressed, tired, short-on-time, and has severely impacted my motivation . But there's been other problems, which as a smart fella I've been able to identify but not entirely able to solve, and don't expect I will be able to solve completely without getting a new job.

        • I have found in the past that I was using online shopping etc as a bit of a crutch to try to buy happiness - I was able to get on top of that, but it was turning into a habit! And I'm not a particularly materialistic guy, but I was wasting money frivilously
        • Sundays are indeed the worst, because I wake up and from literally midday onwards I always find myself unhappy because I'm counting down the minutes until I have to go to sleep and go back to work.
        • Motivation is sapped, and that in turn leads to not eating right, or exercising enough. I am a very driven person but the job is ruining it
        • The biggest problem that I found is that because I'm not being fulfilled (i.e seeing goals achieved and projects completed) in my work life, I am trying to substitute it with fulfillment entirely from my hobbies. So my DIY projects and woodwork and home projects suddenly became a burden because all I could think about was ticking things off the list, and got angry and unhappy when I didn't get a chance to finish something. if i didn't complete at least 1-2 tasks on the weekend, I would get supremely pissy and then get angry at my wife because she wants a few minutes of my 'precious' time…hardly a stable combination! Again, working on solving that one

        I've heard some similar complaints from friends in other engineering fields - my theory is that you get a certain age where you responsibility levels don't line up with a) pay expectations, and b) your lifestyle, i.e you're not quite over the tipping point of becoming a fully fledged adult. And it sucks!

        So YES I would absolutely kill to semi-retire, and the thought of working for another 40years absolutely scares the bejesus out of me! I've been working on getting the share portfolio up to scratch so that it will tick along and build up for retirement, keep up the superannuation, etc.

        • scraggers on 05/12/2016 - 13:32

          Man I feel like you just described my current life.

          • Going braindead from dead end job with no challenging work
          • Lose motivation to look for a new job (I have forced myself to do training at work right now to help)
          • Questioning whether I can even be in IT for 40 years.
          • My hobby for fulfilment is video games, and this means constantly trying to complete my backlog and staying up extra late every night for some kind of gratification that they bring
          • Shopping at work to feel happier (thus ozbargain)
          • Other jobs I go for are potentially pretty trash, or maybe i'm too paranoid to make the same mistake again.

          Having a real internal debate with myself about joining the police force. 4 days on, 6 days off in a row and gratifying, interesting and varied work.

          It's a hard one.

        • frewer on 06/12/2016 - 12:19

          @scraggers: lol I feel ya, even though I dont do personal thing @ work

      • sydsm on 05/12/2016 - 12:58

        Interesting. I get sick 6-8 weeks like clockwork. Whats sleep? :)

    • [Deactivated] on 03/12/2016 - 17:02
      +1

      You've summed it up so perfectly. I felt the same when working full time in my career (which I actually do find meaningful to my life)..

      Now I'm working part time in a job that couldn't be further away from my actual career, and it's destroying me inside. I have more time for myself but I still struggle with feeling like all of that time is a hazy blur of me trying to recover from the work days and stress.

      I look at other people who seem to manage fine while juggling full time work, extra activities, family, social lives, hobbies, etc and just think "how the hell are you keeping it together?"

      Currently I feel like I'm falling apart a lot of the time.

  • nubzy on 30/11/2016 - 16:45
    +13

    Everyone has their own opinions and way they want to live their life. I couldn't imagine anything worse than working 9-5 Mon-Fri making someone else rich for the rest of my life. I would be absolutely miserable. I am single and don't have any family to support and don't need much money. Possessions don't bring me any happiness at all, I do appreciate quality goods and prefer to buy good quality straight up that will last me years. Just as long as I can afford to run a basic reliable car, have good quality accommodation and the odd holiday here and there I am happy. I don't like being beholden to other people/a boss either, so I look for ways to make passive income or generate income on the internet. I really don't care about having a fancy car or house anymore, because none of it matters at all. Just do what feels right, because life is short and who knows when it will end.

    • xsdni999 on 01/12/2016 - 08:56
      +1

      Well said my friend, we all have limited time on this earth and i just hate the thought of spending most of my time at a full time job working for the next 40 years or so. I'm in the same boat as you trying to make passive income on the net so i can free up my time and the freedom to spend my time on my terms.

    • scrimshaw on 02/12/2016 - 13:38

      You mean 8 to 6.30pm,because almost every place I worked at has 1 hour unpaid lunch breaks.

      I hate 1 hour lunch breaks. I just wanna be home by 6pm :(

    • koalafied on 03/12/2016 - 22:19

      Best response I've read out of all the other ones here. I completely agree with everything you've said, it does not matter even if you're a millionaire/billionaire because they also get to a point in life where they're miserable due to having everything they want and too much money. People are so brainwashed that they think life is just about working, making money and buying things, they don't think for a minute and ask themselves why we're here and what our true purpose is. I think you should see the movie called 'Into The Wild', you'll know what I mean once you see it. A good quote from it: 'Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness; give me truth.'

  • mbck on 30/11/2016 - 17:18

    You need a new inspiration. You're pretty much set in life so there's that contentment there. Though, it may also sound like your emotional energy is spent.

    Maybe find a new goal? A new challenge, where you don't feel you are stagnating? Something different. Remember that feeling when you first tasted something unknown, traveled to a place you never saw, or experienced something you never imagined you would.
    A type of work that you've always wanted to do? But one that still gives you some income.
    Long service leave? Maybe take some time to reflect and see where you want your life to go towards?

  • DeepSea on 30/11/2016 - 19:55

    When you go to bed, stop thinking and sink into yourself. Basically meditation. It only works if you practice everyday. Do it.

  • boccos on 01/12/2016 - 07:50

    I think the words you are really looking for is fullfillment or contentment in your life. This does not come from your work or material things. It comes from within. The good news is if you seek it, you will find it. Chances are that in your life, you probably have misssed chances to get it, so don't let the next opportunuty pass. All you need do is to be aware of the door opening……..

  • lisamacoz on 01/12/2016 - 08:50
    +2

    Have you thought of volunteering somewhere to give your time more purpose? Nothing gives your life more meaning than being needed by someone. It will also give a different perspective on your life when you see how some people live and what they overcome. There are plenty of places looking for people to help out. You could also look into offering your weekends to a hobby farm to see if it is something you like. It could be everything you dream of or an expensive lesson.

    • ozbjunkie on 01/12/2016 - 13:48
      +1

      I've been volunteering for around 5 years now. It is a component of a healthy and happy life, but does not really solve anything in isolation.

      I think the benefit comes from mildly adjusting how and why we engage with others. It reminds you that weakness or vulnerability is entirely different from worthlessness or ugliness. If we can understand these things about others then we can find a way to be gentler with ourselves.

      But volunteering alone yields very mild benefits, at least, it has for me.

      • sydsm on 02/12/2016 - 09:17

        Noted a few comments here about Volunteering and meditation - I would say having tried both I think long term the effects are lost on me just as you mention. It may be just getting a new hobby to keep my active (I have an over active mind).

        • lisamacoz on 02/12/2016 - 09:59

          I have the same problem with meditation and an overactive mind. It is like letting the monkeys out of their cages.

        • Serapis on 05/12/2016 - 00:43

          Tried mediation and yoga but it didn't work for me…

          I found myself in the opposite state, learnt how to fight in a few styles like BJJ and Muay Thai and found that I'm the happiest when I spar with others + with a few classes in self defense involving knives and guns, learnt how to deal with situations tactically and with precision… I think I found my inner self as an hunter/assassin (though I'm actually nicer to everyone than before I started, actually started volunteering as well =/)

          My next goal is go to Indonesia and learn to fight with a Karambit, but maybe volunteer there as well

      • lisamacoz on 02/12/2016 - 09:30

        Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it is because you already have a full and meaningful life. It has really helped me in times when I've been going through something hard to see how hard it can really be or just to have someone who is so glad to see you. I've done most of my volunteering with either children or the elderly and sometimes I have felt like I got more back than I put in. Better than therapy for me.

        • ozbjunkie on 02/12/2016 - 09:40
          +2

          I do social outreach with those living with mental illness… And sometimes wonder whether I am actually more mentally ill (srs). But this is a point of humour for me, and humour is perhaps my largest joy in life.

        • lisamacoz on 02/12/2016 - 10:04
          +1

          @ozbjunkie: That's great and an important/difficult area that not a lot of people volunteer for. I totally agree on the humour. If I couldn't laugh some days, I'd probably scream. It's laugh or cry and crying makes my mascara run which burns the hell out of my eyes.

      • aussieprepper on 02/12/2016 - 16:45
        +1

        I volume every day. I school kids in battlefield this brings me much joy.

  • parisienne on 02/12/2016 - 00:23
    +4

    I hear you sydsm.After having several,eyeopening realisations hit me hard (missing being blown sky high in a terror attack whilst living in London by a matter of hours,having a long running episode of suicidal depression (due in no small part to work stress),losing 10 pregnancies and having what i thought was "it all" (two homes,one paid off,one seriously on the way,two pretty little cars,a past that included living in Europe for almost a year…without having to work to support myself,a few nice trinkets etc),i know that the drudgery of full on work until 70 + (65 is now not an option for us born after 1965)is NOT where happiness lies (despite working being a necessary task for most humans).
    It lies in working a shift or two less (which i have done recently…the sheer relief i got from telling my boss that i was dropping my full time hours to go to part time was instant.I immediately felt a sense of calm,a sense of relief and a sense of "now i really feel as though i can meaningfully contribute to my chosen profession.When stress starts to creep in,i remind myself that i only have a day to go,then i am off for a day,work one more day,then off for two…i have never felt so able to cope).
    Whilst feelings like this can stem from boredom ("God this day to day drudgery is old….maybe i need a new challenge"),regret ("seriously,was that Porsche / huge home / exclusive private boarding school etc REALLY worth it" ?)or just plain exhaustion ("four weeks off really isn't doing it for me anymore….i still feel physically / mentally drained"). For me,it was the epiphany that life is short,fleeting.That life is about moments,not possessions,and that money really doesn't equal happiness….sure,you can buy a new car,and that makes you happy for a few months…but what then ?

    • sydsm on 02/12/2016 - 09:22
      +1

      Thank you - this is exactly how I feel. I have been able to achieve so much by starting from such an early age. I do have more than most, but after all of this, its just plain BS to me to keep thinking I have to work, work and work to no end just so I can continue to buy more junk which ultimately I just dont need. Ultimately I do believe I will move to work 3 days a week and relax for 4 days as I would get bored quick, but Ive come to realise I just need to take hold of what I want to do and just get on with it. No regrets (havent really had any just yet, other than I just dont want to work by the time I hit 40 unless I WANT TO)

      • parisienne on 03/12/2016 - 08:30

        Sweety,i will be honest and say that i am never seeing 40 again…it was before i hit 40 that i had some thoughts that this thing we call life is more than what i was told it was (work hard / save hard / think of retirement at 65 )and that i wasn't happy with more materialistic crap.
        It was when i was off work (not by choice) due to mental health issues,that i came to this decision.The thing that was supposed to earn me money to have this life,was, in fact, the very thing STOPPING me from living (or wanting to ) at all.
        I work 8 days a fortnight right now,and will drop to 7 first week of next year (as i am now pregnant…after my 6th IVF cycle.This baby means more than any darn bill or pitiful possession…and i think i owe it to bub to be the happiest,most well adjusted Mummy i can be.I also owe it to my husband to be a better wife).
        It will be hard at times (hey,a couple of hundred bucks a fortnight is a significant drop),but we (and you / anyone else in this place) do manage.It is all about balance…less society "greed" and more personal "joy in life" (i can promise you,boredom isn't an issue when you drop a day or two.You do those things you never had time to do (go for that drive down the Great Ocean Road / start that French class you always wanted to take / cook up a storm everynight..because you can.I do just that,and i have found myself a much better human.

  • sydsm on 02/12/2016 - 09:23

    Impressed that alot of people though want to semi retire by the time they are 40! Keen to know what you guys would actually do in this semi retired state?

    • retiredfeline on 02/12/2016 - 09:26
      +7

      Make posts about being bored. ;)

      • sydsm on 02/12/2016 - 09:32
        +7

        Find bargains on Ozbargain :)

      • ozbjunkie on 02/12/2016 - 09:35
        +6

        While I'm off work for a couple months at the moment and can heartily agree that the first feeling is boredom, I would suggest that this is far superior to stress.

        Boredom is what you feel when you haven't geared down yet. Once you relax it's ok to do nothing, nap in the day etc…and sometimes you come up with a nice idea for the day.

        Antipasti platter is my idea for today, it's not a big idea, but it's tasty. Yesterday I saw mum and played with the neighbours dog.

        Enjoyment of nature and small things might look like idleness, but these are not the same… Says some Taoist poem I like.

        • retiredfeline on 02/12/2016 - 09:38

          Yeah, I was watching Maru the cat videos last night and realised that there is absolutely nothing wrong with just doing nothing but enjoying the moment. I think I need a cat for a teacher. :)

        • ozbjunkie on 02/12/2016 - 09:43
          +1

          @greenpossum:

          This might seem silly, but I think cats are amazing teachers.

          While dogs will follow you everywhere and you will never feel alone… Even in the bathroom… Cats know that when hunting, play, and eating are over, it's time for rest, and they just chill with perfect poise and posture. Graceful really. Cats are amazing at doing nothing.

    • retiredfeline on 02/12/2016 - 10:13

      Anyway sydsm, the important thing is to give various ideas a go. You'll never know if you never try. Some activities I thought would be absorbing didn't suit me, and some are now part of my life. But even those that didn't work out helped me refine my options.

    • MrMarket on 02/12/2016 - 14:14

      Just work in jobs that I enjoy and good at it and refused all other high pressure jobs even if it offer me more money.
      I then stack away some cash and invest and create a passive stream of income.

      Life is relaxing and I have a few months off a year holiday I am early 40s

    • prinsenhof on 02/12/2016 - 20:43

      40? you mean 30 !! What would i do….

      Downhill mountain biking
      RC helicopters and planes
      Make furniture for fun, help people renovate homes for the fun of it
      Automate my fish tank, blinds, lights, just because i can
      Make a machine to automatically wash my clothes, hang them on the line, take them off and fold them
      Use all my hiking gear, use my tent, use my kayak
      Play the PS4 or computer games for more than 2 hours a week
      Play with my dog
      Go snorkelling, learn to scuba dive
      …

      really this list would never end. Currently im enjoying my 2m x 2m cubicle with no windows.

  • oldspice on 02/12/2016 - 10:01
    +2

    Sounds like you need to join fight club

    • ozbjunkie on 02/12/2016 - 10:29
      +3

      breaking the first rule… They're gonna beat you up…

    • aussieprepper on 02/12/2016 - 16:48

      How many times do we have to tell you the rules before you learn?

  • ProjectZero on 02/12/2016 - 10:49
    +3

    Just want to point out… double negatives

    i'm not absolutely not lazy

  • zfind on 02/12/2016 - 11:06
    +1

    Wanting to know if others feel like this also.

    Many of us. I am in the midst of this right now. Have felt dissatisfied with work for a long while, even though I'm in a very privileged, flexible and in-demand industry. I can pretty much pick and choose where I work. But just this morning I said how sucky it is to spend 8 hours every day waiting to get home so I can do something I find stimulating. It's not for me I've realised after 10 years working full-time, but I'm addicted to the cash to be perfectly honest. It's that big leap that scares me - you're not alone in that - but I've packed it all in before (quit a job of 5 years and moved to South America with my mate) so I reckon I can do it again easily enough and not go back to full-time work.

    I put it to myself this way: the position I'm in is exceptional: born in the right country, got a good education, didn't live through war, no hardship. Have traveled a crazy amount, have had amazing experiences. Have saved a good wad of cash. I'm thankful for all that and for the opportunity to choose how I spend my time, so I'm going to do it the right way and stuff everyone else. They can trade 40 hours of their life a week to pay bills if they want, but it's not what I want, so time to do something about it. It's starting with another trip to Latin America and will be followed by a veeeery long bushwalk.

  • brawndo on 02/12/2016 - 12:16

    Take a year off. Sabbatical if possible. One year in the scheme of a ~40 year career is not much at all.

    You won't regret it.

  • outlander on 02/12/2016 - 12:19
    +3

    Working is to earn money
    Money is to buy things
    Things are to make your life easier so you can focus on your ultimate goal
    Your ultimate goal is..?

  • pooman on 02/12/2016 - 12:19

    Congrats. Sounds like you've had a great life. Think it's good that you're looking for something more. Pray that you find it.

  • JetLi on 02/12/2016 - 12:42

    signs of a mid life crisis, we all go through it

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 02/12/2016 - 13:25

    I'd love to know how OzBargainers in their 30s or older get their day-to-day kicks? Not general ideas and categories but concrete personal examples.

    • ozbjunkie on 02/12/2016 - 15:20
      +1

      Seeking things of beauty. Whether that's a game, movie, song, or poem.

      Stand up comedy.

      Sun on my face, silence. (sounds boring but at least it's sustainable)

    • prinsenhof on 02/12/2016 - 20:53
      +3

      For me,

      Im now taking large risks downhill mountain biking out in the bush on my own. Gets the adrenaline going and the thrill of threading the needle at high speed through small gaps is rewarding. I try to offset the risk by wearing body armour even though i look like a 32 year old fool.

      My excuse earlier in life for not doing it was i had no one to do it with. Now i just said im not getting younger, time to do shit i want to do.

      Also went to Canada to whistler in summer to practice jumping, just crazy fun.

      To keep fit, i pay to enter XC marathons forcing me to train week-to-week. I come near to last and cry during them but i always finish and keeps me super fit.

  • aimon on 02/12/2016 - 13:35
    +2

    You are not alone. There is a whole community and movement behind these things.

    Usually it is not about retiring but coming to a financial position where you don't need your job to live. You do it because you want to. Not because you have to.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence

    https://www.reddit.com/r/fiaustralia/

    • MrMarket on 02/12/2016 - 14:23

      there is nothing on earth that beat financial security
      you are a lot happier and the funny thing is when you don't have money you tend to spend more and chasing it
      once you reach financial independence stage, you just enjoy life different ways.

      Weekend away down the coast take an extra day off
      Takes extra leaves each year and do what the hell ever you want
      Sipping coffee and just sit in the sun for hours and watch the world goes by
      exercise more because you want to and feel relax and good

      and with money you can get some cool gadget to make you enjoy life even more

      • idonteven on 02/12/2016 - 18:27
        +4

        If nothing beats financial security then why is OP and all these other people on OzBargain and in the world feeling otherwise?

        Lemme save you some time, financial security isn't the goal.

  • kutakintay on 02/12/2016 - 14:14
    +7

    I have experienced a similar feeling like yourself, although mine also included some degree burnout and anxiety.

    Just turned 35, had been working in a desk job for 15 years. Paid off a small mortgage but past five years has been a blur averaging 60-70 hours a week, plus doing a degree full time. In that time, most of my friends got married and started a family.

    Last month walked away from a six figure job and decided to take a one year sabbatical. Currently looking after a vegetable garden, back at the gym 4 days a week, volunteer work and spending time with family and friends. In January, will move to Ubud, Bali and then travel around Asia.

    Taking the leap is the most scary part, seems to go against all rational thinking. You will be surprised how many people say, they wish they could pull the trigger or have done it when they were younger and healthy.

  • cocomelon on 02/12/2016 - 14:35
    +1

    im 32 and i feel the same way too op, you are not alone.
    thinking to resign and just open a small cafe and hire some people to run it, while i have time to figure out the purpose of this life haha

  • skyva on 02/12/2016 - 14:42
    +1

    You seem to be missing the family part. I was earning lots as well, until I got married and had kids. Then every cent went into raising a family, and family was most important.

    You work to enjoy life, and it seems you have no goals outside work, so working for works sake isn't making you happy.

    I guess you need to find what you want to do with your life.

  • ozbjunkie on 02/12/2016 - 15:27
    +5

    Near the middle of the day, when clouds are thin and the breeze is light;
    I stroll along the river, passing the willows and the blooming trees.
    People of the day do not understand my joy;
    They will say that I am loafing like an idle young man.

    11CE Ch'eng Hao

    Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.
    Epictetus

  • Miss B on 02/12/2016 - 15:46
    +2

    It's not uncommon for people to change careers a few times in their life. There have been jobs I have done that I have hated (worked to live), but for the most part I have liked my jobs. The main things for me are working with people I enjoy working with and/or work that challenges me, but I excel at. I've just changed careers in my early 30s and I love what I do now. I did uni online in my spare time to get there, but I enjoyed studying as well.

    If your dream is to live off a hobby farm, what do you need to get there? If you're worried about taking a leap, figure out the details until it doesn't feel like as much of a leap. Talk to people who have done it successfully, see what problems they had and how they solved them. What else do you need to learn to be successful at running one? How much is it going to cost to start? What do you need to sustain your planned lifestyle? Where do you want it to be? Once you've started figuring out the details, you might be able to start figuring out your timeline. Maybe it'll take 1 year, maybe 15, I don't know much about it or your situation, but better to start planning now than keep putting it off because you're worried about taking the leap. Assuming that is what you think will make you happy. If not, figure out what will make you happy and start planning.

    Disclaimer: I love planning, this may not be good advice for you.

  • centrelink on 02/12/2016 - 15:53
    +1

    yeah i hate work too.. (in before someone relates my name to my comment)

  • freakatronic on 02/12/2016 - 16:03

    This is the kind of discussion I wanted to generate with my "How Did You Make Your First Million Dollars?" post. I too feel a great emptiness in my working life. A deep and abiding dissatisfaction. I'm working on a couple of solutions but I lose about 60 of the best hours of my week to employment and employment related duties. It's not easy to escape.

    • Janko on 02/12/2016 - 16:46

      What is your work? I remember reading something once saying that unless you're a creative type who can see results (artist, engineer, architect, ..), an emptiness can arise from not actually physically marking a mark on the world.

  • Yaren24 on 02/12/2016 - 16:35
    +2

    OP, time for a Harley Davidson

  • Randxyz123 on 02/12/2016 - 16:58
    +1

    Sounds like you need a break… Do you have any LSL you can take ?

    • beerpara on 02/12/2016 - 17:11
      +7

      Or LSD?

  • JetLi on 02/12/2016 - 17:19
    +2

    Buy a jeep

  • AlienC on 02/12/2016 - 17:59
    +2

    I figured this out at around 10-15 years old and decided to just pursue my dream of relaxing and building an enjoyable lifestyle. To me that is sleeping in and eating comfortably but get frugally while chasing my dream of building a AAA real time strategy game. You gotta choose the reasons to live for and just pursue it no matter what. There are plenty of insane and difficulty obstacles but hey that's life.

  • LeavingTheWheel on 02/12/2016 - 18:44
    +3

    Congratulations!!!!

    You've managed to figure this out before you're half dead and buried at retirement age.

    If you're only working to keep the SYSTEM running, then stop and just enjoy the rest of your life.

    I quit my 6 figure salary job to take back my time, and have started to explore my options in this world. I too don't favour possessions over experiences anymore and found my little niche in the online world to help pay the bills.

    I'm still building my passive income streams, but it's looking promising. And once done I'll use all my free time to enjoy life like it was supposed to be enjoyed.

    We were really sold a bum deal about the career 'thing' it's a lot of BS invented to keep the wheels turning in a SYSTEM where your only role in life is to work for the MAN. And if you make it to the end, they give you a chance to relax and contemplate life while working through the regrets you've amassed over the years.

    You've only got one life, and despite what you were told you don't need to work a shitty job for 40 years as a repayment for being born.

    Go out and have some fun. It sounds like you are in a much better financial position that I, so if I can do it so can you.

  • Kempe on 02/12/2016 - 19:12
    +1

    I know where the op is coming from.
    I worked all my life and was always savvy with money, had everything I wanted plus money in the bank and totally fed up with the working environment, you know, performance management and all that crap about getting the best out of you, going to meetings and listening to BS from people brown nosing for promotion, so walked away from it all and started looking for a lower job with less expectation of performance.
    Loved it, walked in and did the job blindfolded, no more unpaid overtime worked 8am till 4 and out the door

  • acersaurus on 02/12/2016 - 20:21
    +1

    A lot of people must work full-time, for kids etc.. it sounds like this isn't essential for you though, so I'd consider going down to part time 3 days/week, sell your house, buy that hobby farm in a regional area on the fringe of the city (you'll probably get it cheap).

    If you don't have kids and you don't love your job, it may not be worth working full-time in a pure time vs money vs happiness trade off analysis.

    3 days per week is a lot less risky than quitting all together and still gives you more weekend than week, plus annual leave, plus public holidays, work will only be a small part of your life.

  • ShortyX on 02/12/2016 - 20:37
    +2

    OP joined at 11:30am on 30/11/16 and posted this 13 minutes later.

    Serious post or trolling?

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