Life's Too Short......

[ruggedscotty]

i wrote this a while back and thought id re post it...

There peeps on here that covet money.. its not the be all or end all. Still makes me smile a bit at some of the
comments that such a quote raises. It dont bother me but I jump on and make a comment. the very fact you have hit a few keys and hit return means that its bothered you enough to reply when you state money doesnt bother you.

Its like the peeps that die in what would be classed poverty - one bed studio and they leave £1 billion to the dog and cat home... Like Gawd... Did you not spend a bit and enjoy your life or did you get off on purgatory ?

so back to the original post about a £ 70k pay cut... now as you and I know £70k isnt £70k once you take those deductions off it ends up about £48k

Break that down further and its a grand a week or 184 quid a day drop...

Is it mad ? or is it not.... How do you value that 184 quid a day... or 7 quid an hour. thats less than minimum wage.

seeing kids grow up spending time with your partner enjoying your hobbies and past times etc... working shifts long commutes 4 holidays a year ?

Stuck on the M1 grind ? Waiting in an airport to see if the delay wont be as log as last time you ended up overnight in an empty airport, or sat next to that obnoxious arse salesman in seat G5 as they squeezed you in the last flight as you listen to his life as he tries to sell you a group telecoms package like his life relies on it, poor sap it probably does as hes out if he doesnt meet sales target this month as they are realigning the sales division and relocating to Milton Keynes.

Oh the desperation of those high flyers we dont know the struggles they face do we. 1st world problems were discussing apple or samsung and others are wondering if they can eat this week or have the heating on.

A 70k pay cut ? The mrs wont get her new leased TT with the ivory leather and kiddies Jimmy and Jenna wont be going sking to the alps this autumn.....

Yes drastic ;-)

you cut your cloth accordingly. Life is about life outside of work. Its not the corporate ladder. No matter how you get brainwashed into annual appraisals objectives and targets, thats the way of the corporate machine and it spits you out. old and withered retired with nothing to show for it. Yes your boss has his yaught moored at St Tropez and hes enjoying a champers brunch with the toffs off the back of your endeavours. You have missed the best years of your life missed the kids growing up missed life and for what ?

So a 70k paycut pish. Thats nothing mate. look out at the bigger picture, look out for your nearest and dearest. this is it there are no reruns, no repeats.... life is to live an to enjoy, and you want to enjoy it with your family. Not the office mafias and climbing the ladder of success as who's success is it really ? Its definitely not your success.

Your success is a happy life with your family and children, with enough food on the table and a weather tight place to rest your head each night. Dont believe the hype generated by the advertising brigade, dont get sucked into the machine. Life is way too short to get hung up on generating other peoples happiness when you should be working on getting your own happiness sorted.

[northwest monkey]

FocusRS3 said:

Anyone else been through similar experiences or emotions ?

Yeah. I'd always worked for massive companies & at the time enjoyed it.

Decided about 12 years ago to go self-employed and love it. Get to work my hours, my location, customers I choose to work with. I also get to take my son to school and often pick him up.

Wouldn't go back.

[FocusRS3]

ruggedscotty said:

i wrote this a while back and thought id re post it...

There peeps on here that covet money.. its not the be all or end all. Still makes me smile a bit at some of the
comments that such a quote raises. It dont bother me but I jump on and make a comment. the very fact you have hit a few keys and hit return means that its bothered you enough to reply when you state money doesnt bother you.

Its like the peeps that die in what would be classed poverty - one bed studio and they leave £1 billion to the dog and cat home... Like Gawd... Did you not spend a bit and enjoy your life or did you get off on purgatory ?

so back to the original post about a £ 70k pay cut... now as you and I know £70k isnt £70k once you take those deductions off it ends up about £48k

Break that down further and its a grand a week or 184 quid a day drop...

Is it mad ? or is it not.... How do you value that 184 quid a day... or 7 quid an hour. thats less than minimum wage.

seeing kids grow up spending time with your partner enjoying your hobbies and past times etc... working shifts long commutes 4 holidays a year ?

Stuck on the M1 grind ? Waiting in an airport to see if the delay wont be as log as last time you ended up overnight in an empty airport, or sat next to that obnoxious arse salesman in seat G5 as they squeezed you in the last flight as you listen to his life as he tries to sell you a group telecoms package like his life relies on it, poor sap it probably does as hes out if he doesnt meet sales target this month as they are realigning the sales division and relocating to Milton Keynes.

Oh the desperation of those high flyers we dont know the struggles they face do we. 1st world problems were discussing apple or samsung and others are wondering if they can eat this week or have the heating on.

A 70k pay cut ? The mrs wont get her new leased TT with the ivory leather and kiddies Jimmy and Jenna wont be going sking to the alps this autumn.....

Yes drastic ;-)

you cut your cloth accordingly. Life is about life outside of work. Its not the corporate ladder. No matter how you get brainwashed into annual appraisals objectives and targets, thats the way of the corporate machine and it spits you out. old and withered retired with nothing to show for it. Yes your boss has his yaught moored at St Tropez and hes enjoying a champers brunch with the toffs off the back of your endeavours. You have missed the best years of your life missed the kids growing up missed life and for what ?

So a 70k paycut pish. Thats nothing mate. look out at the bigger picture, look out for your nearest and dearest. this is it there are no reruns, no repeats.... life is to live an to enjoy, and you want to enjoy it with your family. Not the office mafias and climbing the ladder of success as who's success is it really ? Its definitely not your success.

Your success is a happy life with your family and children, with enough food on the table and a weather tight place to rest your head each night. Dont believe the hype generated by the advertising brigade, dont get sucked into the machine. Life is way too short to get hung up on generating other peoples happiness when you should be working on getting your own happiness sorted.

Nice post, you definitely nailed it there .

The corporate machine is cutting costs constantly , pay cuts are across the board in my industry together with people getting spat out.

As I said earlier , this time it's gotta be fun and I'm definitely not taking it home with me as the rewards aren't there anymore.

Doesn't stop me worrying how the kids will cope finding jobs and getting thier own place some day.
That said I'll be more than happy for them to live with us for many years to come.
I remember leaving home at 18 only to come back after a year then gone again by 22.
All seems very young now but then getting on the housing ladder wasn't hard.

We have definitely addressed our lifestyles and we are richer in some ways for it.
We tend to do more simple things which actually means we spend more time together.

It's the little things that count

[XCP]

FocusRS3 said:

XCP said:

I was lucky I was able to retire at 48. Went to college for 3 years to do what I wanted to do, rather than what other people thought I should be doing. Now I just work if and when I feel like it. I'll never be rich but the house is paid for and I have cash in the bank.

Life is indeed too short....

May I ask what you studied and what it is you do now ?

Yes, I did a City and Guilds in Furniture making, so I make and restore stuff. I work a couple of days a week for a funeral director, for beer money but basically I decide if and when I want to work. I appreciate how lucky I am. Children are all grown up and producing grandchildren so quite a lot of time is spent with them, which is another advantage!

[FocusRS3]

XCP said:

Yes, I did a City and Guilds in Furniture making, so I make and restore stuff. I work a couple of days a week for a funeral director, for beer money but basically I decide if and when I want to work. I appreciate how lucky I am. Children are all grown up and producing grandchildren so quite a lot of time is spent with them, which is another advantage!

That's the dream !
Real quality of life right there , well done you Sir. Enjoy your grandkids

I'm finding this thread quite inspiring , glad I opened to the PH public !

[ironv8]

[quote=FocusRS3]

Nice post, you definitely nailed it there .

The corporate machine is cutting costs constantly , pay cuts are across the board in my industry together with people getting spat out.


This absolutely,work for a big utility, 30 years. Went to retirement do last week for a lad who'd done 40 years. He gave a bit of a speech on how bad the company had got in the last 10/15 years and the unnecessary stress, plus a few amusing anecdotes from the old days
. Work used to be fun, yes we still grafted but the managers were genuine and actually cared.
I've since been thinking very seriously about jacking it and going self employed, i refuse to spend my last 8 to 10 years of work hating the company that pays me.

[FocusRS3]

ironv8]ocusRS3 said:

Nice post, you definitely nailed it there .

The corporate machine is cutting costs constantly , pay cuts are across the board in my industry together with people getting spat out.


This absolutely,work for a big utility, 30 years. Went to retirement do last week for a lad who'd done 40 years. He gave a bit of a speech on how bad the company had got in the last 10/15 years and the unnecessary stress, plus a few amusing anecdotes from the old days
. Work used to be fun, yes we still grafted but the managers were genuine and actually cared.
I've since been thinking very seriously about jacking it and going self employed, i refuse to spend my last 8 to 10 years of work hating the company that pays me.

One consideration for you may be final salary pension maybe ? At least get redundancy if poss maybe ?

[mike74]

XCP said:

Yes, I did a City and Guilds in Furniture making, so I make and restore stuff. I work a couple of days a week for a funeral director, for beer money but basically I decide if and when I want to work. I appreciate how lucky I am. Children are all grown up and producing grandchildren so quite a lot of time is spent with them, which is another advantage!

Surely to be a furniture maker/restorer you need suitable premises, lot's of tools, a large stock of materials?

Doesn't sound like the kind of thing you can do on an ad hoc, semi retired kind of basis?

[fridaypassion]

ironv8]ocusRS3 said:

Nice post, you definitely nailed it there .

The corporate machine is cutting costs constantly , pay cuts are across the board in my industry together with people getting spat out.


This absolutely,work for a big utility, 30 years. Went to retirement do last week for a lad who'd done 40 years. He gave a bit of a speech on how bad the company had got in the last 10/15 years and the unnecessary stress, plus a few amusing anecdotes from the old days
. Work used to be fun, yes we still grafted but the managers were genuine and actually cared.
I've since been thinking very seriously about jacking it and going self employed, i refuse to spend my last 8 to 10 years of work hating the company that pays me.

Jump. It's very corrosive for you to be in that position. The company doesn't care so you are in a blindfolded swordfight with nobody else in the room.

With 8 years to go the hit on the pension has to be worth it.

[anonymous-user]

My dad worked for the same company for 43 years

In the latter years it was venture capital owned and massive cost cutting was underway

There was a do for the presentation of long service awards. He was the only person up for a 40 year award and was first on stage

The MD revealed the gift from beneath a cloth covered table.... a hinari microwave! About £25 in Asda at the time

My dad never even touched it, just told the MD he could keep it and walked straight out of the room to the bar. Almost everyone else followed him

Not quite sure how, but he volunteered for redundancy a few years later and they paid him out

[FocusRS3]

JPJPJP said:

My dad worked for the same company for 43 years

In the latter years it was venture capital owned and massive cost cutting was underway

There was a do for the presentation of long service awards. He was the only person up for a 40 year award and was first on stage

The MD revealed the gift from beneath a cloth covered table.... a hinari microwave! About £25 in Asda at the time

My dad never even touched it, just told the MD he could keep it and walked straight out of the room to the bar. Almost everyone else followed him

Not quite sure how, but he volunteered for redundancy a few years later and they paid him out

Good for him.

Funny how the people that stroll around changing people's lives don't seem to like it when it happens to them, and it will.

[Pvapour]

swerni said:

Pvapour said:

Life is... too short, and it always will be, even more so when you find your navana...

10 years ago we felt the same, even then the uk was rediculously crowded with the inherant problems of such overcrowding, now its just a joke.

both in our late 30s we decided to accrue as much cash as poss as quickly as poss and fuk off.

Our live have been transformed and we will never go back, i could never have imagined life could be so much more fulfilling.

its very important to retain your purpose though, dont think putting your feet up and whiling away the hours with a beer is in any way what you will be looking for if you want a balanced lifestyle.

Our project ends christmas next year and im dreading it in a way as weve not yet decided what to do next, we will but as yet we're undecided

Edited by Pvapour on Sunday 1st October 09:41

Party at your place?

The one & only time it will happen but it WILL be good

Edited by Pvapour on Monday 2nd October 08:36

[RC1807]

FocusRS3 said:

RC1807 said:

Read this thread again
Started job hunting online!

Wish I had a transferable job skill that I could move away from London

I'm sure everyone has. I didn't think I did, but I moved away in 1998.

An update to my original post, above.
Now applied for 4 jobs, 3 of which are in different industries altogether. *crosses fingers*

[anonymous-user]

Pvapour said:

its very important to retain your purpose though, dont think putting your feet up and whiling away the hours with a beer is in any way what you will be looking for if you want a balanced lifestyle.

That is very important. I retired at 48, six years ago now, from a well paid but crap job. I would never work again but while 'not working' is nice it isn't in itself enough of a reason to quit. It took me a fair while to find my rhythm in retirement. If life's to short to spend it commuting and arguing with wkers in the office it is also too short to spend on the couch with a beer in one hand and a remote in the other.

[anonymous-user]

Some of these posts read like they were written by Jay from the Inbetweeners:

“I ended my career in bear wrestling at 40 as my balls grew too big and I’d made enough cash to pay for my mansion which sits in 12 acres. Now, me and my super model wife admire my collection of watches and Porsche 911s. It’s not much but it’s enough for me.”

[XCP]

mike74 said:

Surely to be a furniture maker/restorer you need suitable premises, lot's of tools, a large stock of materials?

Doesn't sound like the kind of thing you can do on an ad hoc, semi retired kind of basis?

I have a reasonably well equipped workshop in my garden. I used to rent premises but couldn't really justify the overheads. Tools have been acquired over a lifetime, materials I buy in as and when, apart from my 'Old' wood collection, which I use for antiques. Most of the resto stuff I do is refinishing, getting rid of marks and repolishing so don't need an awful lot of wood stock.

[anonymous-user]

wormus said:

Some of these posts read like they were written by Jay from the Inbetweeners:

“I ended my career in bear wrestling at 40 as my balls grew too big and I’d made enough cash to pay for my mansion which sits in 12 acres. Now, me and my super model wife admire my collection of watches and Porsche 911s. It’s not much but it’s enough for me.”

Better than yours which reads like that of an underachiever who wishes they were successful. Jealousy will not improve your lot sir. Maybe there is time for you, who knows? But certainly not with that attitude.

[RC1807]

wormus said:

Some of these posts read like they were written by Jay from the Inbetweeners:

“I ended my career in bear wrestling at 40 as my balls grew too big and I’d made enough cash to pay for my mansion which sits in 12 acres. Now, me and my super model wife admire my collection of watches and Porsche 911s. It’s not much but it’s enough for me.”

It's 18 acres, but never mind....

[Pvapour]

Hang On said:

wormus said:

Some of these posts read like they were written by Jay from the Inbetweeners:

“I ended my career in bear wrestling at 40 as my balls grew too big and I’d made enough cash to pay for my mansion which sits in 12 acres. Now, me and my super model wife admire my collection of watches and Porsche 911s. It’s not much but it’s enough for me.”

Better than yours which reads like that of an underachiever who wishes they were successful. Jealousy will not improve your lot sir. Maybe there is time for you, who knows? But certainly not with that attitude.

i thought it was quite funny actually we all know the phycology behind why posts like this are made so it amuses on two levels we should be grateful for the humour it brings really, i am

[AndStilliRise]

Joining in boys.

One of my life's mantras is that life is too short. Waved my son goodbye to school this morning and repeated it to him.