[Romins]

Many of you must have read this story already. I have been truly inspired by this story and followed the policy of the fisherman. We should work but of course we need to have the time to enjoy the fruits of that work. There is absolutely no point in working 80hrs a week to enjoy one week vacation by end of the year.



There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village.
As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish.
The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished.
“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”

The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
“I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.”

The fisherman continues, “And after that?”
The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.”
The fisherman asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”

[Raghu M]

A timely post. However, there are too many details missing to make a direct comment. Details like the current income, expenses, what contingencies have been planned etc. (don't expect you to quote nos. here!).

In my case, I have a set myself a very hard deadline of 2030 to quit working. I work in an equity research firm in a senior position. While the pay is good, it's just not going to cut through when you anticipate the rainy day. So, I have been pretty careful all these years on my savings. Major portions were invested in real estate and some in mutual funds. While the funds were broken in between to make investments, the plan is to get back to SIPs for the next 8 years. Looking at a big property currently but the buying process seems to be pretty set and doesn't look like a burden. I can generate rental incomes by the time I retire but I do not want to sit by the beach. I would like to pursue something that I loved all through my life and also that can generate some income (running expenses). Some of my options are (but not limited to):
1. Travel diaries on YouTube
2. Guest faculty for colleges (management professional with around 25 years exp by then)
3. Work at a car showroom (guess I will do a good job, after all there are so many showroom experiences to learn from)
4. Practice Law (a long time dream)
5. Movie script writing (have 2 good story lines that need to be developed)

I guess the above should keep me busy for a while. I don't think private jobs are to be done for eternity. I believe that 10 years in a private job is equal to 20 in a govt. job. You are worn out mentally. At some point you would need an alternate profession.

Also, keeping a tab on EMIs and credit card bills is the key. If these two are not in control (read expenses), then I don't believe even retirement at 60 would suffice. Good luck!

[adisan]

Originally Posted by slipperyslipped

Funnily enough, I was offered a full-time position by one of my clients because they really did not want to let me go. Alas, I turned it down

It would be good to reach out to them now and see whether they can absorb you into their rolls. They might well be happy to hear from you.

[naadopaasaka]

Thanks to the OP for that lucid account. I hope he finds what he wants and takes the most convenient routes to get there.

In many ways, I have had the opposite set of experiences to the OP. I have a solid education and a career which, a few years in, has found stability. I am a sole practitioner (which is just a fancy way to say freelancer) in the same field as my parents. By all accounts, with humility, I note that I have had a fortunate life.

I have noticed one thing with people in my peer-group similarly placed. The generation that had to put in the hard yards, for whom every decision was existential, values both hard work and money exponentially more than the succeeding generation. While this is fairly obvious, the succeeding generation’s attitude is rather more intriguing. They normally go one of two ways. First, they may take their parents’ productivity to the next level and become hyper-productive/ hyper-ambitious and really rise in their careers. Second, they may not appreciate the value of hard work or money or even any of those "old world" virtues – sincerity, discipline, persistence, etc. There are exceptions, but broadly, one of these two things seems to happen.

One thing my parents have always taught me is to find a balance in life that best suits my circumstances. Having completed my education, therefore, I had the option of doing what every friend/ peer I have did and take a job with a corporate which would pay well but suck on my soul and leave me no time to spend all the money I was earning, or to forego the money and the certainty of employment in favour of the relative freedom of self-employment.

I chose the latter, and it has paid off. I have very good working hours, a sufficient income, enough time to study a some things unrelated to my work, and keep a tab on what's going on on this forum.

There are two questions – one of how people approach their careers, and another of how people perceive their careers.

Approach: (1) One bunch is okay with whatever normal run-of-the-mill job they do because they get all they need from it and aren’t particularly ambitious. (2) Another is afflicted by excessive ambition (this is far too common these days and is often misunderstood as passion) that they sacrifice their lives for their jobs. (3) Yet another bunch sacrifice their lives for their jobs because the rest of their lives are empty and they wouldn’t know what to do without their jobs. (4) Then there are the outliers of various kinds- exceptions that prove the rules.

Ambition seems to be the greatest modern killer. People work extraordinarily long hours, investing their lives and their health (both of which they can’t really do without) into ill-defined causes. At one stage, some of them either discover that the corporate ladder actually leads nowhere, or they reach the top to find there’s nothing there. Many fall by the wayside before that because their health fared even worse than that of those who actually made it to the top.

Everybody wants to be the positive exception, the positive outlier. Too few aspire to just a normal life. (EDITED)

My argument is that there is little justification for somebody born in a family with no serious financial problems to work overtime towards some ambiguously defined idealistic objective. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with systematic effort with slow and steady incremental progress over time. You’ll probably be happier, and will certainly be healthier. There is merit to batting like Dravid or Pujara. (I feel the need to clarify that I do not dissent from anything the OP has said.)

Perception: One bunch is always complaining about their careers. Another needs desperately to look good to everybody; so they dress up their terrible jobs in fancy clothes meant for public consumption. A third is happy and quiet about their careers. A large fourth group doesn’t really care as, again, they do not exhibit ambition.

This last group is particularly interesting. This guy typically doesn’t have too many demands of his job – he doesn’t need it to be “fulfilling” or for it to serve a “broader social purpose.” He needs the weekends off, he needs a predictable schedule, and reasonable pay, and certainty in the definition of his work. He doesn’t need any manner of interaction between his worldview/ moral principles and his job. I wonder whether this is actually the secret to his peace of mind.

The complainers see the grass as being greener on the other side. They will tell you about all the evils of their profession, and are convinced in their belief that all other jobs in the world are better. Anybody in a profession is bound to know the ills of his own profession much better than he does the ills of others.

Finally, there is career choice. More often than not, if ambition drives your career decision, you might be setting yourself up for disaster by means of long working hours and unrealistic demands on your mind and body. Most often, when those demands are made, success itself loses meaning if it comes. If any decision on something this long-term is univariate, it’s probably not made well enough.

Earning money, spending (and saving) time, exploiting skills, and doing good. No career will score full or even good marks on all these parameters. But if a career isn’t well-rounded across these parameters, it probably isn’t the right one.

My argument is that we’re at a stage in our economic development where a large number of people can afford not to sacrifice their lives and health at the altar of their careers. Unfortunately, offices, working styles, work-processes and even the economic situation in general don’t seem yet to be designed to provide for this. These systems are designed for the hyper-ambitious/ hyper-competent/ hyper-motivated outliers.

The economic rewards of work are thus skewed too. It is rather disappointing in this context that most urban households now require two incomes to stay afloat. This is what is provoking many early exits from careers. I think I really “lucked out” because I built a career that would avoid this annoyance. I love Monday mornings!

P. S.: Strongly as they may be expressed, none of these opinions are held strongly. Just some food for thought.

[slipperyslipped]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Most of us here at TBHP are good at English vocabulary and comprehension skills, but I am assuming are not lucky enough to get that first gig so that they can build on it.

The most pressing question I have is how to get started. Like are there any freelancing websites where you can showcase your English writing skills to clients? Would really help many if you can advice on this possibly.

The best option would be to publish a few pieces in your area of expertise on Medium. It's got a large readerbase and you can share your Medium profile with prospective clients as your portfolio.

If you want to break into copywriting, you can create your own spec portfolio with the kind of copy you're interested in writing. A lot of people start with ad or email copy but note that it gets pretty competitive in these fields.

Hope this helps!

[Romins]

One learning I would like to share when you venture into other options - business or career.

Are you starting a tea shop? You should know how to make a good cup of tea!

If you are totally out of your circle of competence, you will fail miserably. Many NRIs who come back from Middle East after many years venture into business in my home state. 6 months later, they lose the capital and get into a debt.

Our circle of competence is really small. Smaller than we think it is! Be very careful when spending big bucks and venture outside that circle.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Romins

Are you starting a tea shop? You should know how to make a good cup of tea!

If you are totally out of your circle of competence, you will fail miserably. .

Very sound advise. The other thing is, just because you happen to be very good at your job, doesn’t necessarily mean you like being a business person.

My wife is Speech and Language Therapist. The first years of her career she worked on a normal contract for the NHS in the UK. When we moved to the Netherlands she continued working here as well as a Speech and Language Therapist but had to set up her own business. Agree cost for treatment of patients, send invoices, follow up on (non) payments, bank accounts, deal with patient insurance company etc.

She loves being a Speech and Language Therapist but she absolutely hated the business part of it. I have seen it happen with others as well. I know several guys who were very competent DIY mechanics and started their own garage shop. Some failed miserable because running a garage business requires other skills, competence, interest than just spannering.

Not sure if it is available in India on TV, but Richard Hammond's latest adventure setting up his own Classic Car restoration shop, the Smallest Cog, is a good example. He knows tonnes of stuff about (classic) cars, but zilch about running such a business. But he at least seems to be enjoying it.

Jeroen

[Javelin]

Originally Posted by Romins

There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village.
As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish.

Without an iota of doubt, there is depth in the story and makes sense. Most often we are so engrossed in our everyday routine (work) that we lose sense of the reality that surrounds us. I have also been a victim for quite a long time. The problem is that we get very little time to self reflect and forget about the reason behind putting in the hard work.

Life goes on like clockwork and end state is ambiguous. I very well understand the concern of fellow Bhpians when it comes to luxury of regular income. There is no way practically to think of leisure and walk away from this routine, when you are just being able to meet ends.

If you are happy with your position and the work you are putting in brings a smile in your face, by all means continue doing that. Otherwise, i believe, we need to draw a line, regarding when to stop the routine. If you have the luxury to make a choice which makes you happy, do it. This will entail taking a calculated risk. Don’t refrain doing so for fear of failure.

I for one, have decided on a second career option, where i get to be my own boss :-) But according to my calculations, i will be able to do that only after 7 more years at the age of 42. There are other variables too.

I know some of what i said may seem impractical, but life is all about the choices we make. Each one of us gets to live only once. Excluding the concept of 7 lives. Hell! it may be my 7th who knows

And yes, happy revving, Cheers.

[scorpian]

Wonderful Article at the right time!!

I have just called it quits after working for ten years in my current organisation.Trust me the toxicity of new boss and his hormonal tantrums made me climb the wall taking me to depression and anxiety, i would also like to state that some people just love and enjoy seeing others suffer,some kind of narcissist tendencies built in to them. I have started to plan my free lancing and i am confident that i would do reasonably well without all the hassles and harassment by the top bosses.

At the end i would like to state that no matter what don't let anything or any job ever get to your health, the day it does its time to start thinking seriously about other options, we live once and we need to live it well. The rat race is not worth it,it will only wear you out and kill you.

[NYMEX]

A relevant topic for the times we live in.

Finally leading a quiet retired life after losing my senior management job with a big MNC on 31 March 2022 which also is my wedding anniversary.

We assume that we can overcome any adversity with ease and minimal price. I have witnessed it to be otherwise in innumerable cases and in my own case when I had to walk away from a big & successful business. Then came 24 years of rebuilding my assets off which I can live for the rest of my life and also leave behind substantially for the children.
The lessons learnt are:
1) everyone needs to be gainfully employed to build up financial security because the future is unpredictable
2) a double income family is now a necessity (mine was not)
3) there is no substitute for good education
4) build a good network from the start of your professional career
5) a happy carefree life on wanderlust alone does not exist because every situation has it's own challenges

Though I have written a fiction novel liked by friends, colleagues & publishers, I never got a contract

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by NYMEX

Though I have written a fiction novel liked by friends, colleagues & publishers, I never got a contract

Why not publish it directly on Amazon as an e-book?

[surfatwork]

Let me chime in. I went from being a globetrotting big 4 management consultant to running an adventure tourism business.
- you have to think long term. You will question your decision many times, but it takes time, patience and commitment to get anywhere. Of course be pragmatic and objective about your company's viability, but don't give up too soon either.
- don't compromise on your personal lifestyle. It'll get you down faster than anything else. If your business isn't making enough money, do something on the side.
- the freedom is wonderful. But sometimes it's also a myth - one is rarely free to take "any" decision, and most of the time, your time isn't yours.
- the rewards, when they come are great. And best of all, the recognition is for you, not you+the big brand behind you.

[NYMEX]

Originally Posted by m8002?

Why not publish it directly on Amazon as an e-book?

It is there on Amazon & free on kindle.

Trying to get some media company to use it for a podcast series.