Ballistic Therapy
Member
XJThrottle said:
I might trade , but only if I could go back in time also.
Really really depressing question for the older guys
- Thread starter Boriqua
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I might trade , but only if I could go back in time also.
Doc
Member
Wild.
Old guys want to work forever and my generation is all about saving as much as you can, living frugal and retiring early.
I guess “the grass is greener”…..
Old guys want to work forever and my generation is all about saving as much as you can, living frugal and retiring early.
I guess “the grass is greener”…..
DevilDocAZ said:
I'm the exception to that one. I saved as much as I could, lived frugally, still do for the most part and retired early.
I think that for the most part, a lot of my generation didn't save enough to be really free and live well in retirement, nor do they have enough social contact with friends on a day to day basis and finally, don't have enough hobbies and interests. Between the three, retirement could be a real drag.
I have saved as much as i could lived frugally(while still seeing things and enjoying life) and have wanted to retire early whatever that is.(i am 57) I just have not figured out what that looks like. I definitely don't want to work forever. I just don't want to wither away watching wheel of fortune. I wanted to retire at 35 but that just didn't seem feasible with a wife, 2 children, mortgage etc and not a trust fund baby. My son is 26 and talks about the retiring by 40 but hes all about the get rich quick aspects of crypto or investing, not working hard and saving. Maybe that is a difference in the generations. Or maybe he is the smart one..... I could financially retire today i just need to get some things figured out. All old guys don't want to work forever but there is something to be said for the cliche that if you love what you do you never work a day in your life. I did not choose my career and i can say i have worked everyday in my life since i was 16. So retirement will be better whatever it is. This is a good discussion.
Had another thought about this.
I've met an awful lot of guys who let their job define who they were. So instead of saying Hey, I'm Flash, a good guy, good husband and a guy who gets off by helping people, they say hey, I'm an Engineer, Architect, Banker, whatever they were, and when the job stops, so do they. Their whole image of themselves changes and not in a favorable way. They went from being somebody to being nobody, at least in their minds.
I've seen it a bunch of times. One of the worst cases I saw was a guy who had been 4F during Vietnam, but managed to find a way to become a Commercial Pilot and in the end was a Captain for one of the local major airlines in this area. When he hit 65, they he got mandatory retirement as dictated by Federal Law and his self image went right down the toilet. Sad
I've met an awful lot of guys who let their job define who they were. So instead of saying Hey, I'm Flash, a good guy, good husband and a guy who gets off by helping people, they say hey, I'm an Engineer, Architect, Banker, whatever they were, and when the job stops, so do they. Their whole image of themselves changes and not in a favorable way. They went from being somebody to being nobody, at least in their minds.
I've seen it a bunch of times. One of the worst cases I saw was a guy who had been 4F during Vietnam, but managed to find a way to become a Commercial Pilot and in the end was a Captain for one of the local major airlines in this area. When he hit 65, they he got mandatory retirement as dictated by Federal Law and his self image went right down the toilet. Sad
DevilDocAZ said:
There isn't a right answer and it will vary from person to person. I would like to grunt out the old man thing of .. "young'ins dont value work" but that would be bull$hit because my 30 yr old daughter works 60 hours a week managing a crew.
Work for me was a competition and I think it is for most men .. or I am just projecting. I was born into the welfare system. I came up for my first 16 yrs in some of the worst most crime ridden housing projects in the country.
The more people told me no one ever gets out and born in the hood die in the hood or prison .. the more I wanted to buck the trend. Thank god I was a knot head!
The more people said "the white man will never let you sit at the table" the more I had to sit at that table.
We as people and especially as men .. don't have a real opportunity outside of some sporting stuff to compete against others. We can no longer run across a field wielding a bludgeon and shouting a war cry. (although it may come to that again in the streets)
So FOR ME the work place and advancement became my field. Unlike Flash's post above .. the money was less important to me. It was nice but it was only an acknowledgement of my value in the work place. I don't know that the money ever made me happier.
Honestly never made a difference. I had nice things and lived in a nice house and it was a so what. You still have bills and regular daily stuff and toys don't make you happy. Had some 15,000 worth of watches. Told time like any other watch .. but wearing them was a conspicuous sign of level of achievement. They were my trophy scalps and people did fall to the wayside along the way.
Today the wife and I decided to live very modestly. I refer to it as being hippies. We had some money in the bank and reduced all our living expenses, sold off goodies that were irrelevant and .. Not more or less happy because of stuff.
Whenever someone came along and said .. come to our company and we will pay you 10,000 more a year the money didn't matter .. the asking did. When I received surprise bonuses .. it wasn't about money it was like a sports figure getting a bonus for touchdowns made. I almost wanted to look at the people chasing my heels for position and scream .. "thats right MOther *ucker"
I would honestly look at people who had position over me or a position I wanted and quietly say to myself .. "dude you are so gone" and work to make them unemployed or irrelevant.
I got to build things 100's of thousands of people saw .. Beats tagging a wall under an underpass. It was all about making it!
Anyone here who owns their own business feels or has felt the same thing .. how can I get bigger, how can I get that contract, how can I CRUSH my enemies, what is my legacy. If I sell this business with my name on it .. it means something.
You are a lion in a new field, the work place ... and then .. you are a lion with no teeth .. sitting around growing fat and remembering glory days.
It was always about the competition. It was always about people telling me I couldn't make it and yes .. I would trade with any of you younger guys for another chance to compete and
MAKE IT again. In a heart beat ..
Alex, C2 is always looking for sales counter guys. You'd probably work the shifts others don't want too.
Win, win, win, win... Chat with folks all day, fondle ALL kinds of guns, discounts on all merch, and you get back in the "hustle"....
I've thought about it a few times. The above, and the extra money would be nice. But, I think the ol' lady would shoot it down because I'd be away from the house EVEN more.
Win, win, win, win... Chat with folks all day, fondle ALL kinds of guns, discounts on all merch, and you get back in the "hustle"....
I've thought about it a few times. The above, and the extra money would be nice. But, I think the ol' lady would shoot it down because I'd be away from the house EVEN more.
This is for you, Boriqua. I'm much the same as you in competitions, which is why I quit competing when I closed my business. Those feelings had to be gotten rid of, permanently as they could cause me serious problems down the line.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9buo9Mtos[/media]
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9buo9Mtos[/media]
Doc
Member
h8pvmnt said:
A lot of what you said hit home. My dad always accuses me of wanting the “get rich quick” since I was 16. But I’ve been working since 15 so idk what he’s talking about.
Retire at 35? Nice.
As others have stated. It’s a very interesting conversation.
Doc
Member
XJThrottle said:
Ughhhhh. That’s sounds like the worst job ever. I hate going to any gun shop.
Just last week a yute tried to warn me that 6mm projos wouldn’t work in my 243W “BeCaUsE 6CM is BiGgEr than 243” I made one attempt to educate the lad before I looked him in the eyes and said “you are wrong and trying to teach you is a waste of my time” and I left w my “won’t work Projos”
Gun shops are the worst.
Armorer on a movie set?
Flash said:
I agree in that You shouldn't be defined by some job title but you can be defined by all the things that make you successful at a job.
I was proud to be defined as someone that worked like a beast. I wasn't motivated by the clock .. it meant nothing to me .. getting the job done was what was important and it dictated my timeline or how long or how many days I worked.
I was proud that people believed my word as a man was golden. Employers and clients felt at ease when I promised them a project would be delivered by X date. Repeat clients and employers might get nervous but they put all their eggs in my basket and grudgingly accepted .. "well if Alex says it will be so, Then it will!" Wasn't ever easy but .. my word was on the line and that meant more to me than the damn pay check. I never worked toward a bonus or a raise .. I was just me and money and position followed.
When I was a young guy and before I went on to my life's work we built jewelry factories. The orthodox Jews who owned these places would often move in and get to work before we were finished. I would be working between tables stacked high with gold bands waiting to be turned into jewelry .. and the owners knew not only would I NEVER take a thing but that it was probably safer because I was there.
I was especially proud that people who worked under me upon leaving would send me notes saying how their time with me made them better.
So whatever the job title was was meaningless. I was defined by who I was as a human and a man by what I exhibited in the work place.
I am still the same dude .. job title be damned. I did manage to be part of making cool stuff but .. it was just a bonus.
Will never understand people who are willing to accept handouts. I understand a hand up but .. if you dont fight for it .. what was the use in breathing.
Then you get older and your congratulated for being a rather inefficient exchange unit for carbon dioxide and oxygen while killing the ozone with your noxious emissions.
XJThrottle said:
You know .. I have actually thought about it. Whenever I go into a shop and ask a question about a gun and the counter guy cant answer I am floored. My job required a ton of research. Most of it I did on my own time. I honestly don't get how a counter guy working a gun counter cant at least have a fair working knowledge of whats in the case.
Sure.. you cant know everything about all the guns ever produced but since most shops have MAYBE 30 guns in the case .. how are you not taking the initiative and going home and getting on the net and knowing enough about the 30 to answer most questions.
When new one comes in .. look it up and be able to answer some questions. If you are working commission .. you would make a killing.
Instead they take the gun out of the case and then look around as if day dreaming and bored. Wouldn't it make the job more enjoyable chatting with gun people while trying to make a sale?
Floors me .. and these will be the same guys who complain about never being given a raise or never being promoted.
If you don't do the extra you don't get the extra
If my job was selling freakin appliances you had better bet I would spend an hour or two at home learning about those damn appliances.
Ballistic Therapy
Member
I could have retired several years ago.
I really don't mind working and feel better when I do work.
Better in my head any way , the bones and joints sometimes think otherwise.
I really don't mind working and feel better when I do work.
Better in my head any way , the bones and joints sometimes think otherwise.
oldslurrydog1
Member
Cherish the time. They are worth it.thom said:
oldslurrydog1
Member
Keep believing that. Kick the grass and you'll see that it was painted green.DevilDocAZ said:
Doc
Member
oldslurrydog1 said:
It was wishful thinking. There is no grass in Yuma.
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