We all dream, some bigger than others.
But as life wears on and we find ourselves somewhere between youth and old age, we often wonder if pursuing them isn’t a fool’s errand.
It’s not…as long as you can afford them.
~~~
I can’t count the number of men in my age demographic [58-64] who’ve decided to radically change directions in life.
1] Some changed wives.
2] Some changed careers.
3] Some went fly fishing.
But all of them had the financial resources to do all of it without fear of ending up under a bridge.
Their backs weren’t against a wall. Change wasn’t something they had to face.
When it is, I’m sorry and good luck. You’ll need it.
With this in mind, the first consideration when making the decision to reinvent oneself is MONEY.
It doesn’t have to be a lot.
But if you feel more secure having that income from computer programming in Florida than whatever you’d earn as a trail guide and wildlife photographer in Seattle, you might want to reconsider the move.
You’re no longer a kid.
Landing on your feet this time around will be a lot harder than it used to be.
I know this isn’t the stuff of fantasy, but fantasy this time around is a lot more expensive.
Using MONEY as the template for reinventing oneself, let’s take a look at the 3 possibilities mentioned above.
1] Some changed wives.
Many middle aged men find themselves in 20-year marriages that feel more like a death sentence.
The sex is dead and/or on life support, and whatever common interests they once shared is a distant memory.
Typical example: Middle-aged man decides to get in the best shape of his life, but his wife prefers sitting on the couch with a pile of history books and a bag of Cheetos.
Now what?
The usual outcome is that he either gets his wife on board with his new lifestyle habits, or he gets a new wife.
Some men buy Harley’s and hit the road with a fanny pack full of pharmaceutical grade testosterone, telling their wives they need time to find themselves.
Others take on a mistress without telling their wives anything at all.
The last group lingers somewhere between action and inaction, which usually ends badly for all parties because they’re forever in transition.
They don’t have the funds to cover the divorce attorneys and mistresses, so live vicariously through others–or sneak off to strip clubs for a few moments of pleasure before returning to hell.
2] Some changed careers.
Most guys I know make lateral moves in their careers.
Retired pro athlete becomes a sportscaster.
Actor becomes producer.
Musician starts his own label.
These moves make a lot of financial sense because they’re lateral.
These men aren’t coming out of lackluster careers in the insurance industry hoping to become rock stars.
However, with enough success under one’s belt, you can play male-believe rock star and people are still happy to take your credit cards.
Again, it’s a pragmatic approach to life that one must consider after enough years have passed.
3] Some went fly fishing.
Some guys don’t have a particular passion in life, so they do what they enjoy doing and call it a day.
While sitting on a beach in Jamaica for the rest of ones life may not be enough to fulfill many of you. But staying “relevant” in the context of popular culture isn’t for everyone, especially men who coasted through life doing what they were supposed to do because they didn’t know what else to do.
1] They went to school.
2] They got a job, any job.
3] They got married.
4] They had kids.
5] They retired.
You may not know their names, or recognize their faces, but there are tens of millions of them on every continent.
They make up the lion’s share of the world’s population.
Not everyone is an overachiever, not everyone wired for greatness.
If this were the case we’d all kill each other.
In many ways, these guys are among the most fortunate because they don’t need to feel involved in life in order to derive satisfaction from it.
SUMMARY
The men in my demographic do whatever the hell they want to do because they can afford it.
I’m not talking about private jets, homes in Aspen, or presidential suites at the Beverly Wilshire, though many enjoy all three.
I’m talking about comfortable lives in the absence of financial worry.
To be perfectly honest with you, these men are the happiest men I know.
Is there a direct correlation between money and happiness?
Yes.
Is having a tremendous fortune necessary in order to achieve happiness?
No.
Just understand that without enough of it, reinvention is an uphill battle that few men in their late 50’s or 60’s are prepared to face unless the road is already paved.
If you’d like an all-around happy ending to the reinvention debate, check this out from Mail Online:
Shared dreams…and money.