I’m 61 and it’s a year since my most difficult birthday ever (turning 60 was traumatic). I was offered early retirement at 50 and took it because of stress and health issues. I had a major heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery when I was 47 and that cured me of killing myself for my job.

I then worked as a consultant and did ok for a few years. By age 55, I’d had enough of the bullshit of my last project and was so relieved when they no longer required my services. I didn’t look back. I have talked to former co-workers and they told me of the bad situation that my former workplace became after I’d left. I am firmly convinced that the stress of that would have killed me for certain.

I am now at a point where I am looking back at my accomplishments during my work career. I can think of a couple of things that made a difference but the majority of my efforts were expended in insignificant tasks. I made my best efforts to do the things I did and thought that I did them well. Not that it matters in today’s world. If I was to meet my former staff, it would be interesting to see how they saw me at that time. I can imagine that I wasn’t their favorite manager, I know of a few that really disliked me but there are probably some that will remember that I enabled them to accomplish some good things.

Many people judge their worth by their work accomplishments or how much success they had in their work careers, how much money they made or how much power they had. I don’t remember using those measures. I remember a work career where I got to work with new technologies, with some very talented people and where there was just enough of that to offset the crap.

As for retirement, I am enjoying the lifestyle. I find that I keep my mind exercised, walk my dog daily and enjoy many of the good things in life. Not everything is rosy. I don’t have good relations with one daughter and a fair relationship with the other. Things are good and there are areas where there could be improvements. All in all, life is pretty good.

Rick Ewen