MS

Hello, I’m Michael Sliwinski, founder of Nozbe - to-do app for business owners and their teams. I write essays, books, work on projects and I podcast for you using #iPadOnly in #NoOffice as I believe that work is not a place you go to, it’s a thing you do.

When are you planning to retire? I don’t think I ever will!

😎Life

Yesterday I had a chat with a friend about the concept of retirement and when (if ever) people should retire… and I really hope I’ll never have to nor want to… and I’ve got quite a few examples of extraordinary people who serve me as a constant reminder that when you love what you do, you’ll always be actively enjoying work and not looking forward to retirement. Here goes:

When are you planning to retire? I don’t think I ever will!

Brian Tracy - the man who’d never stop!

Brian Tracy is a legend as a business coach and inspirational speaker. He’s the author of many books, including my short-and-sweet favorite - Eat that Frog. I met him over 5 years ago in January 2014 on an ICE conference in Finland. I had a chance to interview him for my Productive Magazine! where we talked about retirement and what keeps him going.

But words are just that - words. Over the course of the conference he proved to me that he does practice what he preaches. Let me tell you why:

And bonus, he took the time to talk to me, which I’ll be forever grateful for:

My dad - VP of Finance at Nozbe

My parents are amazing. They always supported me in my business ventures and a few years back I convinced my dad to join me full time as my VP of Finance. Officially according to Polish law he’s at the “retired” age… but he’s helping me manage my company’s finances - and who to trust more with money than your own dad, who’s constantly rooting for you and wants what’s best for you? Yes, I’m very lucky! And no, my dad will never retire - I need (and want) him by my side.

But I don’t think he complains much - he’s working from home, has a great lifestyle with my mum, travels a lot and enjoys his age while doing something meaningful like helping he’s son run a global productivity company.

Me… and what I’m doing now to enjoy my life

I have three daughters so I have my hands full, but still I manage to enjoy my life a lot. Working from home and not having to go to an office helps. Doing triathlons keeps me in shape. I started introducing sabbaticals into my vocabulary - and last year I managed to stay off work for full 6 weeks!. We try to travel a lot with my family… and with my wife we’re having a honeymoon every year (just two of us!) and this year to celebrate our 40th birthday we went on to do a Camino de Santiago together.

Don’t postpone life - enjoy life now

That was our conclusion when we talked with my friend about the concept of “retirement”. Let’s enjoy life now and not postpone it for later. And let’s spend our entire life contributing to society and getting great stuff done!

Friday, December 13, 2019 /retirement/