Your right, 50 is young but I am tired. For the last 25 years I put my job first and everything else second. After serving 4 years in the USMC I started working in Health Care (Insurance). Up until the last 2 years, I work 80 to 100 hours a week. During the 25 years, there was a period of 4 years where I traveled 45 weeks out of the year.
Like most of us, my health started to suffer. After leaving the Marine Corps, I slowly gained weight and went from 180 to around 245 by the time I was 44, I was diagnosed high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes (Needed injections). I decided that I had to change my life. Today I weigh 200, no issues with high blood pressure and my type 2 is handled with diet. I also decided to reject the American life style of buying bigger and better material goods using credit and decided to downsize and living a cash life style. Excluding investment real estate, I do not buy on credit.
The result is that I have a choice, I could work for anther 10 years and retire Rich or I can retire this year and continue living my current middle class life style, doing some work to supplement our income.
Its not even the hours that make me as tired as much as being surrounded by executives and client CEOs who lack any kind of compassion or ethics. If not for the people that report to me, I would have gone in to consulting for the last few years.
My wife wants to open a small crepe restaurant, I think we will do that.
