Henk's journey thru life

Where are you and where are you going?
RealPerson
Posts: 875
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:33 pm

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by RealPerson »

Hungary has been in the news a lot lately. Have you seen the refugee issues first hand?

The refugee crisis reminded me of AntIfragility. It is remarkable how quickly an environment can change. I guess we always need an exit plan. I hope things are going well for you.

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

RealPerson wrote:Hungary has been in the news a lot lately. Have you seen the refugee issues first hand?

The refugee crisis reminded me of AntIfragility. It is remarkable how quickly an environment can change. I guess we always need an exit plan. I hope things are going well for you.
No, I have not seen it up-close. Please note that the Media always exaggerate, if the world seems on-fire, in reality it might be just a camp-fire. Not many people live in Hungary, it is really peaceful, especially in the South, and then Budapest seems far away. Not to down-play the refugee issues, they are real, but in Hungary, it only gets into the news because the prime minister (Viktor O.) is rather controversial (he does not want Muslim foreigners....)

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

Hi everyone,
Has been some time. Not much has changed, other than that I finally agreed with my employer on the end of Contract, which is now set-in-stone for 31 May 2016. Slightly later than anticipated, but a few Months of extra cash will come handy with starting up in Hungary. Now that the date is set for ERM, it all feels okay, my financial goals have been met (even if a stock-market crash will occur in 2016), and all the anxiety behind my decision, is now processed. There is no doubt and I am only looking forward to 1 June 2016 :-) My planning is first "slowing down", get rid of the work/life programming, and free my mind completely. I do anticipate that i will pick my hobbies and also start investigating some new tracks in life, but first "time off", work in the garden, etc..
Cheers, Hank

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by DutchGirl »

Sounds great, Hank, congratulations. Are you already winding down on some of the activities at work? Or have you noticed that you they tell you that you don't have to come to specific meetings because you won't be involved in a specific development anymore, anyway? Or not yet? Have you told other colleagues at work, or just the boss?

And how is the house coming along?

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

Hi @DutchGirl, work indeed will slow down after NewYear (expectation), they wanted to keep me longer and even trying to get me to a nicer location, but I told them that I will move my stuff to Hungary no matter what. If any new location for potential work is indeed great, then I will consider this as a "contractor", not anymore as an full-time employee, but I suspect that once I am enjoying my freedom in Hungary, I will not be easy persuaded to pack my bags again, but you never know how life evolves. The house is going well, we are at phase-3 of renovations, so it will be ready by 31 May 2016.
Once I am there, as promised, I will report how ERM/ERE life could be there, and on what budget.
hope you are doing great, and I saw your "investment" adventure (from your boyfriend), sounds like a great opportunity!
cheers, Hank

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

Small update. I know, on this forum, being ER at 50 year of age, is not considered to be a great deal, and actually it is more a different state of mind and the way you live (everyone knows here that ER is not retirement in the traditional way). Now back to the real world, this weekend I was with several expats at the beach, and most of them are between 45 and 60. Many are successful in big companies, already FI for some time and could be easily ER, but nobody considers this or even wants this, and when I announced that I am changing direction in 2016 (basically quite my job and standard career path), they all were amazed and said "this is really brave", or "why give up a good paying job", etc.. It shows again how rare this attitude to life really is, and even more if you implement this before 30 or 40 years of age.

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

Some reflections in the year that my ER will start!

First of all: happy new year to all that read this :-)

The year has started good on personal front (nice vacation with friends), but on investment-front, it is a different story. Who knows, I might start ER with a meltdown in stock-market .... :shock:

So, still 4.5 Months to go. My wife and I are slowly preparing by getting rid of too much stuff, so we can fit a smaller container and move to the promised land :-) Other than that, the last few Months in the cubicle are slow. I am basically learning a bit Hungarian, but concentration is not good yet, more and more I am convinced that I need time to get relaxed, my mind needs to unwind, and this will not happen over night. The last 16 years on the road were hectic (also fun and adventurous, but tough at times), and I noticed that I cannot take much anymore, it seems as if I have reached my max capacity to cope with things (I even see travel as a burden right now, while I always loved it). The only wish is now "peace", go to my quiet place in Hungary, and then slowly start rebuilding a new Life, a new route. Knowing myself, I will be active in the end with new things, but at the moment I cannot concentrate on that. So, if the body/mind says "stop", lets listen to that ! It helps that I am not alone, my wife is my best buddy in life, we always help each other to find the best way forward. So, we still organize parties, meet friends, in this way we keep these last Months alive, but deep in my heart, I already left this working life (and this country we are in).

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by DutchGirl »

Thanks for the update. I hope time flies for you the next few months :-)

phil
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:05 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by phil »

Hi Hank, just read your journal. Congrats on hitting FI! Hope you will unwind soon and enjoy your retirement.

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

phil wrote:Hi Hank, just read your journal. Congrats on hitting FI! Hope you will unwind soon and enjoy your retirement.
Thanks for taking the time to read my scribbling's, I hope it has inspired you somehow. Do you have a journey as well?

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

Almost 3 Months ago, time for an update. With the end of "salaried employee" life in sight, I had a nice change of location and project since I last wrote. I was joking to my wife that somebody is testing me if I should delay my deadline because I really have a good time with this Customer, and the location is in the top-10 of expat wishlist (not sure if that is of any value, but I noticed). However, i will stick to my deadline of 31 May, I have been waiting enough. I basically see this last location/project as a nice way of ending the Salaried life. As I described before, if you like to explore other aspects of yourself and life, you need to cut the chains first, otherwise there is no space for change. I tried it, but it does not work like that (at least not for me). The working life as a Salary man drains too much energy, so when you finish work at the end of the day, there is not enough energy left to really change, and become like the "Renaissance" profile that Jacob described in his book (I do not mean this as following a guide book, but I like the idea to become more full-round as a person, explore more qualities in yourself and in relation to others, a different life, more focused on purpose & quality than money earning). Talking about money, that part is now covered, I am still 20% in cash, 25% in rental apartments and 55% in managed funds. Renting is still going well, and creates enough "basic" income, of course no guarantees for future, but for now (and that counts), it allows me the luxury to change. This feeling of freedom is growing, and I am anxious to see how I will respond to this from June onwards. My wife expects that I need at least 6 Months if not a year, to unwind myself from that working life. Let's see, 1.5 Months to go!

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by DutchGirl »

Wonderful to read, Henk. I'm sure the new situation will need some getting used to, even if it is only your adrenal gland wondering why it doesn't have to release stress hormones that often anymore :-) . I think you'll do just fine; and I'm curious what your path will be like. But we'll have to wait. Six more weeks or so? Good luck!

(MrFireStation has just started his retirement, don't know if you know the site: https://mrfirestation.com/ . I like to read about how he feels about it, too. )

Pucheou
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:40 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Pucheou »

Hi Henk,

Thanks for the supportive comments in my journal. Yours was one of the journals I enjoyed reading even before I took the step of recording my own journey. Best wishes for this last month as a salary man!

Pucheou

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

DutchGirl wrote:Wonderful to read, Henk. I'm sure the new situation will need some getting used to, even if it is only your adrenal gland wondering why it doesn't have to release stress hormones that often anymore :-) . I think you'll do just fine; and I'm curious what your path will be like. But we'll have to wait. Six more weeks or so? Good luck!

(MrFireStation has just started his retirement, don't know if you know the site: https://mrfirestation.com/ . I like to read about how he feels about it, too. )
Funny, the stress hormone response, exact same thing that my wife said. She told me "you might be addicted to the fight/stress of work, and I wonder what will happen if that stress disappears, and if you will replace that lost stress/fight with something else to compensate for that?" :-)

Well, I told her, no way, I am not going to create another "stress" situation, I hope the freedom will become an addiction!

Thanks for your comment!

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by C40 »

What an exciting time! I hope the last month goes well for you

cmonkey
Posts: 1814
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:56 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by cmonkey »

When I stopped driving to work, I no longer had that worry/stress in my life. It was great but I did start to transfer that to other things - notably I started stressing about the bus being on time, missing the bus, etc... At least for me I had to actively fight it away. Then I started applying it to the renovation work I'm doing, thinking I wasn't getting enough done. Finally, once I started accumulating wealth (something which should reduce stress) I started stressing about the unlikely event of getting laid off or fired and my plans getting utterly destroyed.

It can be a battle but I have slowly whittled down the feeling of being stressed about "something". I am at a great point now and really just don't give a hoot about things that used to stress me.

I hope the same can be said for you! Have a great last month. :)

Hankaroundtheworld
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:50 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by Hankaroundtheworld »

Finally found the moment to reflect on my ER jump. Well, it finally happened, from 1 Aug, I am a free man at 50 years of age, at least free from sitting in a cubicle everyday :-) and I am now at my "farm-house" in Hungary. It still feels like I am on vacation, as if it will end some day and go back to work. No surprise, after 23 years working, you are conditioned and it will take time to really feel free. Do I miss work? Not at all, only a little bit the excitement from the Expat life (much travel, meeting different people, parties, benefits, etc..), but I do not miss the politics and bureaucracy at work (which kills the passion). Actually, my wife also needs to adjust to that, that sudden stop of Expat life. So, how are we coping with the freedom? Well, we are doing a lot in the garden, house, etc.. renovating a bit more, but also a lot of practicalities, like getting a medical insurance, getting a car, etc...sounds like trivial for many, but we have been 17 years on the road, and everything was always organized for us, including cleaning lady for the house, chauffeur/driver for the car, gardener, etc.. (really spoiled, to be honest), so now we must get the control back, lol :-)
Do we enjoy it? Absolutely, and the surroundings of Hungary help, it so peaceful, people in village are really nice (going back in time 50-60 years compared to Netherlands, which is good), there is only beautiful nature, fresh air and water, still a bit wild-life, etc.. it is like paradise, especially because it is combined with modern facilities (like good internet, etc..), and there are also very nice cities to go to (if you want to escape the village sometimes, and go to a concert, restaurant, etc..). We also met some people and we started to learn "Hungarian" (not easy) to get more integrated into the community.
Will we for ever like this? Not sure, for now, it is the perfect "stop" after being on the road, get rid of the working conditions, become free in your mind, work at your medical condition (loose weight, etc..), and just enjoy life in a different way, it is like "slow travel" without any push to do anything, only something that you like!
Are their doubts? Only a little bit, but not the step to go ER, it has more to do with those questions, what next? We are not calm in our minds yet, we still want to do a lot (like keep on renovating the farm house and barns, etc..), and if we do nothing for a few days (just talking, drinking and reading), we almost feel guilty. This "being productive" is still very much present.
Strategy? Give ourselves at least 2 years to change and feel 100% free. Do not rush to start exploring other skills yet, only when I feel I am ready for it (I do explore renovating DIY skills at the moment, lol :-) )
Anyway, it was a great move and we feel privileged that we can make this ER move in a healthy stage and be free!

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by sky »

Congrats, welcome to real life.

IlliniDave
Posts: 3845
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:46 pm

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by IlliniDave »

Sounds awesome. Congratulations!

User avatar
jennypenny
Posts: 6851
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm

Re: Henk's journey thru life

Post by jennypenny »

Congratulations, Hank!

Most people I know who's retired near our age (I'm 50) says it takes 6 months to decompress before you can start fully living the retired life. Must be like grieving in a way.

Post Reply