> the above probably doesn't apply to the typical intelligent, multi-dimensional silk lister.
Hah. It especially applies to people who think it doesn't apply to them. I found when I first started "slowing down" that my partner and I, as much as we love and are devoted to one another, need a certain amount of "our own" time. That if we spend all of our time together we are less happy than if we spend a certain amount of it apart. So we have that built in. For me "slowing down" has meant spending more time doing fewer things but really paying attention to the things I do. -- Charles On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 at 21:51 Shyam Sunder <shyam.sun...@peakalpha.com> wrote: > Fascinating thread. I have a slightly contrarian view. > > Probably not very relevant to silklisters but I am very wary when my > clients talk about early retirement. Not because they would put their > financial independence at risk, but because they hugely overestimate their > ability to fill the day with meaningful pursuits. A typical conversation > (which occurs very frequently, I might add) would go along the lines of > > Client - I would like to explore retirement by 50. > Shyam - Given your financial situation, it is quite likely you will be > able to do that from a financial perspective. But what do you plan to do > after you retire? > Client - I really want to make time for the things I enjoy. I want to > spend more time with the family (First red flare), travel (second red > flare), and volunteer my time with NGOs (big third red flare) or coaching > young professionals or start-ups > Shyam - Great. How specific are your plans? > Client - What do you mean? > Shyam - Is there a specific NGO you have already been associated with? / > Do you currently mentor start-ups or coach? > Client - Not really. But I am sure I can easily figure that out. I mean, I > don't want any money for it. > > I fear that the above describes someone who will wake up six months later > with nothing to do during the day, and drives everyone around him / her up > the wall! For someone aged 50, they need a plan that will last decades, not > months. Their family perhaps doesn't want them hanging around all the time. > Their life's travels can be completed in six months, and reasonably > well-run NGOs want a volunteer who comes and wishes to > optimize/streamline/improve the set-up like they want a bullet to the head. > For many, work gives them identity and self-worth. My advice for someone > without specifics is to work for as long as they can. For most people, > there is 20% of the job that makes the remaining 80% worth it. > > Like I said at the beginning, the above probably doesn't apply to the > typical intelligent, multi-dimensional silklister. > > Warm regards > > Shyam > > -----Original Message----- > From: silklist [mailto:silklist-bounces+shyam.sunder= > peakalpha....@lists.hserus.net] On Behalf Of Vijay Anand > Sent: 24 January 2017 11:06 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] In praise of slowness > > "Slowing down" - the phase in life when making money is not the priority > anymore and there is the intention to expand to other interests that have > been at best side projects, so that they get focus. > > It seems that the more i read the viewpoints, unless and if there is a) a > significant windfall that money isnt a big concern anymore or b) you make > the financial planning so that there is an insurance of sorts so that > something doesnt take you unaware - worse put your dependents ar risk, this > is a hard one to pull off. > > I often mind myself going back to a bookmarked linked of self-sustainable > farms. An acre or two of land, grow what you want and get away from the > race of making your monthly commitments, seems like a dream. BUT... > > 1. Any self sufficient farm thingerie is a lot of upfront capital - to > cure the land, and setup things needed for substanence - food, water, > electricity. > > 2. Given the scenario with the government where the apt definition is > "revolutionary governance", and what holds value, suddenly goes out of it > and land reform policies might be on the horizon, i wonder if any of the > planning we do would be free of risks. > > 3. All said and done, to keep up with inflation we need an asset that goes > up in value and creates liquidity over time, as agri for eg will never be a > commercially successful enterprise (atleast at that scale). And building > assets right now, take a lifetime in India. > > Vijay > > On Jan 24, 2017 10:54 AM, "Venkatesh H R" <hrvenkat...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > It is a terrific experience reading all your thoughts. To me, it > > appears that most people, when talking about slowing down, are just > > referring to removing clutter from their lives. It doesn't mean they > > are actually slowing down. > > Indeed, in some respects they might be working harder on a few aspects > > of their life than ever before! Of course, there is a good chance I'm > > mistaken in this assumption. > > For what it's worth, I too am slowing down in my own way. 2012 was the > > last time we had TV at home. And this year, I'm planning to cut down > > significantly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. There is a > > dynamic tension to this, because I depend on social media to > > distribute my work and listen to others. So I will still use these - > > but not on my mobile phone. For me, this is equivalent to slowing > > down. I've just been reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, the Georgetown > > Uni Computer Science Professor. And he is in praise of some radical > > retooling of our calendars and priorities. > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 12:16 AM, Venkatesh Hariharan ven...@gmail.com > > wrote: > > John, thanks for your hones answers. It's been enlightening to read > > all the > > > > answers. Charles, I hope to be as disciplined as you, one day. > > > > > > > > > > One of the biggest tensions in my life has been between the activist > > in me, > > > > who wants to change the world, and the recluse in me, who wants to run > > away > > > > from the world. Currently, I work with a non profit working on > > financial > > > > inclusion (www.ispirt.in & www.productnation.in). I have other > > consulting > > > > gigs but the iSPIRT one has been most intense and has pretty much > > taken > > > > over my calendar. I like the fact that this work contributes to a good > > > > cause, but there are moments when I crave intense solitude. I never > > liked > > > > multi-tasking and doing too many things at the same time. I stopped > > > > watching TV many, many years ago... try not to spend too much time on > > > > Twitter and Facebook... and thoroughly hate the always-on online > lifestyle. > > > > With age, I have realized that time is not money. Time is precious and > > we > > > > choose to exchange it for those things that we value the most, whether > > > > that be taking care of our health, a walk in the park, meeting loved > > ones, > > > > or reading a book. I find that there is great joy in doing things > > slowly, > > > > meditatively... However, my working life has all been about cramming > > as > > > > much as possible into every minute available, and doing a hundred > > things at > > > > once... not complaining, but just making an observation... after all, > > it is > > > > those jobs that gave me a degree of financial independence. For a > > change, I > > > > want my life to be not always about efficiency, but also about beauty > > and > > > > the joy of each moment. Let's see how this works out :-) > > > > > > > > > > Venky > > > > > > > > > > On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 10:32 PM, Radhika, Y. <radhik...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Thank you so much for your honesty John. Other accounts for slowing > > > down > > > > > always sound like they come from wherever lotuses grow (supposedly > > > that > > is > > > > > where Vancouverites live!). > > > > > > > > > > best wishes. > > > > > Radhika > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > H R VenkateshTow-Knight Fellow 2016, New YorkCo-ordinator, > > Hacks/Hackers New Delhi > > Ph: +1 646-874-9924Twitter: @hrvenkatesh > > >
