Convoluted

Dying Broke

Reading an interesting book titled "Die Broke" which basically posits that one should spend all the wealth he/she accumulates, before dying. To do this, the author argues that we should not aim at our careers as one long mad rush to get to the top, after which we all fall into the abyss of retirement. Rather, we should look at our jobs simply as our means to receive incomes -- so we should not feel guilty about looking for the next job offer that pays better than the present one, and to do that continuously until old age. We should not quest for any fulfillment within our so-called careers. However, fulfillment comes from spending your hard-earned money in areas you like, when you like to. The author states that we should just do the best we can in our jobs, then go home. Quite a tempting notion, I think.

Despite my having a senior management role, now I am increasingly becoming a clock-watcher myself, following the author's advice. After I render 8 hours of intense work for the company, I close my laptop and walk out of the office with almost no guilt. When my boss calls me on my cellphone when I'm at home, I mentally note the number of hours of discussion and subtract that from my face time at work.

Then I look at my bankbook and think, what should I reward myself with today?

I don't know whether I'm a recovering burnout victim or just discovering the inner slacker within me. But, heck, it feels good.

posted by Unknown @ 1:50 AM