Online relationships are wonderful.
The opportunity to share thoughts and experiences with people who are too far away to meet in person is invaluable. The web facilitates meeting and actually getting to know people with different experiences all around the world. Still nothing ever matches the impact of face to face conversations; meeting people in person, shaking hands, and seeing how thoughts express themselves through facial expressions and tones of voice. Magic happens.
Coffee in San Francisco
Chris Ducker in San Francisco, April 2011
I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with Chris Ducker, the Virtual Business Lifestyle guy in San Francisco. Chris is an entrepreneur first of all, but he has embraced the web for part of his business and that is where I started following him. On the web, Chris flaunts the lifestyle that his he has made for his family by helping people use virtual assistants from the Philippines take over repetitive business tasks.
Should I stay or should I go?
Chris is based in the Philippines but travels frequently and while in San Francisco, he asked if anyone wanted to meet up with him for a few hours. So Saturday at noon, I and a few others met Chris at a San Francisco restaurant. Sacramento is 90 miles from San Francisco- about a 2 and a half hour trip by car and BART. I had to think a while before committing, but finally decided to go.
So what’s your point?
My point today is not so much about Chris Ducker or the interesting group of people that joined us in San Francisco. It’s about getting out of what you know, risking looking foolish and confused and seeing yourself and the world from a new perspective. I was the oldest guy there although there was another retired guy in the group. The others were youngsters and making good money from web-based business. There really is a new world out there which is a night and day difference from the world I knew at their age. My professional experience, though perhaps not completely useless doesn’t give me any advantage in this new world. These days the young are leading the old. And let me tell you that I don’t see anything wrong with that. I came back stimulated. I got some new ideas for my blog and my business venture.
What did I learn?
Coffee and stimulation
I can hear the questions in your head as I type. What does a Virtual Business Lifestyle blogger have to teach about outrageous retirement lifestyles? Do you have to embrace entrepreneurship to have an outrageous retirement? I’m not saying any of those things. Outrageous is anything that excites your passion. You might want to stoke up those entrepreneurial coals. But you might choose to run a marathon after being a couch potato for years or be a mentor when you haven’t read a book since college. Set yourself free! Don’t sit at home wishing that something exciting would come knocking at your door because it won’t. You will have to go out an find it. Maybe you don’t need to drive 90 miles but you will need to make some effort to identify and then pursue your passion..
Your life- your choice!
Retirement can be an end of life when you wind down all your passions and coast to the finish line bored and defeated. Retirement can also be a beginning, where you fulfill all the things that you pushed aside earlier. It’s your choice. Retirement just happens. It is neither good nor bad and most people drift into it unprepared. The choice is between ordinary and outrageous. Ordinary is passive. Outrageous is active. Ordinary is closed. Outrageous is open to new ideas and experiences. It’s not a question of right and wrong or good and bad. But it is a choice. You can choose to be safe, comfortable and bored. Or you can choose new experiences that take you out of your comfort zone. I choose outrageous. And that’s why I drove 90 miles to have coffee on Saturday. What are you going to do?
Good for you Ralph. Sounds like ya had some fun and a little mental stimulation too. Well, I gotta go and leave my comfort zone. It’s off to the probation department to get finger-printed so I can go back and do a little part time work. WORK!! Yep, the money is too good to pass up. You’ll hear all about it at HH.
Hansi’s last Blog Post ..Phucking A
Hansi,
Don’t they already have your prints? Glad to hear that you will be providing your wisdom to miscreants there in LA. I feel safer already.
Well done Ralph for having the initiative to go to San Francisco, I’m sure the meeting must have inspired you. Younger people have two advantages; energy and lack of fear, meeting them shows what can be done and it’s not just confined to youngsters…..I am thinking of making a similar journey soon, 150 miles away there are regular meetings between successful Internet marketeers. I manily want to go just to feed off their enthusiasm.
John
Leamington Spa, England
John McNally@Blogging for Pleasure and Profit’s last Blog Post ..WHY Has My TRAFFIC Gone UP
John,
I recommend it. You will get new ideas and encouragement for old ones. And it’s great to feed off the energy.
Ralph@retirement lifestyle’s last Blog Post ..An Outrageous Retirement Lifestyle Saturday
Glad you had a great meeting Ralph.
You know I remember all these conversations with my dad where he taught me the value of a good honest days work. He taught me not to watch the clock and to give my all when doing any job. He also taught me to save and not to waste money. He used to say that the time to work was when you were young and fit and that to put money away for when you retire was the smart way to go.
Most younger people these days want to enjoy themselves. They see something they want and they buy it. Most don’t know how to save and many spend more than they earn. There were also those who did that in my father’s day and they are paying for it today.
The lesson I learned was you’re never too you to start saving for your retirement.
Sire’s last Blog Post ..Blogging! Why The Hell Do We Do It
Sire,
What you say is so true. It’s easy to think that tomorrow never comes but eventually it arrives whether you are ready or not.
My husband and I “retired” 5 years ago and traveled around and did all the things retired people do. Now we choose to do a variety of things which we enjoy – mainly training in a multitude of areas.
No matter how old you are – opportunities come our way. I for one, will always travel to experience new things or meet new people. Love it. You are only as old as you feel 🙂
Brenda,
Sometimes I am troubled by the feeling part but I tell myself that you are only as old as you let yourself be. Sometimes you may not feel 100 percent but I choose not to let that limit what I do. I push through and go for it. As long as life excites you each day, then it is all good.
Ralph, retirement is your second opportunity at life, to waste it is unforgivable.
I agree we can learn off the young, but they can learn more off us.
Bill
2nd time around, A-U-L, UK
Bill,
I’ll take you word on that. For the moment, my priority is learning- not teaching.