The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams... At Any Age You Want

Chapter 11. How Much Is Your Paycheck Costing You?

Fear not that your life will come to an end but that it will never have a beginning.

—John Henry Newman

One day my daughter asked me to come out and play. I said, 'No, Honey, Dad's too busy.' My daughter said, 'You're always too busy' and went out to play. That night I kept turning it over in my head. Why do I work hard? Answer: to get freedom. Why do I want freedom? Answer: to spend time with those I love. When am I going to have this freedom or make getting it a priority? Answer: probably about the time my kids are gone. I realized I had put myself in a vicious cycle of motion and money and had everything turned upside down.

—Ted, 39

Iwent through a period in my own life when I allowed myself to do work I dreaded to gain money I desired. This period came to an end when I received a personal wake-up call and subsequently assessed my entire state of being by asking myself, "How much is this paycheck costing me?!"

My lesson came in a telling set of circumstances that caused me to compare what I gain materially with what I was losing physically, emotionally, and developmentally.

I had done a little consultation work for a start-up company when they asked me if I would consider taking on a consulting contract for 50 to 60 percent of my time for a fee that many would consider a generous full-time wage. On top of this, they offered me options on over 100,000 shares at 2 cents per share. The individual who offered this package had already taken ...