A quick bit from Jerry Seinfeld on the dangers of "doing nothing"....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JOsxxm-RnQ
Friday, July 31, 2009
YRPA, Launch Part Two
I'd like to add my "hullo's" to Alice's for anyone reading this blog. Alice provided a great introduction to the ideas behind YRPA (although she gave me way too much credit!) While this started as a pseudo-joke, after talking with Alice and a number of other people, I began thinking that some sort of organization like this is actually one that could potentially benefit a lot of people.
I think the idea is that we all live under a set of societal norms in which many of us feel pressure to fulfill certain roles and obligations - often manifested as advancing our careers, working our tails off, and making ever more money. However, a number of people around me have gotten increasingly disillusioned with this type of lifestyle and the lack of balance that it creates. They search for something else, for another way to approach life, but find it hard to break out of the cycles they've been in for so long.
Yet, as Alice said, there are people who have done this, or at least tried to do so, whether at first by choice or not. The impetus could be a bad work week, an economic downturn, a first-born child, a family tragedy, or just a plain old epiphany. No matter how it starts, free time begets contemplations of what "happy" is and notions of what makes one satisfied in life. Thus begins the "retired" stage of life of a young professional. For some, it lasts only as long as it takes to find another job, while others savor the temporary stop in responsibility for half a year or longer. Still others embrace their new-found freedom and figure out other ways to feed themselves that leave them time to enjoy life.
No matter what YOUR particular status is, I envision YRPA to be a place that can help provide support, advice, and understanding.. a place where people from different places can connect and talk about their similar circumstances. Where people can share their experiences and perspectives, mutually validate anxieties, and help each other figure out how to overcome them.
I'm not sure if this will work, but I think it's worth trying.
I think the idea is that we all live under a set of societal norms in which many of us feel pressure to fulfill certain roles and obligations - often manifested as advancing our careers, working our tails off, and making ever more money. However, a number of people around me have gotten increasingly disillusioned with this type of lifestyle and the lack of balance that it creates. They search for something else, for another way to approach life, but find it hard to break out of the cycles they've been in for so long.
Yet, as Alice said, there are people who have done this, or at least tried to do so, whether at first by choice or not. The impetus could be a bad work week, an economic downturn, a first-born child, a family tragedy, or just a plain old epiphany. No matter how it starts, free time begets contemplations of what "happy" is and notions of what makes one satisfied in life. Thus begins the "retired" stage of life of a young professional. For some, it lasts only as long as it takes to find another job, while others savor the temporary stop in responsibility for half a year or longer. Still others embrace their new-found freedom and figure out other ways to feed themselves that leave them time to enjoy life.
No matter what YOUR particular status is, I envision YRPA to be a place that can help provide support, advice, and understanding.. a place where people from different places can connect and talk about their similar circumstances. Where people can share their experiences and perspectives, mutually validate anxieties, and help each other figure out how to overcome them.
I'm not sure if this will work, but I think it's worth trying.
Monday, July 27, 2009
YRPA Blog Launch!
Hmm ... I see no welcome message yet, so I'll take it upon myself to welcome folks to the YRPA blog.
Young Retired Persons of America (hereinafter "YRPA") is the brainchild of one Wayne Pan - the Original Young Retiree Extraordinaire ... and recreational environmentalist, world traveler and photographer (what have I left out, Wayne?). After recruiting me to "join" his "organization," Wayne and I concluded that YRPA really could be of great use to young professionals that have opted out of full-time work for whatever reason and however long. As Wayne so eloquently put it: "The goal of the organization is to provide networking, social, and meeting opportunities for members, and to help create opportunities for young professionals to trade experiences, build friendships, share insights, and find support and understanding while 'retired.'" For instance, it is a way for one young retiree to get together with another for a long lunch, followed by a leisurely stroll through a Japanese market and a couple hours of serious discussion at a local coffee shop about the guilty feelings of a young retiree about taking an early retirement.
I certainly felt delighted, relieved, and many other good emotions, when I found others of my generation that had made the choice not to work full time, and I think others will, too.
So here we are with a small membership of four thus far (hello Wayne, Ludo and Young!), a blog to discuss topics that maybe only we retirees are interested in, and a LinkedIn group for us to get to know one another better. I don't know how much longer I will be retired, but since I have no solid plans yet to go back to work, I am enjoying the company of my fellow YRPA members and pursuing my hobbies with the gusto they deserve.
Young Retired Persons of America (hereinafter "YRPA") is the brainchild of one Wayne Pan - the Original Young Retiree Extraordinaire ... and recreational environmentalist, world traveler and photographer (what have I left out, Wayne?). After recruiting me to "join" his "organization," Wayne and I concluded that YRPA really could be of great use to young professionals that have opted out of full-time work for whatever reason and however long. As Wayne so eloquently put it: "The goal of the organization is to provide networking, social, and meeting opportunities for members, and to help create opportunities for young professionals to trade experiences, build friendships, share insights, and find support and understanding while 'retired.'" For instance, it is a way for one young retiree to get together with another for a long lunch, followed by a leisurely stroll through a Japanese market and a couple hours of serious discussion at a local coffee shop about the guilty feelings of a young retiree about taking an early retirement.
I certainly felt delighted, relieved, and many other good emotions, when I found others of my generation that had made the choice not to work full time, and I think others will, too.
So here we are with a small membership of four thus far (hello Wayne, Ludo and Young!), a blog to discuss topics that maybe only we retirees are interested in, and a LinkedIn group for us to get to know one another better. I don't know how much longer I will be retired, but since I have no solid plans yet to go back to work, I am enjoying the company of my fellow YRPA members and pursuing my hobbies with the gusto they deserve.
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