Changing Ladders Starting Phase II - Un-Retiring and Starting A New Life
I once heard about someone who had spent years climbing the ladder of success, and upon finally reaching the top and looking around, discovered that the ladder was on the wrong wall.
And so it is with careers and the feeling that so many people must have as they enter "Retirement".
I had never given a great deal of thought to and never believed that I would retire. I actually enjoyed waking each day and having a career to go to.
But the reality of the ever changing global business world and shifting economy puts many barriers in front of those of us who began working at an early age, 6 years old for me. Suddenly, because of mergers and acquisitions, corporations and industries fading from practical necessity, or simply reaching an age when you are no longer looked at as an asset, but rather a liability, to a corporation. And "Retirement" occurs.
And no matter howhard I fought it, reality won, and I found myself "Retired".
Okay, so we'll travel and see the world. "Great! Wow, that was fun!". But there's no place like home.
The advantage of traveling ultimately leads to a "favorite" places list, and because we are gypsies and tend to want to spend time in our multiple favorite places, both in and out of America several times a year, we now enjoy settling into other locations, at different times of the year!
I found retirement totally unacceptable to my needs, therefore in 2009 I made some decisions about what I wanted to do in Phase II of my life; a time that a friend of mine describes as "The Last Inning".
Like others who have gone before me, as I entered Phase II, my personal needs had changed and my previous thoughts of someday building a large business from a start-up business, was no longer of interest to me.
Now, all I wanted was a business: 1. Where I was the only employee, with no one to answer to, but me (and of course my wife Sheila, my son Spirit the stubborn cat, my daughter Molly the welcome wagger; My 3 Bosses). 2. That could be run anywhere I happened to be at the time. 3. Which required little or no storage or inventory maintenance. 4. That would have exponential potential for profit. 5. That would allow me to decide when and if I wanted to work, and/or shut it down for days or months at a time, and returning it quickly to full capacity when "I" wanted to.
6. That would allow me to work where I could absorb the creative energy of the venue.
Armed with those objectives in mind, I looked back over my personal and business life, and realistically began to look for what might allow me to build a successful business, on my own terms, and bring me fun, satisfaction, and financial gains.
I've been around, enjoyed, and participated in the entertainment world all of my life, learning how to play a guitar and sing, writing songs and stories, singing to audiences, and teaching others. And the entire time, it was FUN for me. I had discovered my perfect business, a small production company.
Spirit Wind Productions was the name I chose to call my little business, which pretty well covers the gammit of the things I enjoy doing and creating. I am once again, back in business!
