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Happiness Scale

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  • boobooB Do not disturb
    boobooB Do not disturb
    booboo
    replied to NTA on last edited by booboo
    #210

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    @mariner4life awesome.

    I don't get people who say they'd keep working if they won the lottery. Sure, it needs to be enough of a win to quit work, but FFS anything north of $3M and you can't quit, you need to have a look at yourself...

    You still need a purpose though.

    Having said that $3mil?

    $1mil would go close to seeing us sweet I reckon.

    MiketheSnowM NTAN 2 Replies Last reply
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  • MiketheSnowM Offline
    MiketheSnowM Offline
    MiketheSnow
    replied to booboo on last edited by
    #211

    @booboo said in Happiness Scale:

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    @mariner4life awesome.

    I don't get people who say they'd keep working if they won the lottery. Sure, it needs to be enough of a win to quit work, but FFS anything north of $3M and you can't quit, you need to have a look at yourself...

    You still need a purpose though.

    Having said that $3mil?

    $1mil would close towouling us sweet I reckon.

    My net spend per year is in the £30k neighbourhood and my missus & I do most of the things we want to do each year.

    I’m 54 and the oldest male in my family got to 74.

    So not going crazy and accounting for inflation, a cool Dr Evil “1 million dollars’ (well pounds) would see me home & hosed.

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  • NTAN Offline
    NTAN Offline
    NTA
    replied to booboo on last edited by
    #212

    @booboo said in Happiness Scale:

    You still need a purpose though.

    "Doing whatever the fuck I want" sounds just fine n dandy.

    Running my rugby club without having to find hours in the day.
    Helping other rugby clubs do their thing as well using what I've learned (the hard way) about community grants and social media etc.
    Running clinics in schools.
    Refereeing.
    Playing.

    Yeah I reckon I can find stuff 😉

    Having said that $3mil?

    $1mil would close towouling us sweet I reckon.

    I could quit on $1M but not for that long. OK if the wife wants to keep working - and she probably will because she'd go mental if she didn't have work to go mental over.

    taniwharugbyT 1 Reply Last reply
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  • MajorRageM Offline
    MajorRageM Offline
    MajorRage
    wrote on last edited by MajorRage
    #213

    I quit in 2017 from the well paid, high stress job. It took me 6 months before I started missing it. It took me 8 months to get the desire to get back in. At 10 months I started to get depressed as I realised that what I do is all about who you know, and my chances of getting a job in a different location were extremely slim. Then I got offered a lifeline and here I am.

    Roller coaster weekend for me though. Got a message last Friday which I misread which made me think my job is in doubt. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it's a political toilet at the moment. However, with Covid, job fluidity is zero, so it could lead to a barren few months. Worrying. But then I got an intro from a mate about a potential VC backed opportunity on something I know everything about.

    So I've started looking into that, whilst discovering this morning that my current job isn't as at risk as I thought.

    I must say though, how much the roller coaster weekend has had my mental health swinging is something I need to look at. It's not healthy to go from utterly depressed on Friday night to over the moon Monday morning

    Wow, that wandered. The overarching point is don't put a figure on when you'd retire/walk-away/do something different. IT doesn't work like that. Walk away when you want to walk away.

    voodooV nzzpN NTAN 3 Replies Last reply
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  • JCJ Offline
    JCJ Offline
    JC
    replied to MN5 on last edited by
    #214

    @MN5 It’s great that your Dad is enjoying himself, but keep an eye on him mate. Some people define themselves by their work and when it’s gone it leaves a massive hole in your life, that’s for sure. It’s not an easy transition and he may well miss the work and especially the relationships.

    I retired. Loved it for 6 months, then got to hate it so now I have myself a job again. I know now that I’ll work till I can’t anymore, then I’ll probably die shortly after. That’s just how it is and I’m fine with that.

    I feel bad for anybody who does a job they don’t enjoy. My life now could hardly be more different to what it was but I still get a kick out of heading to work every day. I think you have to nut out what it is that makes you tick and if that is work find a way to get someone to pay you to do what you love. And if you can’t get someone to pay, seriously consider reconfiguring your life so you can do it for nothing. And if what makes you tick is not working, well I don’t get that, but all power to you.

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  • voodooV Offline
    voodooV Offline
    voodoo
    replied to MajorRage on last edited by
    #215

    @MajorRage said in Happiness Scale:

    I quit in 2017 from the well paid, high stress job. It took me 6 months before I started missing it. It took me 8 months to get the desire to get back in. At 10 months I started to get depressed as I realised that what I do is all about who you know, and my chances of getting a job in a different location were extremely slim. Then I got offered a lifeline and here I am.

    Roller coaster weekend for me though. Got a message last Friday which I misread which made me think my job is in doubt. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it's a political toilet at the moment. However, with Covid, job fluidity is zero, so it could lead to a barren few months. Worrying. But then I got an intro from a mate about a potential VC backed opportunity on something I know everything about.

    So I've started looking into that, whilst discovering this morning that my current job isn't as at risk as I thought.

    > I must say though, how much the roller coaster weekend has had my mental health swinging is something I need to look at. It's not healthy to go from utterly depressed on Friday night to over the moon Monday morning

    Wow, that wandered. The overarching point is don't put a figure on when you'd retire/walk-away/do something different. IT doesn't work like that. Walk away when you want to walk away.

    Just on that bit specifically, I've been in exactly that boat this year, lots of wild swings, and way more anxiety than normal. But I take heart from what @Catogrande said earlier, you have to step back and realise we are in a a very abnormal year. 2020 is probably not the time to be making huge life decisions or judging yourself for your mood swings. It's a year for going easy on yourself and others, cutting slack where you may not otherwise have done so. Ride this shitstorm out then reassess!

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  • J Offline
    J Offline
    junior
    replied to Godder on last edited by
    #216

    @Godder said in Happiness Scale:

    @nzzp up vote for the Dan Pink reference - we used his work in bargaining at my last employer to eliminate performance pay which increased happiness at work significantly.

    $3M should easily be enough to retire on - pay off all debt including a house, so no rent, and the remainder should be enough at $50K pa.

    Agreed. Debt-free and enough leftover to live off some passive investments, which tend to compound over time. There's not a lot I'd change about my current lifestyle, so if I could continue without having to work a conventional job I would jump at the chance.

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  • nzzpN Offline
    nzzpN Offline
    nzzp
    replied to MajorRage on last edited by
    #217

    @MajorRage said in Happiness Scale:

    I must say though, how much the roller coaster weekend has had my mental health swinging is something I need to look at. It's not healthy to go from utterly depressed on Friday night to over the moon Monday morning

    it's late December 2020; don't beat yourself up about that. Everyone seems to be in a weird mental place at the back end of this year

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  • NTAN Offline
    NTAN Offline
    NTA
    replied to MajorRage on last edited by
    #218

    @MajorRage said in Happiness Scale:

    Walk away when you want to walk away.

    Well.... you've just described the last decade for me 🤔

    Not sure the wife would understand 😉

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  • taniwharugbyT Offline
    taniwharugbyT Offline
    taniwharugby
    replied to NTA on last edited by
    #219

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    I could quit on $1M but not for that long. OK if the wife wants to keep working - and she probably will because she'd go mental if she didn't have work to go mental over.

    dont tell her about the win then 😉

    Thats what this line of posting is about, you won a mill and after advice right? 💰

    We had a couple guys from work retire this year, in thier mid-50's.

    One is missing it big time, but we never see him, the other reckons he is loving being retired but is in every week...

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  • NTAN Offline
    NTAN Offline
    NTA
    replied to nzzp on last edited by
    #220

    @nzzp said in Happiness Scale:

    Interesting. We don't really do performance pay, and a lot of that is because it's so damn hard to measure. One dude brought in a client that's been worth literally tens of millions to the firm over the last few decades. What's our conversation: what have you done for me lately? Also, we all know people who have been unfairly treated by managers - either positively or negatively.

    THat said, the overall success of the business is performance pay in a roundabout way - just a collectivised version of it

    We operate off salary with a bonus of up to 20% as an "Incentive". But it is flexible as shit IF you're in management, of course.

    e.g. a few years ago I built a system that helped saved the business ~$10M a year, and tried to hang my hat on that, but got marked down because I was a bit grumpy every now and then. 🤷♂ Took the wind right out of my sails and, in my defensiveness, I wasn't smart enough to counter by asking them where in my regular 1on1 that was announced in the previous 6 months. Ultimately I gave them an easy way to save a few thousand off their budget so I had to wear that.

    However, at the same time I figured working for those fluffybunnies was not my thing, and put into action my plan to get to long service, take a solo trip to NZ, and then come back and tell them to shove it.

    Fortunately my current role landed in my lap, and the culture has changed quite a bit in that regard, but ultimately it is still the Republic of Corporatania. People say I'm not necessarily part of the ExCo so can't see the big picture, but I've been doing this for 20+ years now, and am not a fucking idiot. I can see a land grab, and how certain incompetent people have burned too much money to be allowed to fail at this point without making everyone above them look bad.

    NTAN 1 Reply Last reply
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  • NTAN Offline
    NTAN Offline
    NTA
    replied to NTA on last edited by
    #221

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    We operate off salary with a bonus of up to 20% as an "Incentive". But it is flexible as shit IF you're in management, of course.
    e.g. a few years ago I built a system that helped saved the business ~$10M a year, and tried to hang my hat on that, but got marked down because I was a bit grumpy every now and then.

    The more I think about it, the more this sounds like my sex life: you can do awesome things and anticipate a root, but ONE little comment and NO SOUP FOR YOU!

    SnowyS 1 Reply Last reply
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  • SnowyS Offline
    SnowyS Offline
    Snowy
    replied to NTA on last edited by
    #222

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    The more I think about it, the more this sounds like my sex life: you can do awesome things and anticipate a root, but ONE little comment and NO SOUP FOR YOU!

    Given that this is a happiness thread you really need to find some way to change that.

    My wife calls sex a misdemeanour - the more you miss de meaner you get - which is certainly true in my case, and she knows it is true for both of us.

    Yes I have just become the piston wristed gibbon who's wife enjoys sex that was mentioned somewhere on here. Except that is a contradiction really. It shouldn't be some threat or reward and I have been in some relationships like that previously - they didn't last long.

    Happy wife, happy life is my motto that I try and remind myself of regularly.

    NTAN 1 Reply Last reply
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  • NTAN Offline
    NTAN Offline
    NTA
    replied to Snowy on last edited by
    #223

    @Snowy said in Happiness Scale:

    Given that this is a happiness thread you really need to find some way to change that.

    I've tried almost everything within the realms of possibility, and haven't received anything but grief for bringing it up. I get the usual reaction of "typical man just after sex", and of late (since her Mum's dementia) tears and fights and grief . Therefore I simply don't bring it up.

    A female friend of mine asked if I'd suggested we do couples counselling, so that it doesn't just look like me asking for sex (like a crazed maniac, of course) but she won't even go see someone about the obvious issues around her Mum's impending loss. 🤷♂ In fact another therapist that I was seeing about work anxiety also suggested that, and seemed significantly concerned that she wasn't open to counselling for the grief or the couples thing.

    @Snowy said in Happiness Scale:

    Yes I have just become the piston wristed gibbon who's wife enjoys sex that was mentioned somewhere on here.

    piston wristed gibbon!

    😉

    It shouldn't be some threat or reward

    It isn't "used" like a punishment or reward. I am coming around to the opinion that sex does not sit very high on her priorities list.

    Fuck it did the week I got back from NZ in 2017 tho. Things picked up significantly for a while there - absence makes the heart grow fonder etc. Makes me think I should do that again 🤔

    Her ongoing willingness to kill herself for work, by contrast, is frustrating. In fact, I think a lot of her inability to discuss the issue relates to her work: because she's often the smartest person in the room 9-5, she's not used to hearing any form of dialogue that indicates she's not 100% right. Therefore, when I bring something to the table about my needs, she only sees criticism, and she's not equipped / mature enough to deal with that on its merits and look for a way forward.

    And like a lot of women I know, she needs to be unhappy to be happy, so working excess hours fits like a glove.

    (Yes I know that isn't all women, but these are the women I'm dealing with).

    It makes me question the state of the relationship, to the point where it generates significant anxiety for me. But as I've told a couple of therapists: there is no point me paying you to give advice that can't be meaningfully implemented.

    SnowyS 1 Reply Last reply
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  • NTAN Offline
    NTAN Offline
    NTA
    wrote on last edited by NTA
    #224

    Note I'm also VERY aware that this sounds like classic mid-life couple situation:

    • husband starts feeling neglected
    • wife doesn't want to hear about it
    • husband starts ignoring her
    • wife starts looking elsewhere for attention
    • husband gets rug pulled out from under him

    And I'm doing my best to keep the communication and attention flowing, but the one-sidedness of who initiates what is grating.

    SnowyS Rancid SchnitzelR 2 Replies Last reply
    5
  • SnowyS Offline
    SnowyS Offline
    Snowy
    replied to NTA on last edited by
    #225

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    It makes me question the state of the relationship, to the point where it generates significant anxiety for me.

    Yeah therein lies the problem. This is very personal stuff and I'm lucky that one of my wife's friends is a phycologist. I think she takes the few of - happy husband happy life. It goes both ways.

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    I am coming around to the opinion that sex does not sit very high on her priorities list.

    That's the thing, it shouldn't be a chore. I'm probably not helping here, but when it is regular, mutual and enjoyed the whole dynamic of the relationship becomes more equal, so it should be near the top of her list.

    mariner4lifeM NTAN 2 Replies Last reply
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  • SnowyS Offline
    SnowyS Offline
    Snowy
    replied to NTA on last edited by Snowy
    #226

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    the one-sidedness of who initiates what is grating.

    I get that too, but I am rarely turned down. That seems to just be being women wanting to be wanted. I can live with that.

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  • Rancid SchnitzelR Offline
    Rancid SchnitzelR Offline
    Rancid Schnitzel
    replied to NTA on last edited by
    #227

    @NTA said in Happiness Scale:

    Note I'm also VERY aware that this sounds like classic mid-life couple situation:

    • husband starts feeling neglected
    • wife doesn't want to hear about it
    • husband starts ignoring her
    • wife starts looking elsewhere for attention
    • husband gets rug pulled out from under him

    And I'm doing my best to keep the communication and attention flowing, but the one-sidedness of who initiates what is grating.

    This seems to be such a common thing and is really quite ridiculous on the part of the fairer sex. We men are generally simple creatures and if a semi-regular root is all that is required to keep us happy then shouldn’t that be a good thing? You get those shitty films, shows and books about frustrated wives but you have to wonder if they’ve got that arse backwards.

    SnowyS 1 Reply Last reply
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  • SnowyS Offline
    SnowyS Offline
    Snowy
    replied to Rancid Schnitzel on last edited by
    #228

    @Rancid-Schnitzel said in Happiness Scale:

    We men are generally simple creatures and if a semi-regular root is all that is required to keep us happy then shouldn’t that be a good thing?

    Yes. Seems to be the attitude around here - and it works.

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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    replied to Snowy on last edited by
    #229

    @Snowy said in Happiness Scale:

    I think she takes the few of - happy husband happy life. It goes both ways.

    try reading the comments of anny article on social media where a husband wants more sex. it's actually fucking depressing. there appear to be a huge number of women out there who just don't think it's important. that their body is sacrosanct. and any man should be happy with whatever they are "allowed".

    It's actually sad that these women don't seem to want to fuck their men any more.

    "oh he needs to put in effort" which normally means "no not that effort, this other effort on top of all the other effort" while also ignoring the fact that constant refusal actually wears people down to the point where trying is too hard.

    canefanC SnowyS NTAN 3 Replies Last reply
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