A book I read

I just finished a book; the author is Wes Moss. It was a book about happy retirees and their characteristics. At the moment, I am 30 years old and still have a long way before retirement; I still can’t picture myself yet not doing what I am currently doing, being an educator. The book gave insightful knowledge about what we can do if we want to be happy retirees. So here are some lists that stick to my mind:

  1. Having $500k in your retirement fund, as an Indonesian this amount of money is exorbitant. I might feel happy if I have $100k in my retirement fund. It’s different around countries I guess. However, when I did the math, for normal workers here, our annual salary would be around $7k. Even with that small amount of income, many people still manage to save up some money. So I guess, the first rule set the bar high, as it should be.
  2. Having at core pursuit. Happy retirees have, on average, 3.6 core pursuits. In my case, I think I already got 3 . I love traveling, volunteering, and spending time with my loved ones. I still try to expand my core pursuit, like writing, learning, socializing with other people, some sports, and coaching teenagers. It’s a long journey.
  3. Living near their kids. Happy retirees live 1-2 hours by cars distance to their children. Seeing their grandkids would surely boost their happiness.
  4. Have at least 3 CC (close connection). Having friends that you can confide in is bliss. No wonder people are happier the more real friends they have, but certainly, 3 is enough, more is better.
  5. Paid off the mortgage. I think it’s obvious that the mortgage is a burden, and if someone still has a long way, more than 5 years, to pay off their mortgage, their happiness might be less than people who didn’t have to worry about their mortgage payment. As for now, I haven’t taken a mortgage yet, maybe in the future, I will.
  6. Their children are married and independent. As a parent, nothing is more satisfying than seeing your children can stand on their own, and build their own little happy family.
  7. 4% plus rule, this is a good guideline about how to expend your money. It’s dynamic, but you should not spend more than 4%+ of your retirement fund annually. If you follow this guideline, your fund might last a good 25 years+.
  8. They are good investors and smart spenders.
  9. They both believe and giving. I know how fulfilling it is to help and give to others. Especially if we didn’t expect anything in return. Want to be happy? Help others people to be a little bit happier.
  10. They don’t downgrade.

There are some more, but those are the ones that left a big impression on me. It was a good book.

Grateful #11

I am grateful I could have the time and the chance to gather with my family. Last weekend I stayed over at my grandma’s house. Spending time with my family rejuvenate my tired soul. And now I am ready for whatever challenges life might prepare for me for the next few days. I always find spending time with my family refreshing.

Grateful#9

Today I slept at 3 A.M and woke up at 6 A.M. I am grateful I still have the chance to play games till morning, almost 15 hours (From 12:30ish P.M. yesterday). I need to go to work at 7 A.M, so yeah. Probably this is the last time I did that. At my age, it’s not recommended. What an experience.

Grateful#8

Today I am grateful for my breath. Focusing on my breath when I jog in the fresh morning is an incredible experience. As I jog, passing through the trees, sometimes catching the fallen leaves, taking in the morning air, what a bliss.

Grateful#6

I am grateful that last night I had a sound sleep, I slept at 9 P.M and I woke up at 5:30 A.M, fully refreshed. I rarely had problems related to sleeping as I know what should I do to make myself sleepy, which is reading a book. It might take 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour before I started feeling drowsy. So, all hail sleeping.

Grateful#5

I am grateful to have such a loving and caring cousin. She is like a little sister to me and nowadays she is the one who treats and takes care of our grandmother. I am grateful for her to take that responsibility at such a young age. Looking after an elderly person is by no mean an easy feat.

Grateful #4

I am grateful today I got to experience feeling peevish, on the brink of faint. I was so exhausted, light-headed, and feeling dizzy. I forgot when was the last time I felt that way. After working out for 30 minutes, that’s what I got. And it reminded me, that I should do things at my own pace, not forcing myself way too much that I almost fainted. Work-out is good, but understanding your body condition is much more important.