Viktor Frankl taught us that we feel alive and in charge when we are engaged and have a purpose in life. For me, that means the things I’m doing are engaging, make a difference and add to my mission.
In the last 34 years, I can’t remember taking longer than two weeks off from work. I went to Philmont with my son Jake when he was a Boy Scout. It was awesome! Then Greg, CEO and partner at TiER1, took a six-week “time away.”[1] When I saw him afterward, he said it was invigorating, allowed for creativity, and he was able to view problems/opportunities in a different light upon his return. He loved the experience.
To be true, I don’t think of this as a burden as I have loved my work at Sea Scuba, MPI, TiER1, and the University of Tampa. It has been challenging, full of promise and kept me engaged. Then, the promise/threat of retirement? Uh, oh! I used to tell Jane all the time that I had zero desire to retire. She suggested I rethink what retirement would look like… hmmm?!
The hardtop project[2] made me rethink the possibility of retirement. What would I do? Would I fail, Dr. Frankl? Self-knowledge is a tricky business and I know one thing: I love projects.
Let me define what I mean by “project” – for me, a project must have a:
- Clear and specific deliverables. For example, build a pizza oven, hardtop for the boat, cigar humidor, or finish the basement.
- Timeline for completion. Your project can be a five-day project or a five-year project.
- Realistic evaluation of my skill level to complete this deliverable. Since I studied human performance, I typically break projects into Builder, Craftsman, and Artist categories.[3]
- Realistic evaluation of my “desire” to finish the project. I’m a great starter; I fade and get bored, then slug through to completion. Not being realistic here drastically affects #1.
Projects help me maintain some mental health. I wrestle with the project all the time; I sketch drawings, do research, buy tools (always a goal of the project), and save tons and tons of money by doing the work myself. Yes, it takes time. Yes, my projects are a burden on others by taking space in the garage, dusty workspaces and stinky smells. Yes, in some cases, it consumes me for days and days. Yes, it gives me purpose, helps my mental health and gives me hope that I can retire.
Kev
[1] I purposely do not use “sabbatical” here as my five years at the University have showed me these are boondoggles for non-high-performance environments. Using discipline and scripting objectives as a “time away” experience seemed more appropriate. This is what Greg accomplished.
[2] You can read about this here: Hardtop Project, you can do it!
[3] Manage your skill level on ANY project: Be honest…
CaptainDrKev 