Making my way to 34.

One thing I realised not long ago (when I took a break and looked up from my spreadsheets) was that my parents spent an awful amount of time with my sister and I. My mum stopped working except for Saturdays (optometrist) and on weekdays my dad would always come home early (by 5pm) so he could help us with homework etc and in general, just be together.

For the first 10 years of our lives we almost always had one of our parents nearby, and the sacrifice they must have made in order to achieve such a seemingly basic thing is hard to contemplate.

Along the same vein, I read about a girl who had a bad bad accident and ended up in hospital in critical condition. When her dad came to see her she said it was actually the best day of her life, because it was the first time her dad had spent the whole day with her.

 

Good post Leo. It hits home - I turned 36 last week.

I've spent this week with a surgeon 20 years by senior, and one of the busiest in town. We got to talking about money, investing, the future etc, and it has taught me that I am probably unlikely to get off the work conveyor belt for a long time, and that I should perhaps just take the gas off a little and enjoy it.

 

Birthdays are a great time for reflection. I turned 35 last week and it sounds small but it occurred to me that this is the cutoff age for going on a Contiki tour. I think that means I can't call myself 'young' anymore, but geez 'middle aged' sounds terrible!

Happy birthday Leo2413, from what I have read of your posts you have achieved some great things for this age while maintaining a positive and quite inspirational attitude!

 

Probably for a different thread but why will it take a long time? Does it come down to your goals?Some aim for a lot of passive income and sacrifice time to get there.

 

Happy Birthday @Leo2413 - nice thread you have going here.

It sound like you are hitting the stage where priorities change - enjoy your day !.

 

Kierank, you expressed it perfectly.

I am in my mix-sixties and in a similar position on the conveyor belt, with children and grandchildren behind me. Thankfully I also have an older sister, so she is still ahead of me.

We muddled through IPs in a swings and roundabouts kind of way as there was no internet and little info in the 1980s and 1990s. On the whole we did well.

The best advice I ever got was that "once you have enough money, anything else doesn't make much of a difference". Absolutely correct.

Happy birthdays!
Mag

 

To me, once you have enough money, making more doesn't make much of a difference.

In other words, there are better things to do with our limited time on the conveyor belt.

 

Happy Birthday Leo. Wishing you all the best this year in getting closer to your goals.

Thank you for you threads and posts. You contribute a lot here and earned the respect of many members here for your honest nature and modesty.
I congratulate you also for seeing life as more than just financial wealth. It sounds simple, but a lot of people live their lives with a single focus that excludes the importance and significance of family, only to realise later on that they were missing something all along that was indeed right in front of them the whole time.

All the best Leo.

 

Happy birthday Leo

Take the week off work! Enjoy yourself, one of the jokers here can fix you up with a doctors certificate

What's the point of having your cake if you can't eat it to! Party on!

 

Happy birthday Sam. I hope you create many more family memories in the year to come.

 

Happy Birthday

 

34 hey!!....I can just remember my 34th Birthday

Hope you have a great one @Leo2413

 

Happy 34th birthday @Leo2413.
You can spend more time with your family, but DO NOT spend less time on PC. You have contributed so much valuable insight to this forum.

While you are on a helicopter ride, please don't use the time to search for a development site.

 

Happy 36th @Bran! I'm looking forward to following you on your journey through all this craziness of investing

Happy 35th @Blueskies! I'll be there soon enough . Thanks for your kind comments too.

Thanks @York for your comments, though a little too kind for me.... I think I've also been a pain in the ass for some too mate.... But your right on the money with seeing life not only in financial terms but really at the end of the day its all about your relationships with family and friends. And also giving back to people less fortunate then yourself. Cheers mate.

Still haven't gotten a cake yet! Me thinks tonight..

Thanks Myf, so do I. We're already planning the inlaws to come down in October as my father-in-law's birthday and my dad's is one day apart. So if they come down then we can all go on a big road trip! Would love to do an international one but my dad's ear balance is so severe that he hates travelling on planes..

Thanks mate really appreciated. The people in this place are so knowledgeable and at the forefront of everything that's happening with property investment that it's really THE place to be I reckon. I've learnt waaay more from people on here than I have contributed with my 2 cents here and there in all honesty.

 

Happy Birthday!! You are still young!

 

Nice reflections here.
Leo....you wont need extra presents - you are just high on life!
Bran....I'm going to send you a copy of Harry Chapin's hit from the 70s 'Cats in the Cradle'.
and KeiranK....you need to to write a book on lessons in life to be force fed to high school students - so they dont wast their first 10 adult years with lofty career ambitions of being a reality show contestant or barista.

 

@Leo2413
Im a bit disappointed with your post...on this forum, you are supposed to say you are about to turn 25 and are confused as to what to do with your 5 IPs across london, paris, NY , Sydney, and shanghai...how you are tired of earning a six figure salary - its so yesterday, and how your long term hold shares lost value today...

 

Not much shares on my end but perhaps now is the time to buy when consumer sentiment is uncertain due to Brexit? buy undervalued then hold....

 

@Foxy *****, you aren't the first person to suggest that. I will give you the same answer I have given others, namely:

"I would love too but I am just too busy and enjoying retirement too much. And I am not going to retire from retirement just yet!!!"

Many thanks for your thoughts. Maybe, one day ....