Retire young. How? be lazy, pessimistic and hate your job.

Steve Healis
Retired Founder, Pass the Baton

steveRetire sooner than ever imagined. Keep your income for the rest of your life. How? Simply by applying three values to your professional life: laziness, pessimism and disdain.

Value #1: Laziness. Be lazy. Get someone else to do your tasks. If only you can do your job, then you are handcuffed to it. My rule of thumb: if an employee can accomplish 60% of the same task I can accomplish, delegate it. Of course, set high expectations and follow up. But the 60% rule allows you to relinquish more tasks. You also criticize your employees less and celebrate their successes more. As a result of laziness, you work less and enjoy life more.

Value #2: Pessimism. Actually, I prefer the term “optimistically pessimistic.” When my janitorial services company customer would request three cleaners for Monday morning at 9 a.m., my competitors would schedule three people at 9 a.m. and get frustrated when the expectation wasn’t met. With optimistic pessimism at work, I would schedule six people for 8 a.m., because half would not show and the rest would be 45 minutes late. My customers appreciated my optimistic pessimism.

Value #3: Disdain. Hate your job? Absolutely. I encourage you to hate the elements of your job that prevent you from reaching your goal.

I retired at age 43 in 2003 from my main businesses and then retired from Pass the Baton in 2017.  It is never too late, but more importantly, it is never too soon. Be lazy, pessimistic and hate your job. And enjoy the rest of your life!

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