From the Inside Out

I am already on the downhill slide to the age of 40 — ah, just writing that makes me cringe. At this stage in my life, though, I find myself reflecting more often on my past accomplishments and future goals. My career is very rewarding, yet I don’t want to retire at the “normal” age of 65. I want to be free to enjoy my life in the latter years — free to follow my dreams, take chances, and explore the world. I want to retire young.

Apparently, I’m not alone. According to a survey by Strong Funds, 42 percent of workers today say they want to retire before 65. Early retirement doesn’t come easy, though. Unless you are independently wealthy (or you win the lottery), it requires dedication and a plan. So, with that in mind, I’m sharing the best advice I’ve received from my mentors.

“Top 5″ tips for how to retire early:

1. It’s never too soon to start. This is the best piece of advice I have received about retirement. In my early 20s, retirement was the farthest thing from my mind. I didn’t think it was necessary to worry about retirement at such a young age. I was wrong. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Start planning for retirement now. The more time your money has to grow, the better off you will be. For example, saving $250 a month at age 25 will yield approximately $872,000 at age 65 with an eight percent return. Waiting until age 45 to start saving yields only $147,000 at age 65 — a $725,000 difference!
2. Invest in your company’s 401K program. Not only do you receive tax advantages by investing in a 401K, but many companies offer matching funds to those who contribute. It’s like getting free money, and income tax is deferred on 401K accounts until funds are removed. If you are serious about retiring early, you should max out this account every year — and start doing it ASAP (see tip #1). If your company doesn’t offer a 401K program, start a Roth IRA instead.
3. Work with a financial planner. Make your money work for you by finding someone who can actively manage your investments. These people are the experts. They have the time to research the market, understand the trends, and know which funds are the best performers. Most of us think that we know enough about the market to do it ourselves, but let’s be honest, we don’t. I went to college to study marketing. I am an expert in marketing, not finance. These people are experts in finance/money management. It’s their business — their career. Trust them; use them often. Our financial planner knows our financial goals, and she is actively working to help us achieve them.
4. Get out of debt immediately. I am so lucky that my parents taught me the value of money at a young age. They taught me to use it wisely and never, ever live beyond my means. Debt can single-handedly destroy your retirement plans. You may have to make sacrifices in order to do it, but get out of debt as soon as possible. I can guarantee that you won’t regret it. It’s so liberating. We followed Dave Ramsey’s debt snowball plan, and it works! I highly recommend it.
5. Use online retirement tools. Determine how much you need to save using a retirement calculator.

If you follow these simple tips, you should be well on your way towards retiring early.

One day I plan to retire from the chaos of the high-tech industry.  When I do, there are some business ventures I would love to explore further.  One is a non-profit community theatre group, and the other is interior decorating. 

One of my friends, Sam, is an optometrist.  She’s starting a practice in Garland next month, and she asked me to help decorate her new space.  I met with her tonight to check out the office and offer recommendations.  I also recruited Tiff (my partner in crime); she’s incredibly talented when it comes to decorating and brainstorming ideas for spaces. 

The office design is fresh and modern.  Sam gave us a nice color palate from which to work.  The walls are Latte and Slate Blue with accents of Mocha.  The desks are Mocha with brushed nickel. 

After looking at the space, we trekked out to a few local stores to find some basic pieces for the waiting room.  Unfortunately, our time was cut short since we met after work, but it was a good start and a nice break from the stress of my real job.  We plan to regroup this weekend and get some serious shopping done.  

Decorating is fun because it gets the creative juices flowing.  First, you develop a vision for the space in your mind, and then you work with the “client” to make that vision become reality.  It’s incredibly rewarding being able to transform a living (or working) space into a more beautiful and comfortable environment.  Besides, who wouldn’t love to get paid for shopping? 

When you sit down to watch a live stage performance, have you ever wondered what went on behind the scenes to make it happen?  Well, here’s a glimpse behind the curtain, a somewhat (or maybe not) revealing anatomy of a rehearsal.

Rehearsals usually kick-off with a full read-through of the script.  This is the time for actors to start getting a sense of who their character is (i.e. what’s their motivation).  It’s also the perfect time for them to ask questions about things they may not understand in the script whether it be a certain line, an action, or behavior. 

The next step is blocking — without a doubt the most tedious part of rehearsals.  Blocking refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on the stage.  Similar to a choreographed dance, each actor has a carefully crafted set of moves that must be hit correctly for the performance to jive.  It’s something that usually takes several weeks to work out, especially if you have a large cast of characters. 

Currently, Pirates of Patmos is stuck in the blocking stage.  Here are a few pics from tonight’s rehearsal where we blocked scenes from Act II.

Once blocking is complete, rehearsals begin to focus heavily on characterization.  During these rehearsals the play really starts to take shape. The personalities of the characters begin to shine, the actors are off book (lines are memorized), and everything begins to gel.  It’s the point when everyone starts to have fun.

Finally, the tech crew joins the rehearsals, and the performances are fine tuned.  During these rehearsals, the sound, lighting, and special effects crews are in place.  The stage is fully dressed, and all props are on set.  This is when it becomes real and exciting — or really exciting.  It’s when everyone realizes there’s only a couple of weeks until the performance.

During the last week, actors don their costumes, and the director makes the final tweaks.  The night before performance, the last rehearsal takes place — the full dress rehearsal.  This night should flow exactly like a performance — no stops and no second chances. Typically, we have a small audience attend the dress rehearsal to better simulate opening night.  Afterwards, we regroup to address last minute fixes and adjust any mistakes. 

That’s it.  No more chances.  No more rehearsals.  The hard work is done.  It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the performance. 

In one of the opening monologues of the Seinfeld show, Jerry Seinfeld did a bit that I’ve never forgotten.  Why, you ask?  Well, it resonated with me.  Some might argue that it is me.  It’s certainly how I felt after last night.  Here’s the bit:

“I never get enough sleep. I stay up late at night, cause I’m Night Guy. Night Guy wants to stay up late. What about getting up after five hours sleep? Oh, that’s Morning Guy’s problem. That’s not my problem, I’m Night Guy. I stay up as late as I want.

So you get up in the morning, you’re cranky, you’re exhausted, groggy…oooh, you hate that Night Guy! See, Night Guy always screws Morning Guy. There’s nothing Morning Guy can do. The only thing Morning Guy can do is try and oversleep often enough so that Day Guy looses his job and Night Guy has no money to go out anymore.”

It’s funny, but it’s also true.  My “Night Guy” stayed up so late that Morning Guy only got four hours of sleep. The sad thing is I wasn’t doing anything important or fun.  I just didn’t want to go to sleep.

Today was tough, especially because I was scheduled to sing in both services at church.  So, I got up at 6:45 am, muddled through practice, and tried to fake being awake during both services.  I put forth a valiant effort, but my concentration was greatly impaired. 

According to Sleep-deprivation.com, inadequate rest impairs our ability to think, to handle stress, to maintain a healthy immune system and to moderate our emotions. In fact, sleep is so important to our overall health that total sleep deprivation has been proven to be fatal: lab rats denied the chance to rest die within two to three weeks.

Without adequate rest, the brain’s ability to function quickly deteriorates. The brain works harder to counteract sleep deprivation effects, but operates less effectively: concentration levels drop, and memory becomes impaired. Insufficient rest can also cause people to have hallucinations.

So, I’m not going to let Night Guy win this evening.  I’m signing off early before I start hallucinating. 

Have a great week!

I stumbled upon a funny Web site tonight, TorsoPants.  I’m not sure how I wound up there, but once I did, its humor caught my attention.  TorsoPants are “pants that have been specifically designed to be worn on your torso, instead of from the waist down. Unlike pants, they have a hole for your head. Like T-shirts, TorsoPants are soft, lightweight and are usually made from 100% cotton.”  They also have humorous words or sayings printed on them.

In fact, there were lots of funny shirts on their page, but one in particular caught my attention.

Funny, huh?

It got me thinking about how powerful words are.  They can make you laugh like the saying on the “TorsoPant.”  They can make you cry; they can even inspire change.  Remember Martin Luther King’s words, ““I have a dream where all of God’s children are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  Indeed, words are powerful.

Some of the most powerful “words on a page” are assembled together in one book.  It happens to be the best-selling single volume book with an estimate of 6-7 billion copies sold.  No matter how many times I read it, the words come alive.  They speak to my heart, calm my mind and provide guidance.  These words are like none other because they are the living word of God — the Bible.  Its words enable me to find salvation, comfort and hope.  Simple words on a page, yet they have have the power to transform lives. 

Words are amazing.  They can be used for good or bad.  They can build up and tear down.  Use your words wisely.  They are a reflection of who you are.  According to Matthew 12: 34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”  In fact, words are so important that in the day of judgment we will give account for every idle word we speak, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” 

Powerful?  Indeed.