abk Lifestyle: Redefining Work and Play

“A third way (to retire) is you’re doing something you love. You enjoy it so much, it’s not about the money.”-Naval Ravikant

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I had to go to the bank the other day. Before the nice lady who helped me could handle the reason for my visit, she said she needed to confirm some personal information.

Are you still a banker?

No ma’am. I used to be for almost 17 years. Now I’m an assistant golf professional.

Wow. Age 39. Two lives already. First in banking. Now in golf.

Yes ma’am.

Is your email still ……..soccer@…..?

Yes ma’am.

Soccer? Did you play soccer?

Yes ma’am. That was actually my first life and first love. From age 3 through college and beyond.

So soccer? Then banking? Then golf? Three lives already?

Soccer wasn’t a profession, but it definitely was a life. I’m sure I’ll have more lives too. There’s so much I’m interested in.

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One of the major topics that has driven the last almost five years of my abk lifestyle design is my relationship with the idea of retirement. I observe other people’s relationship with it daily, and it fascinates the hell out of me.

As someone who understands and accepts that I have a health condition that may not allow me to fully enjoy my later years…

As someone who understands and accepts that I don’t have the personality to ever just lay on a beach and do nothing…

As someone who understands and accepts that I have a lot of mini-lives that I want to live to fully complete my one beautiful life…

…I had to take matters into my own hands. I had to redefine the previously defined idea of early retirement.

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As I’ve written about multiple times, I was once concerned with creating a blog, brand, or whatever, only to realize as the process unfolded that what I really wanted to create was a full, intentional life. As such, one of the things I am most proud of within the abk lifestyle creation is that the line between work and play is damn near invisible.

When I say I am going to play golf, I’m likely going to put in work. Contrastingly, when I say I am going to work, I am likely going to laugh, converse, and watch sports with folks for a good portion of the day. There are normal play things that I consider work, and there are lots of normal work things that I consider play. As Ravikant says, I’m always ‘working.’ It looks like work to others, but it feels like play to me.

On any normal day, I go at it for 10-13 hours, so it is vital to create the daily environment that I want to operate in. The first key is variety. It’s three hours of sunshine, two hours of exercise, five hours of work, two hours of teaching, and countless hours of studying, learning, and socializing. The second key is cultivating a real indifference to the 90+% of stuff that just doesn’t matter. In one ear and out the other. It’s a skill that can be developed.

(You can ask anyone close to me. I am a master at this. I am on a mission to help anyone that wants to get better, get better. To help anyone that wants to fulfill their potential, fulfill their potential. But to give any attention to bullshit and nonsense and so forth, nah. My time and inner peace is mine.)

Ignoring the noise and engaging regularly in all of the things I am interested in has been the secret sauce that has opened up so many opportunities for work and play. Continuing to explore and invest in that same secret sauce is how something really cool is starting to get built.

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Somewhere along the journey, I realized that I just wanted to play. That’s what I enjoy. That’s what I’m good at. That’s why I’m here. But the play I’m talking about takes a lot of work, and it might take (more than) a lifetime to accomplish my vision.

But as long as it doesn’t feel like work, I know I’m on the right track.

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Have a great week.-Benj

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