Work hard; never retire

“I’m never going to retire.”

Wade, a distant relative, was 85 years old.

The thing he was not retiring from? Construction. Hard manual labor. 

Here was a guy in better shape, with an energy and virility than most 28 year olds I’ve met. And he was completely in love with his craft. 

I was 12 years old, but I remember the statement like it was yesterday. 

During my family’s visit, he showed us around his town, proudly pointing out everything he’d built and worked on. 

At that moment, I made a resolution. 

This is how I’m going to live. 

Wade was proof: You’ll rust out before you wear out. 

Wade lived in stark contrast to all the 60 year old retirees I saw around town. 

Dead men walking. 

Overweight from never leaving the recliner, living for the next football game on TV, and maybe going to Mexico once a year. 

Yeah, no thanks. 

The people I admire most in life never stop working. They found the thing they want to work on forever and they never stop.

Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn, and Paul McCartney.

These guys love what they do. They aren’t going to retire.

And I won’t either.

Here’s the top 3 reasons why:

Reason #1: I want to own my energy

I just finished the TV show, Peaky Blinders.

My favorite quote from the entire show: "There is no rest for me in this world. Perhaps in the next." - Tommy Shelby, Peaky Blinders.

Tommy says this after retiring from the family business. He spends months playing golf, hanging out at home, and going on trips. 

He hates it, ends up depressed and utters this phrase as he leaves the house to get back to hustling.

And I totally understand. The less I do, the more tired I am. 

I get tired from working hard too. But it’s a different kind of tired. 

It’s the kind of tired that is fixed with a good night’s sleep. The other kind makes it hard to sleep. 

If you’re tired, your energy is gone.

Energy is a huge attractor. Energetic people make us feel good. That charisma is hard to ignore. 

And I’ve noticed that hard working people doing what they love, have an almost boundless energy. 

Rest days are essential to keep up energy. But extended rest is for the birds. 

Reason #2: I want to control my destiny.

“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: But the slothful shall be under tribute.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬

If you aren’t working hard for your dream, you will be forced to work on someone else's.

You want to be the man in the arena, working with intention, and taking control of your destiny.

Comfort and complacency never yield anything good. 

There is strength in adversity.

Own it.

Reason #3: I want to stay in fighting shape

Life sucks. And it’s hard. Bad things are always going to happen. 

Your best hedge? Never retire. 

Stay in fighting shape. 

An example from the best movie trilogy of ALL TIME: Nolan’s Batman.

In the Dark Knight Rises, Batman has been retired for like 7 years. Hasn’t been working out, laying around his mansion all day, and using a cane.

He comes out of retirement to fight Bane with minimal training.

And gets his back broken. 

He does the training montage in The Pit, comes back, and defeats Bane handily. 

Another example: Rocky 3.

At this point in the movie, Rocky has made it.

Famous, wealthy, and complacent. 

He still fights but his coach only has him training with guys easy to beat.

So, Clubber kicks his butt without trying.

This kicks off Rocky’s journey to self-discovery and peak performance.

Sure these are movies and not real. 

But the lesson has real world applicability: don’t wait for something bad to happen before you get your act together. 

Remember what got you a seat at the table in the first place.

Every hyper-successful person I know STILL practices the skill that got them there.

This is the way.

Conclusion

My Dad taught me to show up every day (except for Sunday) and work hard.

And I’m so grateful.

Working hard is when I feel the most in flow.

Writing, pushing in the gym, developing systems, and designing websites.

The journey and the process is the reward. 

Sure, the outcome is important and rewarding. But the most important thing is to be consistent. 

Don't stop when you reach your outcome. Commit to your traits, and actions.

Humans weren't built to retire. 

We are meant to:

• reject comfort

• combat complacency

• strive towards a higher purpose

“Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses." - Kobe Bryant

Keep striving.