It will be worth the wait!

I suggest you read the book 'Your Money Or Your Life ' and also 'The Millionaire Next Door'.
These totally changed our outlook. At this point in life, we are totally debt free and we live very simply. We have already made and lost a lot of money,worked sixty hours a week, had trophy houses, cars etc and come to realize that none of it matters. We want to be healthy, live where there is beauty, eat quality food and have a small, functional home with no high maintenance. We have lived in Mexico for nine years and we have our house for sale. The Villages looks like a place where we could be happy. We will see how it goes but I will tell you that time is guaranteed to no man; do what you want now.

My advice is to take up some new hobbies, take a class, join a group of like minded people, and do anything to make you bloom where you are planted. Most of us would tell you that they were fairly happy THERE and very happy HERE.


Don't waste the time you have now in good health wishing for something down the road.


I have been told this by smarter people than me over time and didn't pay much heed.

I can relate! I have a job that pays a salary I never would have dreamed of. My husband and I fell in love with the Villages in 2011. We built the house and closed on it in January 2013. We sold our house before that and are living in an apartment. We visit TV a few times a year. We have 6 months left till we retire and go full time. This feels like the longest 6 months of our life! We talk of TV all the time.

Read "Desiderata". :doh:

I didn't hate my job, but I think the last couple of years were very difficult. Put a smile on your face every morning, and don't put off having a good day. Make the most of the "elder statesman" role, like others said. Pick a protégée and lavish your wisdom and support on them. Make your young boss look great -and he will cherish you. Take a load off him, but give him all the credit.

On the home front, purge your possessions! You don't need most of what you own. Get rid of it. Fix up your house to sell. Make it look great and modern --ask your younger co-workers for advice on what they like in houses. Get rid of any grandma looking stuff you own or if you want to keep it, put it in storage with your movers and put fresh, young, modern stuff in your house to sell it. Whew! You'll barely get done before it's time to retire and move to TV!

Oh the great wisdom we have on TOTV! And this is why I frequent this site.

OP wishing you the best and hope you found solace in the other posts.

That is really good advice. I was in a similar position, and just accepted the fact I wasn't going to get a lot of happiness from my job. I guess that's why we get paid to do it! But I used the time and money to get my finances in good shape; we got rid of all the extra "stuff" that had accumulated, and spent time fixing up the house getting it ready to sell. When I was at a point when I could retire, I finished up at work, put the house on the market, sold the house and moved all our belongings down to Florida in the space of about a month. It was great to make a clean break, and those 3 years or so gave me the time to be organized to make that happen. I was also in a position where I was able to reduce my hours at work the last couple of years. I sacrificed some salary, but it was worth it to have the time off. I combined that time off with my vacation time, and took extended vacations down in Florida.

Best of luck to you.

I want to be around you as much as I can. What an attitude!!!!!:clap2::MOJE_whot::ho:

I love my job so it's going to be hard to leave

Buy a villa NOW and then come down on vacation as much as you can. If you buy one now, you will be part of the villages. Then when it's time to go permanent, you can sell your villa or rent it.

Then put a great big picture of it on your desk, and when times get tough, think about your wonderful Village happy home. You WILL be a Villager.

Next vacation, come down and BUY. :) And then WE all can say WELCOME!!!

:clap2:I so agree. See? Lotsa people think along those lines and they don't work for the developer either. :MOJE_whot:

Thanks to all who responded. You've all given my morale a much needed boost.

I actually feel like there is light at the end of tunnel. I am beginning to do as you have suggested and plan to start purging as much as I can.

At this point I am shooting for a December Lifestyle Preview visit as we are shut down over the holidays.

You are all so kind and generous. Thanks again for responding.