...the next thing (3 of 5)...

Retirement is best served early! I used question #3 almost everyday at work (and now at Good Shepherd). It's a basic management query which causes the recipient to consider possible improvements to a situation or process.

"What would I have done differently?"

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sue and I talked a lot about how our lives would change with me not having a full time job. Here are some of the things I would do if I could get the old DeLorean DMC-12 up to 88 mph.

Define what retirement meant - This may sound obvious &/or silly, but this is a big deal. For me, retiring at 52 did not mean golfing 90 holes a week, fishing every morning or laying on a beach until my skin became shoe leather. I wish I would have spent more time, earlier, defining what I was retiring to (I started this too far along in the process)

Update my personal mission statement - I've had a personal mission statement since the 80's. It leaned heavily on the work side of my life and served as a reminder of what was important to me. I would have spent more time with the same kind of focus on the personal side, defining my "Popeye Moment", my "One Thing". It would have shifted some of the things I did the last 10 years.

Take advantage of travel - We became empty nesters about 3 years before I retired. I wish I would have taken advantage of our flexibility and brought Sue along on some of my trips. The Opera House in Australia, the world's tallest building in Kuala Lumpur, and the beaches of Sao Paulo would have been even more enjoyable with Sue by my side. I guess this just leaves more unexpected journeys ahead of us.

New routines - I wish I would have started my new routines earlier so they would have become established habits. Exercising, eating habits, Dr visits, prayer time, house repairs, Mustang dabbling are all activities that I now spend more time on, but I used the excuse of "I'm too busy because of work" to delay the change. I was shocked to find that a daily QPC and large fries may not be the best slimming formula. These changes are as big of contributors to my increased quality of life as the not going to work part.

Talk to retirees - I would have increased my circle of retiree "experts" from 4 to about 10 (usually these graying consultant can be funded for a cup of coffee). Everyone has a different perspective and you can't get too much. Every person I spoke to added to my pile of ideas even though some of them might conflict. The biggest, overarching comment was that retirement planning is much more than just having enough money...much more.

Bucket list - I wish I would have created the list of things we want to do / see before I kick the bucket. This might have made me a bit more aggressive when deciding when to take Sue along on a business trip, or learning how to type using all of my fingers or mastering Spanish. But, it is what it is and I have a few years ahead of me to start checking things off the list.

I don't plan on personally ever having to take advantage of the above observations. The next post [...the next thing (4 of 5)...] will be on "What Surprised me?" Just like they say on Big Brother... "expect the unexpected."

...the next thing (2 of 5)...

Retirement...it ROCKS!! I answered "What I'm glad I did" in my previous post. The next question is

"WHAT DO I MISS MOST ABOUT HAVING A JOB?"

The Paycheck - I've been getting one from Micky D's since I was earning $1.65 per hour. There is a little rush when you're given that window envelope with your name on it. (That's explains what I didn't like about direct deposit). No matter how much you have, that paycheck always feels good.

The People - You spend over a third of your life with your work friends and there were a lot of great ones under the arches. Facebook has helped me stay current to many people. I still lunch with several of my comrades that strapped on spatulas in the burger wars. Community is probably more important than we know.

The Benefits - All jobs come with different benefits and McDs had some of the best. Things like a company car, laptop, cell phone were some of the basics I took for granted. Attending seminars, classes and benchmarking visits helped keep me from getting stale. I'm finding the real value of health insurance and do miss the company picking-up 90% of the cost. I've been able to stay connected to the McDonald's insurance as a retiree, so I won't be looking for a "second hand needle discount" any time soon.


Travel - I don't spend much time in cabins of United 777s anymore. International travel always came with some level of excitement, though that would wear off as jet lag, fatigue and bad air took it's course. Trips to Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Hong Kong, etc peppered my last year with the company. I'm glad I did it, and equally glad that now it's strictly done with Sue for pleasure (though I don't think I'll be purchasing a Business class ticket anytime soon).

The Innovation Center - My last 6 years with the company had me squirreled away at the Innovation Center in Romeoville (a 30 minute drive from our Oak Brook headquarters). The "lab" as we called it is sort of a "Skunk Works" (Lockheed Martin) for the McDonald's operating system. The facility is in a huge warehouse and brags 3 full sized, flexible kitchens that can be positioned to reflect any McDs kitchen in the world. Test equipment, time & motion studies and concepts made of Foam Core were also used to simulate early designs. Every day was an adventure!

Fun Factor - Patrick interned at the Innovation Center last summer and would comment on how many activities they would do. Nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to remind us of what we take for granted. There is a fine line between being creative and being crazy. We caused our share of raised eyebrows with some of the weird stuff we did. Ping pong, the "hot sauce in the straw" prank, BBQs, half day Fridays during the summer, omelet bar mornings and movie afternoons were just some of the things that kept things light. Oh yeah, can't forget the Thumbs-up cards with AMEX gift card drawing or raising money to build 10 water wells in Africa. We even managed to squeeze in some cutting edge innovations!!

Developing People - There is something really satisfying about leading individuals to succeed as a team. As a boss, growing the future leaders of the company is a humbling, extremely serious responsibility. It's not the same as raising kids, but carries some of the similar ups and downs. It's rewarding seeing the smiles of a group of people who are happy working for a common goal.

I've been so blessed to step into the role as Vision Coordinator at Good Shepherd Church in Naperville. It's allowed me to build new relationships, contribute toward building a High Performing Team and utilize many of the skills McDonald's spent 35 years honing. Any withdrawals from my happiness account caused by me retiring have been deposited 2 to 3 fold as I focus my efforts for a cause that I would die for.(sounds a little dramatic, doesn't it?).


My next post will be on "What would I have done differently?"

...the next thing (1 of 5)...

May 2nd, 2008 was the last day I worked at McDonald's. I know many of you witty ones are thinking that day was really weeks earlier, but that's when McDonald's stopped sending me a paycheck. Retirement was a dream I had since I was a crew person, working the closing shift @ Lake Murray McDonald's in the early 70's. It went something like this..."I'm gonna get promoted to Store Manager, be a professor at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, then retire when I am 50" (hey the dream did seem big from the mind of a 17 year old).

My first year of "Life - Part Duex" included a Mexican Riviera cruise, mucking with Iowa flood victims, San Diego Charger Game, trips to Grove, Oklahoma to see parents, National Outreach Conference in San Diego, tailgating at Purdue, moving Tammy in Glendale, getting house ready for the MLS, yada yada yada...... There's actually tons more, but I think you get the idea. I'm more free to fill my days with stuff.

So, when it comes to retirement:

• What am I glad I did?
• What do I most miss about having a job?
• What would I have done differently?
• What surprised me?
• What's ahead?

I'm going to address "What am I glad I did" today and the rest in subsequent blog posts (hey I got time).

WHAT AM I GLAD I DID?

• Determined my purpose - I really needed to decide what I was retiring to. My trip to Uganda with World Vision & Guatemala with Hearts In Motion softened (and broke) my ticker, thus clarifying what I needed to do.

• Prayed -I prayed a lot. I wanted to retire to something that would make a difference. I'm too young to golf & fish everyday (and I'm terrible at it). My role as Vision Coordinator at Good Shepherd in Naperville has allowed me to utilize my life skills to share God's love. This is important to me, especially with my new found faith.

• Retirement planning survey - There are many surveys online that help you consider if you are ready to retire. They rate all categories, not just financial. I even paid for the Bronze level information that included a book and action plans. It really helped me think of all angles.
  

• Discussed with Sue - We talked about me retiring for 2 years as we did our morning walk. There was lots of rehashing, but something new always seemed to pop up. I could not have made the leap if I didn't have her full support (she's pretty special).
  

• Talked with others - I got perspectives from people at work and church who have retired. Gary Masden retired in his 40's and I would meet with him every couple of months. He's been my mentor, boss and friend. He doesn't pull any punches which is what I needed. Everyone needs at least one Gary!
  

• Get liquid, remove debt - Suze Orman suggests that you decrease the risk in your portfolio the closer you get to retirement. McDonald's stock (and my others) preformed really well into 2007, but we piled our money into CDs and the safe stable value fund before I retired. We really dodged the recent financial bullets.
  

• Personal support - I got my tech & desk stuff a couple of months before I left McDonald's (I realized that they weren't gonna let me take my computer, phone, car, etc with me). I bought my cell phone, computer and got a real stapler (not that little red one that jams if you try to attach more than 2 sheets together). I got personal business cards just in case I needed them (I actually used a couple).

• Ran through the finish line -I gave 13 months notice and was determined to leave on a high...not to coast. My goal was to treat my last weeks at the Innovation Center as if they were my first. Only Ken & Cathy know for sure, but I hope my 35th year with the company was one of my best.

• Asked, what am I waiting for? - I constantly asked myself this, and there was always some level of uncertainty. Do I need a bit more money? Do I wait for Pat to graduate? Do I wait till the housing market turns around? Do I wait till I'm positive I'm ready? Do I wait till I win the Powerball? I just got to the point that I was so anxious to do my next thing, that I took the step of faith. (Like Indiana Jones stepping out on the invisible path to get the Holy Grail...I love that scene).
  

This last year has been even more awesome than the ones before. I'm free to do the next thing, and touch the areas that satisfy me the most. WOW!! Next post "What do I most miss most about not having a job"?

...will you take a quarter...?

I hate having garage sales! The thought of pricing a brand new $8 Starbucks travel mug at 75 cent (to move it) just to have some shrewd buyer say "will you take a quarter" drives me bonkers. With that as a backdrop Sue and I (with help from Bob and Pat) had our first garage sale in years. We did some serious thinning in all closets, storage areas and crawl space and produced 2 garage bays of "treasures". The stuff must be valuable since we've packed and moved much of it from our last 3 houses.
To get my mind right for the day, we decided to donate all of the money to Feed My Starving Children. FMSC now has a packing facility in Aurora, can feed 1 child for 17 cents and 94% of the donations go straight for food. They literally save lives. We put up large signs with FMSC pictures to make sure everyone knew their purchases meant something. The day turned out to be filled with unexpected adventures:

MORE STUFF - I mentioned to a few people what we were doing and if they had anything they wanted to "get rid of" we'd be glad to sell it for FMSC. Well, I'm sure my neighbors thought I was running an illegal pawn shop with droves of minivans bringing heavy boxes into my garage.

NEIGHBORS - I've never talked to so many of my neighbors in one day. The remote control garage door openers keeps me neatly tucked in my cocoon. It's like leaving the BatCave in the morning (without the flip-up, bush covered fence). My street is pretty diverse and i can't remember simple names like Dave and Kristie, you can imagine the difficulty I have with Neeraj or Mei-Yin. I found there are some great people living in Stillwater.

DONATIONS - As I mentioned, we priced the treasure to move. I refused to take anything back into our house, in fact, everything left was picked-up by Wayside Cross which helps those that need a hand up. Buyers were surprised when they'd lay down 8 hardbacks, 3 purses, a skateboard and a bike and we'd say.."Ah, that will be $16". After they would remind us that it was for all this stuff, they would often say "Here's $20, give the rest to the kids". It softened my heart a bit more each time it happened.

BOTTLED WATER - Our garage sale is one of many "FAITH IN ACTION" activities supported by Good Shepherd Church. They provided the signs and bottled water to give to thirsty folks in out community. We offered water and had cards with worship times and a map in case someone might want to look into a church home. I loved the expressions on peoples faces when they would spend 40 cents on a kid's game, and walk away with 2 free bottles of water.

Ok, I still hate garage sales...but love talking with my neighbors, helping feed starving children and the looks on people's faces when you give them a simple bottle of kindness. Oh, we made $503 which will give a hot meal to over 3000 kids, who might otherwise go to bed hungry. Now that's a real treasure!

...got time...?

Where does my time go? Every one of us is given 168 hours a week (thanks P Glen). There are days when the time just seems to disappear (I can't imagine that Facebook, Twitter, Blogger or Stumbleupon.com have anything to do with it). Do you ever just feel too busy to THINK? The act of doing takes over. Does your team "got time" for a retreat? ! I've got to admit, the thought of an all day meeting brings a gag reflex. I've been to many that often focused on a group trying to get me over a 20 ft. wall or catching a falling team member before they slam to the ground. As entertaining as that may be, those teamwork things don't seem to make a dent in the organization's goals.
Last week the Directors at Good Shepherd had an all day retreat...just to think. Though we ate, laughed and learned a bit more about each other, we also prayed (hey, we're a church), revisited our vision, defined gaps, divided responsibilities and collaboratively dug into the 90 day calendar. Does your team or organization "got TIME"?

...dream TIME...It's great just to verbalize how things might be. If we are successful what change would we see. There's a saying that if you reach for the stars you might hit the barn, but if you reach for the barn, you'll probably land in animal fecal material.

...think TIME...Ideas can really build when you group thinking. One person's suggestion can make an average idea excellent and someone else's can make it outstanding. There is real power in rapid, untethered group think. But the group must be willing to make quick points (ever hear make a long story short) and bosses need to listen much more than they speak. They always have the floor anyway and usually their peeps know the real answers because they are closer to the real problems.

...share TIME...It's always nice to know a bit more about the folks you work with...it builds trust. It's also easier to care about people when you know more about them than what they do at work. You might even find you have something in common. I'm always surprised how many people will tell me that they once had a Mustang growing up...then the conversation just grows from there.

...laugh TIME...Take time to have a good laugh. Rumor has it that it's a great medicine. Teams that can laugh together often have a stronger foundation to make it through the tough times. Laughter is especially good to get the creative juices flowing (and to think you thought it was drool).

...plan TIME...I so dislike sessions where you end with no action items or next steps. Shouldn't people's time be valuable enough to remove some obstacles or unfreeze the blockage that's keeping the group from moving forward. Stay focused on being strategic and creating a framework. Let the folk's teams put the detail tactics together, the flesh on the bones. They are the ones that are going to execute, so they're plan always feels best anyway.

...align TIME...This is where synergy can really be nurtured. An aligned team can make 1 + 1 = 3 and avoid the friction and inefficiencies of misalignment. Don't aligned tires get much better mileage? Getting groups to "Think Horizontal" breaks down the silos and moves an organization "from ME to WE".

...prayer TIME...This really helps if you believe in a creator, and doesn't hurt at all if you don't. Working at Good Shepherd makes praying easy, since we do it before all meetings. It's always the number 1 agenda item. I've only been a Christ-follower (for some reason this makes me think of Twitter) since 2005. I didn't have years of struggles at the Golden Arches balancing political correctness at work with wanting to do right by "Almighty & Sons". Oh well, that's an entirely different blog post.

I always seem to run ouy of TIME as it always takes longer than you think. Often you can combine the TIMES (laugh/share) or (plan/align)if you are intentional and prepared. When's the last TIME your team has put itself on the rack for a tune-up? Maybe now's the TIME...?

"I'VE BEEN HURRYING AND WORRYING ALL MY DAYS" ("I've Got Time" - Bob Seger)

...iShack...

Our son Patrick is in his last year at Purdue (Boiler-up!!). As we were coloring Easter eggs this weekend (Pat & I didn't even complain this time) the book "The Shack" came up in discussion. Pat commented that if I liked the book so much, why didn't I blog about it? I didn't have a good reply.

The book "The Shack" by William P. Young has created quite a buzz over the last year. There are hundreds of blogs, articles, discussion groups and Tweets about the book's theological accuracy and tons of noise for & against.

WARNING:...this is not really a review of the book. It's a review of me as I read the book. So here's my "iShack" (patent pending).

Page turner - I couldn't stop reading it, I had to fight to put it down. I'm a big fan of Grafton, Grisham, Clancy and enjoy being drawn into the tempo of a great book. The Shack starts right off with a current day mystery that just sucks you right in. More than a few times I extended my "stop reading" time by just "one more chapter".

Parts written for me - There were many times when I would feel "this is exactly what I wonder". I got the feeling the author intended the book for me. How could Willie know my issues, concerns and suspicions? ...but he did. The Shack started to become my story.

Emotional - OK, I admit that age has made me a bit of a sobber. The thought of Rudy going in for the last play or Marley at the vet's office will often produce a salty discharge from the corner of my eyes. Rarely does a book produce this effect, but The Shack did. I had to stop many times because the tears made me feel like I was reading through a prism. They weren't the typical "tears of sadness" or "tears of joy", they were different. To this day I still can't explain it...tears of understanding?...tears of comfort?...I don't know.

Weekend with the Trinity - I felt like I was spending the weekend with the "Father" (you'll get the humor if you read the book), Son and Holy Spirit. For a brief moment I was camping with 3 fishing buddies next to a secluded lake. There were jokes, pranks, good food and spending quiet time where inner thoughts were shared. I really felt love for the 3 of them.

Lasting Excitement - Have you ever felt sad after reading a really good book? Sad that it was over? Your feelings for the characters have stopped? You can't wait for the author's next book in the series? It was just the opposite with The Shack. The Trinity is alive, right now. I feel more intimate with them. I'm still in awe, but want to spend more time with them. Is it possible that I love them more?

The Shack is in the fiction section of the bookstore. It doesn't claim to be a textbook or 100% biblically accurate. It did increase my desire to dig into the Word. I pray differently, worship differently and feel differently about God. Only He knows what's happened in my heart, but I sense He'd give The Shack a thumbs-up for the impact it had on me.

So, there's my answer Pat!

Only God knows why
Only God....knows....why, why, why oh only God knows why
Kid Rock

...30 day fast...

Can you avoid eating out for 30 days??

These are interesting times! It's safe to say that the world (even my little piece in Naperville) is undergoing serious change. My "safe" financial approach as I took the steps toward retirement really paid off last year. You can call it lucky or blessed, whichever you prefer, but we avoided most of the financial ugliness as much of my portfolio was in CDs and not the stock market.

I've always been a fan of Suze Orman and she has really been on a roll these last few months. She may not be as entertaining as that crazy screamer "mad" guy, but she often brings up good things to consider. On a recent show she suggested that everyone try not to eat out for 30 days. Sue and I were up for a challenge! Heck, it would give me a chance to better control how I fuel this body of mine, so we started right after Pat returned to Purdue after his Winter break. When you are empty nester's it's too easy to just drive-thru.

We did 30 days, did our trip to Ireland, and then did another 30 days just for fun. We learned some interesting things:

Healthy - It is easier to eat healthy at home (daa). You know what you are putting into everything. I probably don't want to know what goes into all of the dishes at restaurants. We even cut a few lbs from our frames.

Shopping - The notion of keeping fresh food in the house requires a bit more planning. It's not as simple as making sure there is plenty of Ramen and Mac & Cheese. Produce goes bad so some vision of upcoming meals sure helps.

Creativity - The food can be made to match my taste. I love pepper and Sue loves Chili oil...done. My mom carries a shaker of garlic salt in her purse allowing for customization on the road. I just don't want to have to carry a pepper mill in my back pocket (I don't even have a wallet back there).

Savings - I can't put an exact number on it, but there are certainly some real savings eating at home. You'll drop $20 to $30 minimum if you go to a place that doesn't have a drive-thru. Consider that half the world lives on less than $2 per day. You can also get some great buys on meat if you take advantage of specials. Though some of the cuts I've purchased have gotten raised brows from Sue as she tries to teach me that big, red and cheap aren't always the best criteria.

Fun - I know fun is in the eye of the beholder..and I'm having a blast Sue might have a slightly different take on the experience.

I've learned to appreciate a good home cooked meal and a good meal at a restaurant. We went to Nick's Cozy Corner (one of our favorites) and really enjoyed it. If you aren't really doing anything over the next 30 days, why not give it a try??