Most the folks I know in their 40s and older fit that mold, myself included. I make enough. My retirement nest egg is big enough. My job works for me.
Such a life would sound non-ambitious to someone in their 20s. But I did the startup thing in the first dotcom boom. I made software that was used worldwide, and went from "I want to code" to "I was the lead in a successful product" before I turned 28. My goals were met early.
Nowadays, I like to spend time with my children. We go out on the weekends and explore the mountains. I spent yesterday sitting in a zero-g lawn chair next to a lake nestled between forests and mountains, in the Rockies, chatting with my wife while my children ran through the forests and swam in the lake. I'll take a day like that over more money in my bank account, every day.
Such a life would sound non-ambitious to someone in their 20s. But I did the startup thing in the first dotcom boom. I made software that was used worldwide, and went from "I want to code" to "I was the lead in a successful product" before I turned 28. My goals were met early.
Nowadays, I like to spend time with my children. We go out on the weekends and explore the mountains. I spent yesterday sitting in a zero-g lawn chair next to a lake nestled between forests and mountains, in the Rockies, chatting with my wife while my children ran through the forests and swam in the lake. I'll take a day like that over more money in my bank account, every day.