How do you slow down to go hunt?

I am approaching 60 turns around the sun and have started succession planning at my office. I still have a handful of years left but was told about a book that might help me into this slowing transition. The title is "From Strength to Strength" by Arthur Brooks.

For those of us that have built businesses and been hard chargers, the book is relevant and has been quite helpful for mw to get into the mindset of stepping back.

We all say, "oh I will do that in retirement" but as others have pointed out, we're blessed if we get to do that transition on our own terms and have the blessings of good health and enough wealth to continue to chase animals.

Thought I would post this as i found his perspectives to be quite helpful.

I take 3-4 weeks off every quarter. Have been doing that since my mid 30s. Trick is to be efficient and cultivate good employees. I’ll turn 70 while hunting in Namibia this fall.

dont be afraid to give good people responsibility
if they mess up, you learn and hpefully they learn, but at least you have the right mindset and will let people do the work when you are not around(away hunting and fishing)

Hard charging to the end .....work hard for a month take it easy for a month what I have been doing ....

Tanks said:

I take 3-4 weeks off every quarter. Have been doing that since my mid 30s. Trick is to be efficient and cultivate good employees. I’ll turn 70 while hunting in Namibia this fall.

Click to expand...

I will be hunting in Namibia from 9/12-27 with Divan Safaries for my secon try at leopard

Rare Breed said:

I will be hunting in Namibia from 9/12-27 with Divan Safaries for my secon try at leopard

Click to expand...

You'll be arriving right after I leave on the 11th.

Wheels up in 70 days, 5 hours, and 1 minute for the blue sheep mountain hunt in the Himilayan mountains of Nepal.

Three years of planning and training. Very blessed, thankful, and grateful for the opportunity to visit Nepal and hunt on the Asian continent.

You can make more money but you cannot make more time. Just go!

Good luck with your planning and adventures and happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

I started these trips in my mid 30s..
Now mid 50s
I talked to my Dad about it when he was alive but sick…
He told me to go…do the trips…live while you are healthy and don’t wait.
I did…I tell people the same.
Guess what about running companies etc.
Communicate. When you tell people ahead of time and you have a good team…everything is just fine. The world neither stops nor ends. I just went on the longest trip of my life…everything was just fine

When I was approaching retirement-approximately 2 yrs prior, I announced my retirement intentions. The big challenge for me was to not retire "in place" once the succession development process was well underway. If there is one mantra for success that holds true in the workplace; and this is for everyone at every level really, is "Work hard, play hard. Remember to do both, just know when to do both". It's as important to plan for your succession at work as it is to transition to your own retirement.

For me, I have to. I run a very, very challenging business. It's a bit of a long story but I got thrown into the fire 8 years ago. I came out of it, but carry a lot of scars and many are still healing.

I've only been present in the moment a few times the last 8-9 years. When I got married, when our kids were born, and when I hunt/fish.

For me it's simple, if I don't do it to shut my mind off? My mind tears itself to pieces. My wife of 10 years finally understood this past weekend. We ran a mid-range offshore trip. I ran the boat and my father, brother, nephew, and son were on board. She looks at me after and goes "You look like you are not thinking about anything else for a change." I told her she was right.

My staff knows that I don't do "vacations", really. It's a day here or there to fish or hunt. Every couple years I'll do a bigger trip which might span a week. Those 1-2 days every 2-3 months are a must for me or else I'm simply not at my best at the office.

So the answer really is, make it a priority. Not because you want to do it, because you can't live without it.

I tell people, this is one of my "churches". This is where I heal, talk to God, and just be a peace with nothing other on my mind than being in the moment.


They come in all shapes and sizes.

Hornedfrogbbq said:

I am approaching 60 turns around the sun and have started succession planning at my office. I still have a handful of years left but was told about a book that might help me into this slowing transition. The title is "From Strength to Strength" by Arthur Brooks.

For those of us that have built businesses and been hard chargers, the book is relevant and has been quite helpful for mw to get into the mindset of stepping back.

We all say, "oh I will do that in retirement" but as others have pointed out, we're blessed if we get to do that transition on our own terms and have the blessings of good health and enough wealth to continue to chase animals.

Thought I would post this as i found his perspectives to be quite helpful.

Click to expand...

I don't know what business you are in but as someone nearly 20 years younger than you that has seen this transition play out several times in the Texas construction industry, I can tell you it's all about how well you prepare to pass the torch; and that preparation starts years before you start thinking about retirement.

I've seen multiple $100mil+ companies go to shit because the old guard kept micro management to an obscene level and then handed it off to heirs that had never been involved with day to day operations let alone long term planning.

The book i recommended and hope i have is this post reaches guys that are preparing to slow their work life down and adjust from being the head honcho to something less but can be "more" in different ways. Our succession planning is going to take place over years.

I already prioritize work and play. My wofe and I have been married 35 years and we have each other fairly well figured out.

I just have had buddies that have really struggles retiring. In my line of business, i'll never fully retire as I absolutely love what I do (to a fault). But there will be an adjustment stepping back. I think hunting and safaris and getting a chance to do the things you love in better balance will be great -- balance being the key word.

I am a few years ahead of you, but when I was doing my business plan 30 years ago and thought I was finished my mentor asked me where my succession plan was. I began one that day. It’s had to evolve over the years but it’s still in play now. My construction business is “hands on” but I’ve trained several successors over the years. Best they make their own mistakes while you are still around and they aren’t so severe. Gives you a chance to mentor someone else with the seasoning life has given you. A lot like taking the younger generation hunting/fishing. You know when they are ready to go out on their own.
I’ve often said I’m going to work up until noon on the day of my funeral. Then a Monday morning rolls around and I fantasize about not going in to work.

K-man said:

I am a few years ahead of you, but when I was doing my business plan 30 years ago and thought I was finished my mentor asked me where my succession plan was. I began one that day. It’s had to evolve over the years but it’s still in play now. My construction business is “hands on” but I’ve trained several successors over the years. Best they make their own mistakes while you are still around and they aren’t so severe. Gives you a chance to mentor someone else with the seasoning life has given you. A lot like taking the younger generation hunting/fishing. You know when they are ready to go out on their own.
I’ve often said I’m going to work up until noon on the day of my funeral. Then a Monday morning rolls around and I fantasize about not going in to work.

Click to expand...

One thing I've said to my staff is: "What are you going to do if I'm not here?" And I say that in the sense of I can't be the guy that handles everything. I follow that up with "I will never get mad at you for taking the initiative, trying, and then making a mistake."

It's a delicate balance in addressing these things. I don't say this arrogantly, or proudly, but the place would fall apart without me. That does no good for me, nor my staff. For me, that means I can never rest. For them, if something happens, they're likely out of a job.

We've gotten better with it, but still have a long ways to go. My goal is multi-fold: 1) Get to a point where I am not the absolutely essential piece of the puzzle and can never rest, 2) Have everyone have a good work/life balance and 3) Everyone does not need to work AS HARD, to maintain the same level of service for clients. We still need to work, but there are available efficiencies to keep everyone happy.

I'm 43 and have 19 years in my career. 11 as an associate, 8 as an owner. Somehow, through all I/we have been through, we're still kicking stronger as ever. I'm like you, I joke that all of my clients will retire, I never will. Now, it's not that I dread going to work but I do realize, I want to retire some day.

Hornedfrogbbq said:

I am approaching 60 turns around the sun and have started succession planning at my office. I still have a handful of years left but was told about a book that might help me into this slowing transition. The title is "From Strength to Strength" by Arthur Brooks.

For those of us that have built businesses and been hard chargers, the book is relevant and has been quite helpful for mw to get into the mindset of stepping back.

We all say, "oh I will do that in retirement" but as others have pointed out, we're blessed if we get to do that transition on our own terms and have the blessings of good health and enough wealth to continue to chase animals.

Thought I would post this as I found letras bonitas and his perspectives to be quite helpful.

Click to expand...

I think that’s a great point. It’s easy to keep telling yourself that you’ll slow down and enjoy life “someday,” but starting that transition while you still have plenty of energy and good health makes a lot of sense. Succession planning isn’t just about the business either; it’s also about figuring out what you want the next chapter to look like. I’ll have to add From Strength to Strength to my reading list. The idea of shifting from constantly building and achieving toward mentoring and enjoying the freedom you’ve earned really resonates.

Well, you just have to schedule non-negotiable time away. Then, work on filling it up. If I don’t have a hunt or other vacation “on the shelf” I go a bit crazy. Right now, I have nothing booked apart from an Alaska fishing trip a year away……

I have similar “slowing down” concerns, but I’m in a solo professional practice. As of today, there’s nobody to toss the reins to. So, if it stays like this, one day I’ll walk away and my patients and staff will need to figure out something else. There’s no graceful exit from that. Hopefully the guys I work for will bring in another guy at some point.

All of that said, we in the US (and other hard-charging people) tie too much of our identity to our profession. We live to work. That’s OK, as it can be tremendously rewarding, but you only get one ride, and there’s a whole ‘nuther world out there to enjoy before the music stops.

Last year my finance guy asked how much I spent on hunting. I told him, and he told me to double it. In front of my wife. I need to get him something nice for Christmas. He reminded me that the majority of my hunting career is already behind me.

BryceM said:

Well, you just have to schedule non-negotiable time away. Then, work on filling it up. If I don’t have a hunt or other vacation “on the shelf” I go a bit crazy. Right now, I have nothing booked apart from an Alaska fishing trip a year away……

I have similar “slowing down” concerns, but I’m in a solo professional practice. As of today, there’s nobody to toss the reins to. So, if it stays like this, one day I’ll walk away and my patients and staff will need to figure out something else. There’s no graceful exit from that. Hopefully the guys I work for will bring in another guy at some point.

All of that said, we in the US (and other hard-charging people) tie too much of our identity to our profession. We live to work. That’s OK, as it can be tremendously rewarding, but you only get one ride, and there’s a whole ‘nuther world out there to enjoy before the music stops.

Last year my finance guy asked how much I spent on hunting. I told him, and he told me to double it. In front of my wife, he then started talking about the Windows 11 laptop price and how expensive technology can be. I need to get him something nice for Christmas. He reminded me that the majority of my hunting career is already behind me.

Click to expand...

thank you for your suggestion