Had my own businesses for about 34 years or so, still have two passive ones that don't require much time. But the main business (CPA practice) did. For about the first 18 to 20 years, it took up way more time than normal. I cut back after that. Looking back, I had the work/life balance out of whack. I attribute that, in part, due to having nobody to fall back on if need be, my parents could not help bail me out, It was sink or swim. And my wife left the work world from the time of our oldest child's birth until the youngest child went to first grade. My work paid all the bills, funded college savings for the kids, and seed money for other ventures. If you have your own accounting or law practice, you can pretty much make as much money as you are willing to sacrifice time for.
I never loved my job, I hated it in fact. It was a means to an end. Work is work, play is play. Some profess to love their job, but that wasn't me. These same people say TGIF, not TGIM. They look forward to vacations, not vacations ending to go back to work. I was the second youngest CPA in my area. Almost all around my area are 75 to 78 years old (I know them all) and many attorneys around here are of similar age, though there is a scattering of younger blood in the legal profession. Most of these older guys and gals have a great deal in terms of real estate, mineral interests, and I assume all have pretty substantial net worth, some I know do. I have asked most of them a time or two, when we see each other, how much longer are they going to work. Generally, they say oh, another year or two. They just cannot turn loose, perhaps they will feel they would be a lesser person without working, I don't know. None of them seem to have a passion for anything outside of work, a couple of them do play some golf. I would bet most of them continue on until dementia prevents it, or they die at their desk.
Strange how different it is with blue collar folks (most of my family and peer group). They make good money, when they are off they are off, can't wait to retire, and most do so at 60 to 65 with $2 or $3 million in retirement and get on with post-work life.
