Countdown Clocks

Countdown clocks abound. The most ominous is the doomsday clock counting down to Armageddon. With 26 days to the tax due date here in the States tax professionals are counting down to a less tragic event.

Early retirement was something I dreamed of from high school on. I was attracted to the seasonal nature of the tax profession. The ease at which tax offices can be sold also held my interest. The original goal was to build the business, save like crazy, invest said monies and take an early bow. I decided I should at least enjoy my profession if I’m going to give it my all. The unintended consequence was that I couldn’t unplug as planned.

By the time the birthday cake reached 40 candles I was ready to retire to a quiet and secluded life. Pulling off the Band-Aid fast was tried to no avail so I started a countdown clock. I published it on an old blog. The countdown clock listed the years, months, days, hours, seconds and even tenths of a second. That baby really had a lot of action on the right side.

So I could adequately plan my transition to Easy Street I set the clock at three years. I started an active search for buyers. Serious investors showed up. As the clock ticked down I started to visualize my life in retirement. I hated what I saw and chickened out.

Time Counts and Keeps Counting

When I was a young man I tagged along with my dad as he went to meet the owner of a restaurant in a small town near where I live. The restaurateur was in the final stages of selling his baby. He put 15 years into the venture and did rather well. I was perplexed over why he would quit at a time when he was at the top of his game. Now I realize how often professional athletes make the same mistake I did back then. He then gave a nugget of wisdom that has never left me. “If you can’t make enough to retire from a business in 15 years you never will.”

As the conversation went on he expanded his philosophy. He said the first five years you work like crazy to get the thing off the ground. The second five year period you start making real money. The final five years you should turn obscene amounts of money and if you save and invest there should never be a demand to work again for you.

Wisdom shows up from unlikely sources. An afternoon ride with dad turned into a learning experience. Learning experiences are everywhere when you are open to the knowledge.

In a way the restaurateur had a countdown clock he started the day he opened the doors. In a way I did too. The difference is I didn’t follow through.

Life is too short to waste on things you don’t enjoy. Part of the excitement of life is the feeling we had as kids on Christmas morning. Wanting is far more pleasurable—and memorable—than having. Once the gifts are opened the excitement is over!

Countdown clocks provide adults with the same opportunity. It’s common for people to have a countdown to vacation or retirement. Expecting parents countdown to the expected delivery date. Now if baby would just adhere to the schedule mom and dad would be grateful. (Baby will provide many more disappointments after messing up the delivery day. And a diaper or two hundred.)

Should Everything Have an Expiration Date?

We’re all familiar with countdown clocks in all their manifestations. The real question is: Should we embrace the countdown clock?

I personally think the countdown clock is one of the most powerful tools we have if used properly. As much as I love tax work I’m still feeling the burn as we approach the deadline. I don’t start the countdown clock in February. I’m still fresh and full of lust for another tax project. Now, with a couple months of endless sitting and pounding out returns, I’m ready for the expiration date to arrive. (Twenty-six days and counting as I write, but accountant’s already know that.)

Life should be exciting and filled with anticipation. Expecting a child is awesome (I’ve done it twice so I know), but as Mrs. Accountant can attest, there comes a time when you want that creature cut out of the womb!

Anticipation only works if there is a release at the end. My business exit countdown clock lost its punch when I removed any chance of an expiration date. It also lost meaning.

There will still come a day when I no longer can walk the mile. It would be a dirty shame if I continued on my current path until I was unable to perform in an acceptable manner. There is a sad story behind that.

When I started my practice I hired an extraordinary tax professional. Her name is Bev. For decades she lived the dream of seasonal labor with plenty of time the rest of the year to pursue additional dreams. Bev’s husband worked for my dad’s business. Bev handled books for another business of my dad’s. She also had experience working in other tax offices. She was good at what she did.

Then that thief we call time left his mark. Bev grew older and I sometimes like to say she lost a step as she approached 70, but that isn’t the reason I didn’t call her back one year. The last few years she worked for me the weather of NE Wisconsin made life miserable on Bev. When the temperatures dipped below zero as it does every winter, Bev struggled getting from her vehicle to the door of the office. It wasn’t a long slog either. The cold just took her breath away and it started to scare the hell out of me.

If anything ever happened to Bev because I kept inviting her back for one more year I could never forgive myself. I planned the exit for the last few years she worked for me. Eventually there was no question. She had to take a knee.

Bev is now a client. She is due any day now. I am grateful for all the years she gave to my firm.

If only I could garner the courage to treat myself with the same respect.

Expiration Isn’t the End!

Only one expiration is the end and we all get that one right the first time.

A countdown clock can create anticipation for a vacation, wedding day, retirement party or any other event. Letting go is really hard for some people. Remember who you’re reading.

A countdown clock, an expiration, doesn’t mean the end; it should signal the beginning of a new adventure. Bev was hurt when I told her my concerns for her health. She knew I was cutting her loose. Bev is a lot like me. She would have died running the obstacle course for my company. As her employer I had an obligation to make sure she didn’t die for the cause. Bev deserved an awesome retirement and is enjoying one. Another tax return isn’t worth risking your life over.

There are countdown clocks I have adhered to. When this blog came around I had a difficult choice to make. I have a farm, a tax practice and a new blog. One had to go. I farmed most of my life so I decided it was time to take a different path. There might be a day when I return to my roots. (You can count on it.)

I started a countdown clock to liquidate the farming obligations. Now I have a few chickens for personal consumption. Breakfast is on my ladies.

One end was also a new beginning. You can do anything, just not everything. Choices must be made. Everything should reach an expiration point.

Expiration opens opportunities. I can set a countdown clock in my office without walking away from the profession! I can hire more qualified tax professionals and train them. I still get the thrill of tax season without the pain of endless hours in a chair. (For the record, that sounds mighty nice about now.) Clients sometimes hate I don’t take every last stinking step myself. They don’t know what they are asking for. Most men (and I say men because we are weak compared to the more civilized gender) run until they break. Clients will not like that either.

Now that we have the farm sold (okay, I still own the farm; it’s just devoid of animals at the moment) and the tax practice has an expiration date, what about this blog? Oh-oh! Did I strike a nerve?

I haven’t started a countdown clock for my practice though it is for sale at the right price. (Note: It’s cheaper now than latter in the year.) Realistically I’ll be around for the foreseeable future. But I may not pound as many numbers as I once did.

I’ll let you in on a secret. I spend more time reviewing tax returns than preparing them. Keep it quiet though. Clients don’t have a clue. If clients ever find out they’ll be glad to hear I reviewed every return this year. (So far.) That will change as the calendar rolls a few more years into the future. It’ll be gradual. New and old employees will do more of the work and the world will never know.

The countdown clock has begun.

And as for this blog? I’ve been writing since high school. Finished my first novel my senior year. (Or was it my junior year? I always forget. Age.)

I’ve written other blogs, published books, sold magazine articles and short stories. I even published on content farms. (Notice I didn’t provide any links. Not all material is worth reading. Even your favorite accountant needed a growing and maturation phase.) There is no doubt I will write until the day I die.

But I also wrote what I now call my skanky blogs in the flash fiction TG community. I did it for four years and the traffic was seven to eight times more than this blog. I had my reasons for writing the material. One reason was I always wanted to learn to write flash fiction people would read. I worked that out of my system. Next!

All good things must end. Today isn’t that day for this blog or my practice even, regardless what I say while in a sleep deprived coma. Tax work, consulting and this blog are here to say for at least a few more years.

But if I did start a countdown clock and place it front and center on the home page it might bring back some of that excitement and anticipation.