Actually, I'm very commitment phobic now. For example, I don't have a mobile phone plan or cable/satellite TV. Having a simple life is great and I don't have a desire to go back to home ownership, neither do most Germans as only 42% of their own their domicile. We have a lot of colleagues with families that stay nomadic as well. One colleague raised his son in Paris (0-4 years old) then to Strasbourg (4-9 years old), Stockholm (9-12 years old), Basel (12-14 years old) and is now in London (14-? years old). His son speaks French, Swedish and English really well and is very well-adjusted. London is a great place for him. For sure, never a boring moment.

I've had a total of 3 layoffs in 25 years, though all 3 have occurred since 2008.
The first was the catalyst for me to really look at my lifestyle choices and the self-perpetuating need for high income that they were creating. My wife and I methodically eliminated debt and downsized our lifestyle to open the space for lower income work (thus broadening the field of jobs that would support our needs) and it has been a liberating experience. I no longer "need" a soul draining (for me) 6 figure income to support our family, and my wife is now working full time in a field she deeply enjoys, which pays for our basic needs. I've really enjoyed not working these past 11 months - I really needed the break - and am looking forward to doing work I truly enjoy for the first time in 25 years.

I had interviewed for a job with DT Swiss, whose US headquarters are here in Grand Junction, and though I really liked the people and work environment it would provide, the job would put me back on the 8-5 corporate schedule with limited time off, etc. I've found that I have a need for more flexibility and do not desire the inherently limiting work life that is so rigid. Living more simply has allowed this flexibility and I am grateful for it.

My unemployment periods have really helped me to shift my perspective and get a better gauge on my choices and how I had locked myself in to my own trap in the past.
At 46 (almost 47), I've finally determined that life is way too short to do something that I do not enjoy, even if the money that comes with it is enticing. The funny thing is, even though I had earned very good income during those years, our lifestyle had expanded to fill the void, and frequent moves proved disruptive to any savings or financial momentum we may have achieved.
I feel much better now about our relationship with money despite the fact that our total income is now a fraction of what it once was, and we have much more free time and can still travel and experience many aspects of life that we had previously been too busy to enjoy.

The one thing I am grateful for about my "previous life" is that we did have the opportunity to live overseas and all over North America, plus frequent vacations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This experience is invaluable to me. I've lived outside the US for a total of 12 years and would not trade that for anything.

best thing about my career track is mobility and the ensuing experience.

glad to hear that you've downsized. i did it all at once (99.9% of my possessions sold) and it was stellar.

Times are interesting.

The recession has forced a great number of people into realizing what is really important to them.

My work hasn't been effected by the recession that much as I retired from a higher paying career at 40 and decided that I wanted the second focus of my work to be on helping people. One way that the recession has effected me in this way is that the lower paying feel good about what we're doing jobs are now **flooded** with applicants. There were 100 fellow applicants for the non-profit job I somehow landed while in the relatively small Vail Valley. I expect to have equally stiff competition for similar openings I find in my new town.

CE: Great life changes for you. Congrats. Lead with your heart as that's where you can most easily find happiness.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's interesting to read how people cope with unemployment (and the lack of bicycle commuting, to keep it on subject). My company has been going through a lot of changes recently and I spend the last 18 months being afraid of getting laid off. So many people were let go around me. I don't think I could ride at all, I'd be too depressed.

Yes, I agree completely. It's taken me many years of self-created suffering to realize this. I was chasing the money and really missing out in the process - even in the midst of it, I knew something was off.

I've been able to really focus on work that I do for a group (non-paying work), and the time off has really been great for this.

acidfast - I think everyone should have the experience of living overseas at some point in their lives. It is such a great way to open perspectives and shift preconceived notions. That said, I knew people who had lived overseas for many years who retained very closed and narrow perspectives (xenophobia) despite it. Tragic.

If it would happen to me again, I would remember that cycling is one thing I can enjoy that will not cost me a dime if I want to and can still do it even if I'm flat broke and have lost everything else I tried to own. So don't be afraid, I used to be and now wished I had not lived in that fear all those years. It's not the end, and there is life after whatever it is you're doing. Take courage and take care.

+1000
My recent unemployment was a tremendous gift and opportunity to break a cycle that was not serving me.

Yes, it can sometimes be a gift. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken, keeping it simple is always best. I've been fortunate to always have more than enough work but I'm starting to have second thoughts about this lifestyle too.

cycle or bicycle (or both.)

i agree with everything you've said.

time is valuable, money, hmmmmmm, not so much.

I've missed the commute, but I force myself to use to bike for utility transporation whenever possible and I've discovered a lot of new suburban streets. The area around here is hilly so the streets are steep and curvy and quiet. Lots of good riding to get me out of the apartment. Staying in my apartment is too seductive.

old's'cool - what are you using for job hunting - I'm starting that myself

Well, I started just visiting websites of companies I knew & would like to work for. After a while I started using Monster and found that just about every company is using it as a portal to their web careers page.
BTW, I now have an offer in hand, and 2 more decent prospects, so things are looking up!

My life has been one long "retirement" interrupted by jobs intermittently. Enjoy it while you can.

When I work from a home office, instead of a commute I do a "lunch ride". Breaks up my day, less auto traffic because everyone else is working, and if the lunch ride is a rain-out I can still catch a ride in the evening.

I envy your time away from the rat race. Currently I am between retirements, sadly. I usually work a year, take a year off. I highly recommend it.