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6. Stimulation. Between the media, smartphones and the Internet, we have become used to more and more stimulation bombarding us 24/7. Whether we’re aware of it or not, many of us have become addicted to that. How many find it impossible even to go through a lunch, lasting less than an hour, without several furtive looks at their phone? I work with the general manager of a time share ski resort here in Colorado (oops, busted — I’m still working, too!) and he told me yesterday that they had to add a business center to their resort. Although people go there for time off, it seems they simply can’t do without the electronic tie that binds. Most people now are unable to simply lie anywhere during the day and relax without having to fidget and do something. Many studies have found that remaining intellectually active prolongs a healthy life. So, many go back to work simply to feed the stimulation addiction.

7. Technology. Several of my friends have discovered the Internet allows them to do so much more with their hobbies through social networks, bulletin boards, forums and special interest groups, that they end up turning their hobbies into small businesses. Although they end up working for themselves, they are still working. I’m one of those: I write and do other things. In between my blog writing, I just finished writing my first book on the cycles of the economy. The next project is, of course, finding an agent and publisher to publish it. A younger friend turned his model railroad hobby into a successful national business, all of it run through the Internet.

8. Fun and Fulfillment. Another variation of the factors above: New inventions and new discoveries have added significantly to the list of things we can do for fun. Bungee jumping as a form of recreation didn’t exist in the 1950s. Neither did eBay, where many now sell the crafts they love to spend their time making. As technology enables people to make money from their hobbies, more of those hobbies turn into work. The big difference, of course, is they have more fun doing that kind of work because of the fulfillment. The fact they aren’t working for the boss doesn’t hurt, either.

9. Habit. If you spend the 40 most important years of your life getting up in the morning, grabbing breakfast and going to work, that’s more than a habit, that’s a lifestyle. For many people, it’s a habit that’s hard to break. The first three weeks that you can sleep in are heaven, but it doesn’t take too long for that novelty to wear off. That’s when it becomes harder and harder to live a life that is radically different from what you have always done. Many people continue working for no other reason than it’s all they know to do. This is particularly prevalent among business owners, who see their businesses as their babies. Rather than selling the business and retiring, they simply keep working.

Fewer and fewer people desire a passive retirement because they are healthier and there are many more options than were available to our parents. Some have no choice, either because of circumstances or poor planning. The good news is that every day brings more things to do which are both fun and rewarding.