self worth = work reputation. He is 62 now and spends a lot of time with hobbies (golf -- just got back from a week and a 100+ holes at Bandon Dunes) and his foreign import convertibles. He doesn't have to work now obviously, but he has absolutely no plans to retire and is always looking for the next project.
But I agree. How do you make up for seven years? I regret in some ways how hard I have worked in my own career, but this guy is a different breed.