Why should anyone want to retire early? Seems like a question with an obvious answer. After all, who wants to work forever? But it’s acutally a question worth considering, because retirement – especially early retirement – isn’t for everyone.
Some people truly love to work. It gives them purpose. It’s not easy building a successful career and therefore giving it up can be hard. I spent three years studying at university and then a further three years in post-graduate study and training before I even qualified to do the job I do now. And then, when I finally did qualify, I realised that I was only at the very bottom of the ladder that I would have to climb and that I was at the beginning of a very long journey to claim any kind of success in my field of study. So it’s been a long road to get to where I am now.
So I must love it to have gone through all that, right? To have overcome all the challenges along the way that have led to my, now successful, career – it must be what I truly want to spend my days doing, right?
Well, no, not really, to be honest – despite the fact that I do find my job to be fulfilling, interesting and rewarding (both intellectually and financially). But what I actually want is less. Less time spent staring at a screen; less time away from my kids; less burn-out so I can joyfully connect with my partner, and less responsibility and stress.
I wish for the time and space to just do…nothing.
And I don’t want to wait until I’m too old to enjoy doing ‘nothing’ to the absolute max!
Some time ago I read a book called ‘How to Get Rich‘ by Felix Dennis. Mr Dennis was a very rich man – a self made millionaire. He could buy anything he desired. But the one thing I remember from his book is that he said that the number one thing that money can buy you is….Time.
Time is freedom. Money buys you time. Therefore money can buy you freedom.
And what I would like, more than anything else, is the freedom to choose how I spend my days and to be young enough to enjoy that feeling for many, many years. That’s what early retirement means to me.
