Why Retire Early?

Retirement is no longer what it once was. It has become the opportunity to re-invent yourself, to tackle those bucket list items, to do the things your career kept you from, to travel, or to start your own business. If you are like me, at around age 50 your mindset changed and you wanted more from your work than a paycheck. You started thinking about how you could make a difference, and that became more important than monetary reward. I don’t know if this is a life-stage thing, but my wife and many of my friends and co-workers in this age group have had this change of focus. Many have taken early retirement to pursue the things they enjoy rather than suffering through until reaching full retirement age.

My wife found her position eliminated in her 50’s and took the opportunity to retire from corporate America. She started her own home staging business – http://www.ready-set-stage.com/ - something she had wanted to do for several years. In the 5 years she has had her business she has worked harder than ever but is far happier than at any time in her corporate career (other than when she & I met at one of those corporations). Had she not lost her corporate position she never would have taken the leap. Sometimes we need that little push to get us moving.

Retiring early from the corporate world can open the door to a more satisfying second (or third, fourth…) career. One that is fulfilling while still providing income. One that will never be called “work” because it is something we enjoy and that provides intrinsic rewards. There are so many possibilities, all it takes is faith in yourself to make the leap. And it’s a leap that can be taken gradually by setting the foundation or even starting that new career part time while continuing at your day job. That provides the opportunity to get comfortable in the new venture while continuing to bring home that corporate paycheck.

Looking to retire and don’t have a plan yet? I followed advice from several sources that said take a few months to exhale (I call it detoxing from Corporate America) and get used to your new routines. Covid-19 has forced me to adjust what I am able to do right now, but the lockdown has afforded me the time to look into ventures that weren’t on my radar prior to retiring – like this blog. Taking the time to cleanse your brain of the old work routine can lead to clarity of thinking that could lead you down a path that had been blocked to you by all the clutter floating around in your head. For me that detox has included catching up on reading, starting to plan a drive from Chicago to CA on Route 66 (once the country is open again), getting a lot of miles on my bicycles, playing disc golf, and best of all, not having to get up at the crack of dawn anymore. And I've got a growing list of things I want to do or get involved with once things open up and we get back to whatever the new normal will be.

Retirement is not the end of life, it is the beginning of the next phase of life. Enjoy it!