I am fully in an early retirement state of mind. I retired early from my career as a telecommunications engineer at age 51. Ever since then I have kept track mentally of my family, friends and acquaintances reaction to my declaring, ”I am retired.”

Responses range from the congratulate. Occasionally with a spoon full of envy regarding my early retirement freedom. Some expressed concerns and reservations. Not only about my early retirement but early retirement in general. Some were all the way to the other end of the spectrum. They had a bit of an angry or disbelieving response.

I even started a new career direction for a few years. I still considered myself retired during the time I was doing that. This Leisure Freak has always believed in the “retire early and often” lifestyle. And believe me, retirement number two feels just as nice if not better than the first one.

Everyone thinks they know what the definition of retirement is. But definitions are all over the map. I believe that the majority of people are wrong. Everyone has been misled by a vast array of retirement myths. Some myths I believe are perpetuated by biased and self-serving sources. Doing a little research on retirement and you will find that until the last century, retirement was only for the rich. The rest pretty much worked until they croaked. Not my idea of a well lived life. Then company pensions and Social Security came. The idea of a possible retirement for all came about. Now pensions are becoming extinct and we get what we have now.

Myth:

Retirees skip away from their jobs with a giant smile and never work again. People retire in their 60s and then just live off of their savings, pensions, and Social Security.  They either are hitting the rocking chair, to a life of TV and gardening until they either die or end up in a nursing home. Then there is the polar opposite version where they are off traveling the world or starting the latest vineyard until they either die or end up in a nursing home.

Fact:

The way people retire and think about retirement has been changing over the past decades. I will say with confidence that there are as many “types” of retirement as there are retirees. In other words, people are looking outside the box and defining their own retirement. Tossing out the conventional norm. It is more an Early Retirement State of Mind. Not a predefined set of rules where you walk off into the sunset. Taking all your knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm with you. It is having the freedom to pursue fulfilling, meaningful, and rewarding opportunities. Focusing on what makes you happy. It is still going to include savings, maybe pensions, and eventually social security. It takes a plan and desire to retire earlier on your own terms based on new definitions.

Retirement is a state of mind

With that, if I were to be in a position working, doing something that was totally in my zone, my passions, and what I felt I was meant to do, I would still consider myself retired. I believe for many retirees, especially young, early retirees, they will engage in fruitful pursuits. Whether part-time, a new career direction, or their own businesses and still consider themselves retired. Why not? Having the freedom to chase your own dreams is what I would call a life well lived. This is all about retiring to something that totally meets your dreams and passions. Not about retiring from something.

My early retirement is a state of mind supported by my financial freedom. Not a single defining event like my age or starting Social Security. I hope that the millennial generation will redefine retirement even more. As they saw the last recession and all the damage it did to their parent’s finances and damaging their house values. They saw the hypocrisy of Banks too big to fail, Corporate America’s laying off hundreds of thousands of Americans and then hording money instead of hiring. Seeing a still dysfunctional and ineffective government, etc.

They may be the ones who lead the way in living a free life and truly retiring early. I hope they never buy into the conventional norms. I hope that they look at Corporate America as only a means to an end and not get sucked into a commercialized existence. One full of stuff that doesn’t matter. Stuff that was paid for with borrowed money which only enslaves. This goes out to everyone: Pay off all debt, save all you can, and create a non-deprived but frugal lifestyle and then retire early with the right mindset.

In Conclusion

If you saved, paid off all your debts, and retired to your empty house and are in a state of mind where you are not happy, then that isn’t retirement.

• To those who congratulated me for my early retirement and maybe felt a little envy. I will tell you that with the right plan and execution you can join me.
• To those who were concerned and full of reservations about my early retirement. I say don’t worry. Let’s talk about what my retirement definition is, what it means to me, and the fulfilling life I live and plan to live.
• To those who couldn’t grasp my early retirement and were in disbelief or angry about the thought of it. I ask that you change your definition of retirement a bit and see if it looks like it may even be feasible for you. Let’s argue a little bit because I am truly passionate about this subject.

So, am I a freak and way off-base about retirement or early retirement and my being in an early retirement state of mind? I would love to hear others thoughts on what their definition of retirement is.