I know seeing the words Never Retire coming from Leisure Freak Tommy who raves and raves about the Leisure Freak Retire Early and Often lifestyle seems completely bassackward. But hear me out. Never retire is what retiring early and often is all about.
- No, I am not saying never retire so you can stay doing the same old job you have always done until you can no longer keep-up physically and/or mentally.
- No, I am not saying never retire so you can stay on the job serving your public or private master until age 70. Just to max out your Social Security or to reduce the time you will spend in retirement.
What I Mean By Never Retire
What I am saying is. Retire from anything that doesn’t continue to ignite your passions. Retire from anything that doesn’t fulfill your spirit, or no longer interests you. Retire once you have saved enough and / or have reached pension eligibility. Go ahead with your retirement. But do so always being open to opportunity. Live having a focus to follow your passions, seek fulfilling endeavors, and only accept positions that truly interest you.
Keeping an open mind about early retirement
That is what I mean by saying Never Retire. This post is to plant a seed that introduces the notion that even though you can retire from where you have toiled for who knows how long and have the finances to cover your early retirement, always keep your mind open to new opportunity. Change the way you define early retirement.
Passion Driven Mindset
I am not saying by any means that you retire early with the mindset that you will always be able to find another job. I especially do not agree with the notion that anyone voluntarily retire early and have-to find another job. Another job is not what you retired early for. You retire early so you can pursue what interest you, lights up your passions, and adds a spark to your life.
The Never Retire Attitude – Freedom of Choice.
There is nothing that says in this lifestyle you even have to ever take on another opportunity. That is the beauty of it. You are your own master now. Hopefully your health allows you to be retired a long time. Can you even picture yourself rejecting any kind of interesting opportunity for all those years? The reason you retire early is so you can stop doing what you have been doing so that you can now do what you want to do and have a blast doing it.
No more being stuck in the rat race rut
If you are no longer dancing and fist pumping where you are at and have the means to retire early, why wouldn’t you consider joining the Leisure Freak Retire Early and Often lifestyle. Or if you prefer, the never retire mindset. Go ahead, take breaks throughout the rest of your life and have multiple working opportunities or careers.
Never Retire Means Being in Control of your Life’s Employment Rules
Do you think people should work for 20 or 30 years, saving and planning and then just sit out the game? Well I would say yes to sit out the game that the Corporate World, Wall Street, and perhaps the one your government has defined for you. Retire early so you can start playing YOUR GAME where you make the rules.
You decide what interests you and how long you will do it. Retire early, try something new and retire again when YOU ARE READY. That is the “retire often” part. You may be retired from your original career, position, company, for a long time. Why not embrace the idea of being open to opportunities that interest you and never retiring. Or at least until you have completed checking off your bucket list of opportunities you would like to try.
Think of yourself like an actor going from opportunity to opportunity and living a Leisure Freak life in between them. Even when you are in between opportunities, rolls, gigs, etc., you are still the actor and always living, promoting, and showing off your brand. Your brand of YOU. It won’t always be easy getting that next gig. But what in life worth having has ever been easy?
You accomplished the hardest part. Being able to retire early while you are still young enough to enjoy it. Retiring while still having the energy to go out and do the things that light you up.
Conclusion
My final shot here is to those who think being open to pursue opportunities that interest you and that may even increase your wealth after early retirement is neither retirement nor qualifies as leisurely for a Leisure Freak.
I say as long as I do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and for how long I want to do it, then I am retired. I am calling my own shots, and yes living the life of a Leisure Freak. I am just getting paid to be a Leisure Freak when I am doing these things that I want to do.
Believe me. If you think your first retirement was fun, wait until you retire young again. I am on retirement number 2 and it is even sweeter than the first.
Although I haven’t any more positions or careers at this time that I want to pursue on my bucket list. I will be ready for anything that might come along and spark my interests. That bucket list is always growing and who knows what comes next. It is an adventure.