What Early Retirement has taught me

I would ask myself whether all the saving, budgeting, and obsessing during my journey to early retirement would be worth it. Instead of following the herd spending away on stuff of wants instead of needs. I consciously took the other path focusing on happiness and smart balanced frugal but sustainable lifestyle. A lifestyle that would ultimately define what my future early retirement life would be all about.

Believe me that I answered the question soon after my first retirement and YES, it was all worth it. What Early Retirement has taught me about myself is an ever-changing list of personal growth and the realization that the journey to get here prepared me to live a life with meaning and adventure. It is something that early retirement critics and over-consumerist can’t or refuse to understand.

I believe it is all about the journey.

My journey is one of many early retirement success stories. Of course the prize is reaching our financial independence goals and being able to start living our early retirement dream lifestyle but our journey is what prepares us and ensures we will have a happy and content life. I am not saying it’s the struggle that makes you appreciate the prize although I am sure there is some of that.

Instead I think everything we experience during our journey is necessary because we retrain our brain to a new way of living that is far from the mainstream and what we were taught to be the normal or standard lifestyle path to follow.

With the internet there is no end to information about personal finance, spending and debt control, budgeting, investing, and early retirement through financial independence. I am sure anyone reading this has read from many sources of information and taking what works for them as part of their own early retirement plan. Creating their unique and sustainable plan to guide them while on their journey to their prize.

What matters is how we put to work all the ideas we have along with adopting ideas and tips provided by others into a plan and way of living that over time brings us success without feeling deprived or wanting, however long it takes.

Basic Principles of the Journey to FI and Early Retirement:

Ditch the one-plan-fits-all guidebook

Look and learn from other’s early retirement success stories. But create your own unique strategic retire early plan.

Seek ideas from off the beaten track.

There is more than the information found from big banks and investment companies. Immerse yourself in different sources of information like FI, early retirement, investing, and other areas of personal finance blogs. There is a wealth of information from people sharing their ideas that actually work or has worked for them.

Create a sustainable budget

One that pushes your frugal threshold and ramp-up your savings rate. The more you save the quicker your journey to the prize.

Set an overall goal and stay completely open and flexible to how you’re going reach it.

For most people this is a journey that will take a number of years. A lot of life will happen during this time. Live your life, stay focused on the goal, and accept that your journey won’t be the straight line you may have initially planned for.

Learn from your mistakes.

In order to make great progress you may have to challenge and step outside of your comfort zone in ways of lifestyle and investing. You must be willing to make mistakes, learn from them, and then make the necessary corrections.

Be optimistic and be open to say YES to every opportunity that you can.

If you stay open to opportunity by believing that they will come your way you will be able to recognize them when they do come.

Be nice and share your knowledge, skills and experiences whenever you can.

Share with others on the same journey or to those wanting to join the FI/early retirement movement. Be someone sharing early retirement success stories, what is working and what isn’t. On the flip side be open to the ideas and receiving help from others.

You Will Receive Non-Financial Benefits

While on your journey you not only move closer to your goal but you discover so much more about yourself. You learn what it is that truly makes you happy, what is important to you, and you create what will ultimately be your early retirement lifestyle.

What Early Retirement has taught me about myself is that the journey is where I discovered my own meaning and established my own sense of self. It is something that must be experienced. It can’t be taught or learned from reading a book. This is exactly why early retirees who took control and planned for their dream life are the happiest and most content retirees.

What Early Retirement has taught me is the Journey continues.

Once my goal was reached and the prize was won my journey didn’t just end. It began a new adventure that I get to rely on all I learned getting here.

What Early Retirement has taught me about myself is that we are truly happy when we continually grow and change. When we can learn, stay curious and develop over and over again. By accepting this we are sure to enjoy the journey wherever it takes us next.

Do you see your financial independence journey bringing personal rewards beyond financial success?

16 thoughts on “What Early Retirement has taught me

  1. I totally agree. I am creating my future self. I do get hung up on how much I want out of my current career but that is part of my motivation.

    1. Hey Franklin thanks for the comment. That is it, creating your future self. I like that. I have to say I shared the same “motivation” regarding my career too. It at least taught me what I didn’t want to do anymore while living my early retirement dream.
      Tommy

  2. When it comes to early retirement, are there any senior living facilities that accept people around the ages of 45 or even earlier? It seems like now days there are plenty of seniors that are retiring pretty early even though they still look young. To me, it sure is quite fascinating to see because it shows just how prepared they were to save up so much money for retirement.

    1. Thanks for the comment Correy. I would assume that if someone had the funds to pay for living in a retirement center (non-medical connected facility) that they could move into one but I believe most who retire early aren’t looking for that kind of situation. The biggest thing about retiring early is escaping the rat race and living life on our own terms which could be staying in the home, moving or even taking to an RV or Sail boat. I share your fascination in the many early retirement stories being told and how people have found and share their special path to FI with everyone.
      Tommy

  3. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge with us! My father has been working for a long time, and he’s looking to retire early. He says he doesn’t want to be in a senior living center by the time he retires. I like your tip about creating your own strategic retire early plan. I’m going to mention it to my dad.

    1. Thanks for the comment James. The point is that there is no one way or one plan that works for everyone. It takes looking at your or in your case your father’s unique spending, saving, and investment situation and make a plan that is as unique as he is. That said, enjoy the journey and live the lifestyle you see yourself living in retirement.
      Tommy

  4. This has really inspired me to retire early. I’ve always been more of a live-in-the-moment person, and I haven’t really planned for my future. Of course, I don’t want to work for the rest of my life because of a lack of planning now.

    1. Thanks for the comment Veronika. The great thing people will find out is we can all still live-in-the-moment under a sustainable- plan, budget, and savings rate when matched with an FI mindset. The moments we live don’t have to be full of spending waste and debt if we choose not to follow the consumerist herd.
      Tommy

  5. Retirement is something we need to consider while we still have the capability of working for it. It is something we need to invest into since this will be the one to carry us after we have given all the efforts we can during pre-retirement. Retirement is also something we need to plan as early as now.
    btw, I think the things you covered through the post are quiet impressive and found it very interesting and enjoyed reading all of it…excellent content..and I will surely share this information on my Facebook and other social sites..keep posting

    1. Thanks for the comment Jpost. I agree that working for and striving for early retirement, retirement in general, is best considered and worked for while we still are able to. I do know a couple of people who did not and then were forced into retirement, financially and emotionally unprepared due to failing health. I also think that our personal growth while accomplishing our FI goals and continuing that growth in retirement is what makes us a happy and energized retiree.
      Tommy

    1. Thanks for the comment. When looking at long term retirement planning, alternative retirement arrangements outside of remaining independent living should be looked at. As of right now that isn’t part of my retirement journey although it could be later in life.
      Tommy

  6. I am reading your post from the beginning, it was so interesting to read & I feel thanks to you for posting such a good blog, keep updates regularly.

    Wonderful tips, very helpful well explained. Your post is definitely incredible.

  7. Hii
    Great post
    Thank you for sharing your experience with us! My mother has been working for a long time, and she’s looking to retire early. She says she doesn’t want to be in a senior living center by the time she retires. I like your tip about creating your own strategic retire early plan.

    1. Thanks for the comment Henry. I believe we all try to find answers and want concrete direction. We can try to avoid ambiguity all that we want but the truth is there isn’t a 1 answer fits all solution. We and our situations are unique so taking in others success stories and good advice then creating our own strategic retire early plan is the way to find OUR early retirement plan and solution.
      Tommy

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