Why Retire Early? That was the question asked of me when I was at my favorite little independent coffee shop in town today. I was asked by one of the other regulars. This came as we were discussing our summer plans and my excitement over my 2nd early retirement. I was a little put off at first as I thought the answer is obvious.
Why Retire Early? What, you don’t know?
So I answered. To do whatever I want to do. To have time to pursue passions. To be able to accept rewarding opportunities. He was in his 20s. Someone just starting out. With all the enthusiasm and optimism of never experiencing the pains of corporate life over decades.
I began to give him my answer but then was asking myself the same question. I have been preoccupied for many years with planning and saving. Dedicated to paying off all debt and staying debt free. All so I could retire early. Why retire early indeed. I then also wondered. Why doesn’t everyone want to retire early?
The Reason I retired Early Is –
The answer to the why retire early question can certainly be answered with my initial answer: To do whatever I want to do, pursue passions, and to be able to accept rewarding opportunities. However there is another side of it that I think answers the other question. Why doesn’t everyone want to retire early?
I wasn’t thinking about retiring early when I was young and raising a family. It never entered my mind. We were just trying to live as full of a life as we could afford. It was a struggle to just makes ends meet. I had all the cockeyed optimism of any young man and sank my whole heart and soul into my career.
It was rewarding for the most part. But at what point did it turn? When did I decide that financial freedom was now worth a considerable amount of my focus?
Something happened and I think it happens to other people too. But at different times in their life. Some at early ages and some far later.
The Working World Isn’t Always Fair. They make and then break their own rules.
I do know when I first realized that the career mindset wasn’t as it seemed. There were promises made to us. Promises that they had no intention of honoring. I had jumped through their hoops of fire and made considerable personal sacrifices for these promises. There were new policies that were implemented that made everyone happy to hear. But were secretly restricted to very few people. The rest of us were always given excuses why we couldn’t participate.
As long as you don’t rock the boat, quietly go along with their program, you get the pleasure to keep playing their game and get more of the same from them.
It’s All The Matrix
At Some point people do wake up. You see now that your relationship with the empire is not a reciprocated loyalty. You are a replaceable cog and a number that is considered an expense item. Regardless of your above and beyond contributions to their system. As I am writing this I am chuckling inside as I think about the movie “The Matrix”. When Neo wakes up and is ejected from being just another battery. His false vision of what was his reality turned off.
I really do prefer the Leisure Freak Retire Early and Often lifestyle. Going in with my eyes wide open and awake. My financial freedom is worth any sacrifice it took to get here. Leisure Freak Tommy and anyone who breaks from the norm of over burdening debt and the trappings of unbridled consumerism are the creation of the corporate world system. Our being able to retire early on our own terms is the reward for risking going against the system.
I am sure there are some very lucky people who are fully awake and landed in companies, started their own business, etc. where it is truly a fantastic relationship. It remains rewarding for them where they would never consider retiring early from it. But I feel that is a lucky few. Maybe about the same percentage as that of people who successfully retire early. Perhaps someone will do a study on that.
Now when some young optimist asks me why retire early. I will give my answer followed with, by the way have you seen the movie The Matrix?