10 Key Motivators: #8 Early Retirement
Do You Really Want to Retire?
Ask the average man in the street if he is looking forward to retirement and you will get a mixed reaction. Joe Average will be looking forward to not having to get up and go to work. At the same time, he will probably have some apprehension about how he is going to pay for his retirement. For Joe Average, retirement will come at age 65. If he makes it to that age without being laid off from his job, he will be laid off permanently.
Ask a lot of self-employed people if they are looking forward to retirement and they will tell you they are going to “die with their boots on”. They are never going to retire. Is that because they don’t believe they will be able to afford to retire? Usually not. If “nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else” (James. M Barrie) then the real reason many self-employed people will “die with their boots on” is because they actually enjoy what they are doing.
Yes! I Really Want to Retire – As Soon As I Can Afford To.
I would have to ask you “why?”. Personally I can’t imagine sitting around, nothing to do, waiting for St Peter’s call. Empty days, wasted days. No, not for me. But let’s assume that your motivation is an escape from wage slavery. You just need enough money to pay for it. You have two options depending on when you make the decision to act.
Option #1. The realization that you wish to cast off the shackles of employment arrives at an early age.
Frankly, this is both rare and unlikely. But, if it does happen, you have a world of opportunity. You could simply manage your retirement savings in such a way as to be able cut the ties before the mandatory retirement age. Your retirement date moves forwards or backwards depending on your dedication and level of success.
Option #2. The urge to retire comes later in life.
I have to ask. “Is this really a desire to escape impending loss of employment, or a dead end job?” If it is then I recommend reading the appropriate posts on this blog covering those topics. If the revelation comes too late in life to save enough to pay for an early retirement you are going to have to pull a lot of rabbits out of hats to make it. But don’t panic. In later posts we are going to share a lot of “pulling rabbits out of a hat” tricks.
Pulling Rabbits Out of Hats
Funny thing is, when you are standing there, with the rabbit’s ears clasped in your hand, suddenly you will be filled with an overwhelming urge to spend the rest of your life pulling rabbits out of hats. A big, bright light will illuminate somewhere above your head, just out of sight, but it will light up your path. You will look down and see your feet and quietly realize that you want to die with your boots on.
Footnote: I once worked for a US high-tech company based in Connecticut. The founder and president was a man named “Chuck”. Chuck was in his 70s when I worked for him. He ate, breathed, slept and wept for the company he gave birth to. He also had a habit of falling asleep during meetings. One day, during one such meeting, he couldn’t be roused. Chuck died with his boots on. He is one of the happiest men in God’s heaven.
