How to Retire Early

The problem with retirement is that most of us have no idea what to do with the free time that's suddenly available. This is true whether we retire early or not. However, it quickly becomes an existential issue for those of us who retire early. There's after all an alternative available to us. We can go back to work.

Without a plan for what to do with our time, we end up spending our days watching TV and surfing the net. But this is so mind-numbingly irritating that we quickly long back to the office where conversations were slightly less stupid. The urge to go back to work becomes strong. However, the office was no haven either. There was a reason why we longed for retirement in the first place. The problem was that we never reflected much on what to do once we finally had enough capital to retire.

This is why we should not only make a plan for how to reach retirement early, we need to have a vision of what we'll do once we're there. To help my readers come up with such a plan, I'd like to relay my own experiences, and what I've ended up doing as an early retiree.

When I first retired at the age of 47, I had the idea that I should learn a new trade. In my particular case, I saw myself writing novels. However, that proved much more difficult and tiring than I imagined. In the end, it proved a gigantic waste of time. I started instead to focus on things that truly interested me, and that proved much more fruitful. One thing led to another, and pretty soon I had a whole range of things to focus on. But the great break-through came when I discovered the pleasures of gardening.

Growing stuff, even if it's only on a balcony, can be fascinating. This I found especially true once I started experimenting with micro-composts. Suddenly, I was dealing not only with plants, but with an entire eco-system. The wellbeing of our plants became an integral part of our household.

Another thing that brings meaning to our lives is family and friends. Home-schooling our boy is an interesting activity. Talking to family and friends, thinking about their lives, and sometimes suggesting things that can be done, are all things that add meaning. The key word being love.

It's love that gives meaning to our lives, and love is closely connected to life. This s why we love gardening, we love being with people, and we love going for walks. There is also love in following a passion of some kind, discussing things with an intention to learn, and not merely to come across as noble and wise.

My life has greatly improved since I retired, and the way to this newfound happiness has been through love of the kind described above. Every day is a small adventure of little pleasures and experiences. We have pleasant little routines where we come together to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. We find ways to make the perfect meal, the perfect cup of tea, and the perfect cup of coffee.

I have my plants and micro-composts to tend to. There's always something interesting to learn related to science. There's home-schooling, trips to the beach, walks in the park, and all sorts of other little things. None of them very important, but all of them interesting and full of love. My life may seem insignificant to the casual observer, but it has an important place in the life of my nearest and dearest. Some of my stepdaughter's recent success has no doubt been due in part to my support.

There is happiness and love everywhere around me, and that is in the end all that matters. Focus on love, and everything else will follow. Life will be pleasant and full of success stories. The more we focus on love, the better things get.

It follows from this that it's a good idea to keep politics at a distance. Politics is mainly about ego and the will to subjugate others. It's the opposite of love and a sure way to become a grumpy old guy rather than the happy go lucky one that we all want to be. Focus on love, and everything will follow. Even ego will get its treat, because no success is greater than the sort of happiness and freedom that can be found through love.

Early retirement