Can Early Retirement Without a Purpose Really Work?

The Purpose Problem Holding Many Back

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

There is common belief in early retirement circles that stresses the importance of having a clear purpose, before you quit working.

They say:

“You can’t retire without a goal for what to do. You need to retire into something, not from something.”

So is this really true, and more importantly, is it possible?

Most people have a full-time 9–5 job. They work at least 8 hours a day, plus another 1–2 hours for commuting and getting ready. Doing housework, shopping, cooking, and similar tasks also take a significant amount of time.

Free time is limited. It usually only allows for one or two hobbies that don’t take too much time.

We learn through trial and error. We try things, and when we fail, we move on. But if time is the bottleneck, it may not even be possible to come up with a post-retirement purpose.

We just need to pull the trigger when the time comes and hope for the best. Finding a purpose after retirement can work much better since we have more time and motivation to find one.

Many people postpone their retirement because they cannot find their goal. They stay stuck at work, which makes them less likely to find one.

Like worrying about money wasn’t enough, we also need to worry about a “purpose” too.

I say, if you have the funds and the math checks out, just do it.

New hobbies, new goals, and a new identity will come naturally.

But what if it doesn’t? Does it even matter?

When you no longer work, you gain around 8 hours a day, but only on weekdays, excluding holidays.

People often fall into the trap of trying to replace 8 hours of work with 8 hours of another activity.

Similarly, if I’m asked what I do, people expect me to answer with a single activity, like being a doctor or a construction worker. And not with a full paragraph of activities I do during those extra 8 hours I gained.

But those 8 hours was arbitrary in the first place. It could have been 4 hours or 12. The point is to gain the flexibility to do one, two, or many things without worrying about these arbitrary working hours.

You can get up one hour later than you used to, start your morning slowly, sipping your coffee on the balcony while listening to a podcast, go for a run or swim in the lake, come back, do the groceries, then cook some healthy food.

That’s it, 5 hours out of those 8 are already gone. Worrying about not being able to fill those gaps after work is, in my opinion, an imaginary problem.

And you still haven’t even found your “purpose” yet, whatever that means.

This “purpose” is often meant for others. Finding it matters because people want something simple to tell people when asked.

Not everyone needs to retire early, go into full entrepreneur mode, and build a million-dollar startup right away.

Having meaningful connections, time with friends and family, and quiet time with a good book can be a perfectly valid end goal too.

If you still feel like something is missing, there will be plenty of time and opportunities to figure out what you want.

If you want to retire early and the only thing holding you back is not knowing what to do, just do it anyway.

You’ll have a better chance of figuring it out after retirement than before.

[embed]The Seven Stages of FIRE And The Most Torturous Phase No One Talks Aboutmedium.com

Disclaimer

This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be considered financial, investment, business, tax, or legal advice. You should consult a relevant professional before making any major decisions.

— Aleena