I was always a do-er. A bit of an overachiever. Even as a child I was way over-scheduled with activities and friends. I had a lot of energy and just kept moving forward.
In college, I didn’t just go to school, I had a job, took five dance classes a week, two singing lessons, an acting workshop, and did off-off-Broadway shows on the weekends.
In my professional business life, not much changed. I had that ‘work hard/play hard’ attitude. I don’t think I ever worked less than a 50 hour work week, traveled twice a month, and went out socially at least four times a week – while maintaining two homes and entertaining almost every weekend. I’m exhausted just reading that!
I lost my big career job after 30 years. After, I decided to take a step-down job but once there I realized I was unable to really step down.
I had lots of ideas to transform the way we did business. They actually hired me for that reason but were change-averse and didn’t want to execute them. It was frustrating and the job quickly became tedious. No one wants to feel marginalized and unappreciated.
Many days I spent dreaming about retiring early and living in Italy. So many people have these dreams, but don’t ever flip the switch. You can play ‘what-if’ games about your future till the cows come home or you can get out there and live. I did not want to be old in my retirement. I wanted to be able to travel independently and enjoy life while I still could.
Back in my early to mid 40s, after my divorce, I put a plan in place with the help of an investment advisor. It’s the single best thing I ever did. It has afforded me the freedom I have now (but I will save that for another blog post).
So why did I retire early? To give myself the gift of TIME. To live. To not have to rush from appointment to appointment. To be able to spend time with people I love. To see the world. To find the best cannolo (singular for cannoli) in Sicily.
How My Days Are Spent Now
And how has it been? FABULOUS! I live in Italy half the year. The other half of the year I’m in NYC, spending time with friends, going to the theater, cooking, reading, etc. I travel throughout the US, visiting old friends and seeing new places.
5 Benefits of Early Retirement
- Time (for everything)
- Stress Reduction
- Health (time to prep food instead of take-out, time to walk/exercise, etc.)
- Pursuit of bucket list/hobbies
- No alarms! Ability to lay in bed & not feel guilty.
The last two years have been two of the best in my entire life. And I’m excited at the possibilities ahead. Don’t be afraid. Join me!
I was always a do-er. A bit of an overachiever. Even as a child I was way over-scheduled with activities and friends. I had a lot of energy and just kept moving forward.
In college, I didn’t just go to school, I had a job, took five dance classes a week, two singing lessons, an acting workshop, and did off-off-Broadway shows on the weekends.
In my professional business life, not much changed. I had that ‘work hard/play hard’ attitude. I don’t think I ever worked less than a 50 hour work week, traveled twice a month, and went out socially at least four times a week – while maintaining two homes and entertaining almost every weekend. I’m exhausted just reading that!
I lost my big career job after 30 years. After, I decided to take a step-down job but once there I realized I was unable to really step down.
I had lots of ideas to transform the way we did business. They actually hired me for that reason but were change-averse and didn’t want to execute them. It was frustrating and the job quickly became tedious. No one wants to feel marginalized and unappreciated.
Many days I spent dreaming about retiring early and living in Italy. So many people have these dreams, but don’t ever flip the switch. You can play ‘what-if’ games about your future till the cows come home or you can get out there and live. I did not want to be old in my retirement. I wanted to be able to travel independently and enjoy life while I still could.
Back in my early to mid 40s, after my divorce, I put a plan in place with the help of an investment advisor. It’s the single best thing I ever did. It has afforded me the freedom I have now (but I will save that for another blog post).
So why did I retire early? To give myself the gift of TIME. To live. To not have to rush from appointment to appointment. To be able to spend time with people I love. To see the world. To find the best cannolo (singular for cannoli) in Sicily.
How My Days Are Spent Now
And how has it been? FABULOUS! I live in Italy half the year. The other half of the year I’m in NYC, spending time with friends, going to the theater, cooking, reading, etc. I travel throughout the US, visiting old friends and seeing new places.
5 Benefits of Early Retirement
- Time (for everything)
- Stress Reduction
- Health (time to prep food instead of take-out, time to walk/exercise, etc.)
- Pursuit of bucket list/hobbies
- No alarms! Ability to lay in bed & not feel guilty.
The last two years have been two of the best in my entire life. And I’m excited at the possibilities ahead. Don’t be afraid. Join me!
It is never too early or too late to start planning. Here are some things that may help on your journey.
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Early or late retirement? The most important element of this is to have a plan (financial advisor is a MUST), slow down a bit, and enjoy things you never had time for (friends, trips, “small pleasures”, etc.
I wholeheartedly agree 100%!!! Thank you for reading WSW. Keep the feedback coming!
You inspire me. I love my new job (4 days/wk) so I’ll stay for a bit, but my husband and I are always planning something!
I’m so happy to hear you love the new gig – congratulations! I also love the planning process. It gives me something to look forward to and helps me focus once I arrive at my destination. Let me know when you plan to visit Palermo!
You had a goal and achieved it, thanks to a lot of hard work and planning. Enjoy every minute!
And now it’s your turn to plan – for a trip to Palermo! Thank you for reading, and we truly appreciate your feedback!
Great advice!
Thank you for reading! Happy to hear you enjoyed the article!
Time. Time is what I value most too. I retired at 62 1/2 and love that all my time is my time. Thank you Fran.
Thank you, Cathy! I’m glad you took the plunge too. It’s truly the best time of my life!
YES! Plan and enjoy your life! You can do it!
Thank you and yes, I agree! I am constantly in planning mode and I love it. There’s always something exciting to look forward to.