Why I'll Never Retire...

The so-called “age of retirement” continues to increase.

I’ve said many times before that by the time I hit this age, there probably won’t be an official retirement age.

We’ll all be left to work until we’re incapable.

I’m still a way off, but it got me thinking.

Is retirement an age?

Or, is it something else? A number? An equation?

And…

Is retiring actually something you should aspire to?

What is Retirement To You?

There is, of course, a concrete definition for retirement.

“The action or fact of leaving one’s job and ceasing to work.”

Yeah, whatever.

We’re told from young that retirement is an age.

An age that everyone reaches before they’re able to stop working, and enjoy the last years they have on earth to get:

• Fat

• Bored

• Miserable

Sounds, great right? Not.

To me, retirement means not having to rely on anyone else for anything.

• Government.

• Employer.

• Bank.

• Anyone.

For me, it doesn’t mean “ceasing to work”.

Society in general puts such a negative connotation around the term “work.”

I love what I do, and you should too.

I don’t want to stop working.

Why would anyone want to spend their whole adult life waiting to stop what they spend so much of their time doing.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

So, ask yourself, what does retirement mean to you?

The Mathematical Equation

Let’s dive into this equation, shall we?

Again, definitions are supposedly objective, but that’s not how we do things here.

The mathematical equation involves these things, and pay close attention to the wording:

1. How much money you’re earning by yourself.

2. How much money you need each month to live happily.

• This does NOT include your typical employment. I’m referring to entrepreneurial ventures, or even side hustles. This way, you work for nobody, but yourself.

• Everyone’s number will be different. Ask yourself, how much do you need to live a happy life? $3k? $5k? $10k? More?

It’s a simple sum. If your answer to #1 is greater than your answer to #2, you can retire.

And think about this…

Is it gonna take you up to the so-called age of retirement to get this point?

Didn’t think so.

Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy, which, even as a Brit, I prefer to the western ideas of retirement.

“Ikigai is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose. A reason for living.”

Rather than wanting to “retire”, you find something that means you’ll never stop.

Why? Because you love it so much.

This is the key to finding your “ikigai”:

Use these 4 pillars to find your true passion.

1. What you love.

2. What the world needs.

3. What you can be paid for.

4. What you’re good at.

Me?

1. Helping other people live better lives.

2. Financial education & the truth.

3. Content creation.

4. Personal finance.

I’ve never been to Japan, and I can count on one hand the number of Japanese people I’ve ever spoken to.

But, truth be told, the concept of ikigai is amazing.

It comes down to that old, generic saying:

Do what you love, and you’ll never have to work another day in your life.

So, is retirement an age?

Technically, yes.

But truth be told, I think it’s such a negative way of living.

It implies you never enjoyed what you did for your entire life. Once you’re old, you finally earned the right to stop.

Call me ignorant, but that’s not how I want to live my life.

And that’s not how I want you to live yours, either.

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