For the year of 2015, I was a retired 38 year old.
I traveled whenever & where ever I wanted (3 continents & 7 countries –and a few of our country’s national parks to boot), only worked if I wanted to (and with whom I wanted –namely, clients I knew &liked) & basically didn’t do a goddamned thing I didn’t feel like doing. All year. It was pretty F*cking cool.
Why? A few reasons…
In the past few years, I’ve come to realize that I carry an unhealthy mental association with “retirement”…. What do I mean? Most people in this country die within a few years of retirement (loss of purpose in life). Most people are so ill by the time they retire, they simply can’t live a life of standard operation or enjoyment. Many people don’t even make it to retirement –a trend I see on an exponential upswing for my generation. I was also worried about boredom. The concept of “retiring” left me with a feeling of inner trepidation.
Both of my parents passed away young & within 5 years of each other (WTF). They were in their late 50’s & early 60’s respectively. Neither were retired. So the point has been driven home to me that we have no guarantees. You may be putting things off that you will never live to experience. So how do we walk this tightrope of balancing “living for today” while still “preparing for tomorrow” in a responsible manner?
Most people wait until they’re actually retired to do the things they really want. And for most people, that means when they’re old, typically in failing health & unable to do many of the things they previously wanted. So after a thought-provoking conversation with Biophase in late 2014, I said, F*ck it, I’m going to retire for 2015. I mean, what is it really aside taking a year off the end of the typical 70 year old’s life & planting smack dab into my 30’s? Will I lose money? Probably. Do I care? No, I’m young & determined/capable enough to make more. I’ll be just fine. Let’s do this.
So what did I learn? A few things…
Hands down, the biggest lesson that was drilled home this year was THE DAILY SMALL DECISIONS ADD UP THE FINISHED PRODUCT YOU SEE IN LIFE. What do I mean?
In the beginning of 2013, I changed up my diet to an auto-immune anti-inflammatory protocol –more widely known as the paleo approach. Let me tell you, it changed my world. Completely. So much so, that I never looked back. Now, as a 38 year old woman, I’m in the best shape of my life, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. All because of a few small decisions I make every day, namely: what goes on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. Then,another few decisions at home in the kitchen: what am I going to cook? I probably make 4 – 6 small decisions on what to eat & drink every day. Very small decisions made easy by setting myself up for success (ie: not bringing sugar in to the house, making sure I have lots of fresh food on hand to prepare a variety of things, good cookbooks on hand, etc, etc).
Fast forward to 2015: I fine-tuned the machine this year. Expanded my recipe repertoire in the kitchen & branched out in to spice palettes from the world. Holy shit, I can actually cook some pretty respectable meals now –meals even normal people would eat & enjoy, lol.
Another facet of this lesson was how important that diet is to health. It seems like a big “well no shit, Sherlock” statement, but there’s a serious disconnect in this country from associating our overall health & well-being to what we put in our body. Food provides the foundation on which to operate a determined mind, a positive attitude & feeling well enough to accomplish your predetermined goals. What you eat is a small decision, every day, multiple times a day.
I couldn’t workout like I wanted this entire past year due to the onset of a frozen shoulder in Q4 of 2014. I learned that I’m a pretty All-Or-Nothing kinda person…. Can’t do the upper body lifting workout I want to at the gym? FINE I WON’T DO ANY LIFTING ROUTINE. AT ALL. I never realized I was so polarized in this regard: If I can’t do it to the full extent of what I want, I won’t do it at all…. I could probably use some balance there… might need to work on that….
Now applying the same “Daily Small Decisions” understanding to my book, we see why sales have stagnated & are only trickling through. I am not making the multiple, small daily decisions that set the foundation for an amazing result. Period. I stopped even trying mid-way through last year. So it makes complete sense. Time to get crankin'...
What else did I learn?
I don’t need as much money as I thought I once did to retire… I’m sure there will always be parts of the world that I want to see/explore, but I also love being home. I love the desert & don’t feel the need to escape this place. This is home & I smile every time I return. I’ve always felt that it was important to love where you live but his point has been driven home. I love it here.
Sooo…. Red, are you saying I should say ‘F*ck it!’ and take next year off?!??
Now, don’t take this as something that I’m saying everyone should do. We each come from different backgrounds, carry different mindsets, and have different obstacles to overcome. We all have different ways of doing things & what works for one person may render zero results for another person. The point of this post is not to say everyone should try this. But what I will say is that everyone should review their mental ruminating & determine if what they hold as truth will benefit them or inhibit them. Mindsets that hold you back must be addressed, in whatever format you deem necessary.
This was the route of action that I chose to address what I perceived were some mental roadblocks to the life I want to live. This was the best way I could think of to address them. I’m very glad I did. It changed my perspective on what “retirement” means to me & how I plan on accomplishing it. I no longer have that internal trepidation or look at it as some distant goal to be achieved. If anything, it’s shown me that I’m actually not too far off from it now in how I live now. And that was a refreshing take on things. My year of retirement has shown me that I really have it pretty good & my life won’t change much once I classify myself as the big R. It also showed me that I need to step up my game so I can make it happen sooner rather than later, as it’s now something that I will look forward to, even if it’s not much different than life as I know it now.
All in all, I’m glad I did it & believe that what I learned will only benefit me in setting my life up for the way I want to live it. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share how you overcame mental roadblocks that stood in your way, I'd love to hear them!
I traveled whenever & where ever I wanted (3 continents & 7 countries –and a few of our country’s national parks to boot), only worked if I wanted to (and with whom I wanted –namely, clients I knew &liked) & basically didn’t do a goddamned thing I didn’t feel like doing. All year. It was pretty F*cking cool.
Why? A few reasons…
In the past few years, I’ve come to realize that I carry an unhealthy mental association with “retirement”…. What do I mean? Most people in this country die within a few years of retirement (loss of purpose in life). Most people are so ill by the time they retire, they simply can’t live a life of standard operation or enjoyment. Many people don’t even make it to retirement –a trend I see on an exponential upswing for my generation. I was also worried about boredom. The concept of “retiring” left me with a feeling of inner trepidation.
Both of my parents passed away young & within 5 years of each other (WTF). They were in their late 50’s & early 60’s respectively. Neither were retired. So the point has been driven home to me that we have no guarantees. You may be putting things off that you will never live to experience. So how do we walk this tightrope of balancing “living for today” while still “preparing for tomorrow” in a responsible manner?
Most people wait until they’re actually retired to do the things they really want. And for most people, that means when they’re old, typically in failing health & unable to do many of the things they previously wanted. So after a thought-provoking conversation with Biophase in late 2014, I said, F*ck it, I’m going to retire for 2015. I mean, what is it really aside taking a year off the end of the typical 70 year old’s life & planting smack dab into my 30’s? Will I lose money? Probably. Do I care? No, I’m young & determined/capable enough to make more. I’ll be just fine. Let’s do this.
So what did I learn? A few things…
Hands down, the biggest lesson that was drilled home this year was THE DAILY SMALL DECISIONS ADD UP THE FINISHED PRODUCT YOU SEE IN LIFE. What do I mean?
In the beginning of 2013, I changed up my diet to an auto-immune anti-inflammatory protocol –more widely known as the paleo approach. Let me tell you, it changed my world. Completely. So much so, that I never looked back. Now, as a 38 year old woman, I’m in the best shape of my life, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. All because of a few small decisions I make every day, namely: what goes on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. Then,another few decisions at home in the kitchen: what am I going to cook? I probably make 4 – 6 small decisions on what to eat & drink every day. Very small decisions made easy by setting myself up for success (ie: not bringing sugar in to the house, making sure I have lots of fresh food on hand to prepare a variety of things, good cookbooks on hand, etc, etc).
Fast forward to 2015: I fine-tuned the machine this year. Expanded my recipe repertoire in the kitchen & branched out in to spice palettes from the world. Holy shit, I can actually cook some pretty respectable meals now –meals even normal people would eat & enjoy, lol.
Another facet of this lesson was how important that diet is to health. It seems like a big “well no shit, Sherlock” statement, but there’s a serious disconnect in this country from associating our overall health & well-being to what we put in our body. Food provides the foundation on which to operate a determined mind, a positive attitude & feeling well enough to accomplish your predetermined goals. What you eat is a small decision, every day, multiple times a day.
I couldn’t workout like I wanted this entire past year due to the onset of a frozen shoulder in Q4 of 2014. I learned that I’m a pretty All-Or-Nothing kinda person…. Can’t do the upper body lifting workout I want to at the gym? FINE I WON’T DO ANY LIFTING ROUTINE. AT ALL. I never realized I was so polarized in this regard: If I can’t do it to the full extent of what I want, I won’t do it at all…. I could probably use some balance there… might need to work on that….
Now applying the same “Daily Small Decisions” understanding to my book, we see why sales have stagnated & are only trickling through. I am not making the multiple, small daily decisions that set the foundation for an amazing result. Period. I stopped even trying mid-way through last year. So it makes complete sense. Time to get crankin'...
What else did I learn?
I don’t need as much money as I thought I once did to retire… I’m sure there will always be parts of the world that I want to see/explore, but I also love being home. I love the desert & don’t feel the need to escape this place. This is home & I smile every time I return. I’ve always felt that it was important to love where you live but his point has been driven home. I love it here.
Sooo…. Red, are you saying I should say ‘F*ck it!’ and take next year off?!??
Now, don’t take this as something that I’m saying everyone should do. We each come from different backgrounds, carry different mindsets, and have different obstacles to overcome. We all have different ways of doing things & what works for one person may render zero results for another person. The point of this post is not to say everyone should try this. But what I will say is that everyone should review their mental ruminating & determine if what they hold as truth will benefit them or inhibit them. Mindsets that hold you back must be addressed, in whatever format you deem necessary.
This was the route of action that I chose to address what I perceived were some mental roadblocks to the life I want to live. This was the best way I could think of to address them. I’m very glad I did. It changed my perspective on what “retirement” means to me & how I plan on accomplishing it. I no longer have that internal trepidation or look at it as some distant goal to be achieved. If anything, it’s shown me that I’m actually not too far off from it now in how I live now. And that was a refreshing take on things. My year of retirement has shown me that I really have it pretty good & my life won’t change much once I classify myself as the big R. It also showed me that I need to step up my game so I can make it happen sooner rather than later, as it’s now something that I will look forward to, even if it’s not much different than life as I know it now.
All in all, I’m glad I did it & believe that what I learned will only benefit me in setting my life up for the way I want to live it. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share how you overcame mental roadblocks that stood in your way, I'd love to hear them!
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