1. Mondays Are The Best Day of the Week
For years, many of us dreaded Mondays. Late Sunday afternoon it started, the anticipation associated with an upcoming stressful working week.
Then Monday came around and it was everyone’s low point. Naturally, each day became progressively better than the previous day until Friday rolled around to reset. It was all upside from there until Sunday afternoons came around once more.
Upon retirement, Mondays become the best day of the week. Everything is less busy because people are at work. It’s official, Mondays are the best day of the week.
2. You’re Busier Than Ever
When you work 50 to 70 hours a week for most of your career and have a family along and personal interests, along the way, you’re usually very busy. Everyone thinks things calm down significantly when you retire but often you’re busier than ever.
The difference is you transition from doing things you had to do, to doing things you want to do. Which makes all the difference in the world. Life finds a way of connecting you with new daily interests, more family time and fresh passions.
3. Casual Clothes Are Suddenly Very Comfortable
You are not the only thing that retires your wardrobe accompanies you into retirement too! Out go suits and ties, in comes gym gear during the day, leisurewear, workout pants and t-shirts. Turns out they refresh the soul.
Do you know how comfortable shorts and t-shirts are? Very comfortable!
In retirement, putting on jeans feels like you’re “dressing up”.
When there is no one to impress, you can focus on being comfortable and can wear whatever you want, whenever you want.
4. Family Relationships Benefit From Time
Everyone assumes early retirement will give them more time to spend with the family. What few realise is how meaningful and far-reaching that time can be.
There’s now time to reconnect with your spouse, which is great for your relationship. Similarly, you now have the time to connect with each individual family member in ways that reflect their interests or focus.
Having early retirement also means being able to see your parents more often than you did previously when work pressures cramped your available time.
Moreover, being retired allows you time to connect with friends and make new ones. Many early retirees find this is probably the most rewarding aspect of early retirement. It is as surprising as it is completely unexpected.
5. I Don’t Want To Go Back To Work Anymore
Many who opt for early retirement secretly believe they will take a year or two off, before going back to work even if it’s simply part-time. However, a few months into retirement and few can imagine ever going back.
Going back to work means hating Mondays all over again. It means bringing out the power suits and saying goodbye to comfortable clothes. It would mean missing out on time with family and friends, cutting back on your new-found health regime and living by a schedule.
Once early retirees have created their own new normal, they discover it’s far too good to give up.
6. Saying Goodbye To Stress
The media is full of stories about stress and how it negatively impacts our health, and wellness. However, having lived with it for so long, it too becomes just a normal aspect of your working routine. Few realize just how much stress was impacting their lives.
Once they retire, many can literally feel the accumulated stress ebb silently away. Work-related stress is tangible, it is real. De-stressing after a lifetime of constant pressure takes several months to completely disappear but eventually, early retirees reach a new zen point. Early retirees sleep better and discover life is far more relaxing without stress.
Many early retirees are surprised at just how noticeable the absence of stress is. Stress goes from being ever-present to almost nonexistent in a matter of months.
7. You Morph Into A Morning Person
There are natural morning people, and there are those who learn to fake being morning people for the sake of their careers. Early retirement, however, brings with it a fresh take on what mornings are or can be.
Life turns out to be so much more exciting when you are getting up to do things you enjoy doing. Each new day brings its own quotient of excitement. Whether it’s the benefit of more “you” time or the lack of stress but many early retirees feel better with less sleep now than when they clocked up more hours sleeping while they were working.
People inevitably think you are crazy, getting up early when you don’t absolutely need to but that’s what happens when you are excited about doing things you care about in your life.
Many find the quiet and peace at 6 am refreshing and each day is full of promise that mornings take on a new life all their own.
Final Observation
The very thought of giving up your career and with it your sense of identity may seem like exiling yourself to a grey half-existence. However, there is life after work. Many early retirees are surprised by just how rewarding their early retirement is proving to be. While their working careers were satisfying, they find themselves so busy in retirement that their hours are filled up with growing as people, learning new skills, spending time with family and friends travelling and meeting new people and tackling new challenges that they wonder how they ever found the time to work. Early retirement has brought the fresh experience of living their lives, rather than doing their life.What are your thoughts on cash and its importance to businesses in today’s climate? Share your experiences with us and leave your comments below.
Related Stories:
