I Don't Want To Retire Early
What will I do if I worked with all my sheer force before 40, leaving every other aspect of my life called living and retire?
Hello, not to start a new year on a boring note, but I have been pondering with this question, whenever, I am in two-minds about figuring out if I want to keep working the job, while enjoying life and the challenges it brings. Or, focus on one thing, i.e, my job and look to bring as much financial security as possible and then decide to enjoy life.
I don’t know about others but personally, never once in my life did things pan out as I wished it to be. Not in career, not in relationships I seek, not in basic hobbies I want to set.
So, why will I focus on bringing all my best to one aspect of life when I have my undeniable proof that what I plan don’t happen.
Hence, I always conclude that whatever, I plan goes to the dump and I should let whatever happens, HAPPEN!
Now, I’m 26 and it feels as if I have seen the toughest days of my life which I know isn’t true and there are even more tougher days ahead. I just want to have the will to fight those. And in that fight I would want my interests ,hobbies, habits, and my overall lifestyle to support me rather than be a one-directional destination which I may-or may not be successful if pursued.
Also, let’s think that my life will go as I imagined it if I am working and planning to retire by 45-50 let’s say. For that, I will have to leave everything I love to do. Focus on increasing my efficiency at work, be the best damn person there is in one aspect and keep going at it for 20+ years.
Once I get to that age, I retire and then what? At 46, I can’t be at places looking for relationships, finding friendships, will probably not have energy to do things I can do now. Won’t have the will to travel (as I have very little now😅, that’s another thing). What will I do with keeping my bank digits good.
But, what if, I go without any plan of retiring early. I can keep working till I die. While also, writing, finding time in between to play games, read books, find friendships, relationships, and also make experiences that I want to without compromising.
Yes, my situation right now, is a bit on the bottom side of life, but it will not always be this way. It may go even down, but someday will rise back up and then I will be more optimistic about financial aspect of life.
So, to be retiring early, means to saccrifice a part of yourself. Which I am not sure I want to. Not now, atleast. I would rather be who I am right now with less burden financially till I am in to my late 40s and be creating something meaningful so that I can keep doing those till the day I die.
I don’t ever want to just retire and to be really honest, nobody ever truly retires. The concept of retirement is never truly explained and neither did it work out well.
Everyone either goes insane not doing anything or find new things to do. In that case, Why even consider retiring?
Not sure, what I wanted to write and this itch in my mind asked me to write about how I don’t want to retire and also to give reasons as why I don’t want to retire. The itch started when I saw the new music video of the song Chikitu Vibe from the unreleased film Coolie by Rajnikanth.
Watching him do the hook step , I realised, what a cool way to lead his 70s. Doing films he like and making even better movies than most youngsters.
That thought had me thinking - Is retiring a good thing? and then thought of others from different fields of work like Ratan Tata, Amitabh Bachchan, Ilaiyaraja, Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, among many others.
It’s not like they are into one field all the time, they explored other fields, while keeping one field as a base.
That is what I want to do. Keep working like them, bringing peace to myself doing so.
I may not have all the things I want but this way I don’t have to plan which from past convictions know will not work in my favour.
So, no retirement for me. I will drive a cab for the pleasure of driving if needed but won’t retire.
That’s my 2 cents on retiring and sharing here just because I had the itch and wanted to write in to document my thoughts on it.
Here’s to more unplanned wonderful experiences in 2025 to all you readers.
Happy new year’s.