There is a wonderful dream prevailing in the minds of millions of people across the globe- retiring early. In fact, it is indeed a romantic one. But, has not escapism always been romantic and poetic? And sticking to the ground is a more grounded, earthen, and proselike task? So how good is this actually to bid adieu to your works earlier than the scheduled time of retirement? In this article, we are going to dissect this very thought and try to find out the actual truth.

It’s fine that you want to retire early. But my first question to you will be, why to retire early? You may have a plethora of reasons. You may say, I plan to give my 200% in the two decades of my career and save enough to sustain myself and my family for the coming at least four decades. You may cite, I want to purchase a farmhouse far away from the madding crowd and do whatever I enjoy there. My suggestion would be, please do it now. I mean, if you plan to pursue whatever you like once you retire signifies that you are not in love with whatever you have in hand now. So, in no way you are contributing to your own life or career, or society and it is better that you pack your bag and start pursuing what your heart craves.

I am 41 now. I have no desire to retire soon as I am very much liking what I am doing and I find no reason to deprive myself of the pleasure of doing the things I am supposed to do. Had I had the slightest of intention to retire early, I would have done that by now. That would have definitely signified that I am bored with whatever I have in hand and it is better to explore new avenues rather than rotting myself in the existing burden. Moreover, I personally feel that I am yet to reach the most productive working age of my career. I am getting hints that those are not far away but they are yet to knock on the door. In fact, after spending more than 13 years in the administrative service, I sometimes feel that it is just the beginning and new challenges are lurking ahead, new vistas are to be trodden. And if I keep myself busy in the thought of retiring, I may deprive myself of the mysteries that life may unfold in the coming years.

If we consider 60 as the average retirement age and 45 as the dream retirement age, we need to understand how things change in a span of fifteen years. So, think of that period in and around 2006. And compare that realistically with the present scenario. On social grounds, you may score some points in saying, ‘Those were the days ‘. But in practicality, have not the tasks become more upheaval nowadays? Have not the challenges become even more challenging now? Has not the competition increased? Have not the technical perspectives changed? Now, think of how a person who is now 60 would have deprived himself or herself had he or she had retired in 2006. Philosophically, a generation may signify 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years but technically, in a fast-changing world, a generation does not last more than a decade. So, are you serious when you give a shoutout that you want to retire soon? Are you really foolish enough to deprive yourself of so many challenges that life may offer you?

I agree, harboring this thought of retiring early may motivate one to save aggressively. But that has one downside, too. You may lose the best years of your life when you actually should enjoy the gift of life. I would suggest that when you are planning to retire, it is better that you should rather become an aggressive saver or a prudent investor. If you take your job seriously, if you really love whatever you do, you should not for a second think of retiring early. And if that is not happening, farewell time is around the corner, folks.