As I mentioned briefly in my intro, I was a regular, educated, hardworking, salary earning, promotion wanting individual. My parents raised me to be independent, and never treated me differently because I was a girl. Therefore, I never considered being financially dependent on anyone. I had to earn for myself and/or my family. I never even considered a possibility of not having an income. I toyed with the idea of a sabbatical if /when I had children, and I definitely took career breaks here and there, but a job was probably the most intrinsic, primary and stable part of my identity and security pretty much since I started working.
Gist of what I am trying to say is, my job/career was VERY IMPORTANT to me.
So, what changed?
You might have heard, that there are 5 commonly known stages of grief. Similarly, I experienced 5 stages of early retirement, and approximate timelines to each stage are as follows:
- Restlessness/dissatisfaction/questioning (3 years, while working)
- Introspection (1 year, while working)
- Total confusion, fear and guilt (1 year, after leaving the last employment)
- Self realization/discovery (1 year, in retirement)
- Acceptance and peace (the last 6 months, in retirement)
I went through all these stages to finally embrace my retirement. And once I myself embraced it, it was like cakewalk talking to others about it. There was no longer any shame, embarrassment or guilt.
I do have some very important disclaimers to make here:
- I am not here to motivate people to retire. I am here only to tell my story, my journey and my learnings. And answer questions or help if I can, as it can be a treacherous path.
- I am not saying retirement will suit everyone
- I am definitely aware of the fact that retirement is not possible for many
- I am definitely not here to jeer the gainfully employed.
In the end, it is all about the context, isn’t it…?
I will write more in depth about the stages in my next few blogs…. Keep reading, liking, commenting on my blog. Would LOVE more of your participation!
40 is the New 60 
So, you’ve decided that you will never ever work again ? Is that something set in stone ?
LikeLike
Wow! People are asking really good and thoughtful questions…! I gotta bring my A-game!
At this time, it feels quite disheartening to think about working again, at least a full fledged job or business. I will try and explain what my thought process was/is, in my next few blogs entries and why I really pulled myself out of the workforce … maybe the readers can provide some advice or suggestions on how I can counter my aversion…. thanks for a great question!
LikeLike