I'm Already Retired

I just finished reading The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. The book was thought provoking on many levels, and to a large extent I WISH I had a chance to read this thing 3 years ago when I started my entrepreneurial journey. Much of what the book outlined about "leaving the 9-5" I'd already figured out the hard way, and any aspiring entrepreneur should snatch this book up immediately. And while the book has helped me improve my productivity, it's also helped me realize something more important: I'm already retired.

One of the main premises of the book is that the idea of retirement is bogus. Ferriss outsources all of his day-to-day operations, and spends several months at a time in "mini-retirements". He never plans on fully "retiring", but continuing to spread these 1-2 month retirements throughout his lifetime. One of the main problems is that you condition yourself for years and years to work every waking second, that waiting until you're 60 to begin relaxing is often confusing and depressing - best pump that relaxation and happiness into your lives when you're young so that you can truly enjoy life in it's entirety.

Which got me to thinking - what would I do if I was retired (maybe a similar but better question - what would I do if I had all the money in the world)? And at that moment I realized that I already do much of what I would do if I were retired. My largest hobbies have been integrated into my daily life and I've found a way to make sports and technology profitable for me. How freaking sweet is that?

Unlike most people, I'm not the type of guy who wants to do a ton of traveling, and I'm not the type of guy who enjoys chilling on the beach for a week or buying really nice things for myself. If I became a millionaire tomorrow, I'd still spend my time trying to change the sports collectibles industry. And it's not because I'm so entrenched in what I do that I can't break the cycle, it's because it's one of the handful of things in life that brings me true joy. The other things (friends, family, reading, video games, sports, etc) I already get my fill of...I don't feel like I'm lacking in those areas so it'd be hard for me to want to allocate more time there.

Figuring this out brought me incredible peace. I honestly don't feel like I've worked a day since I left my job in January of 2006. That might be hard for some to wrap their hands around - especially for people who have conceded themselves to 40 hours of misery for 40 years so that they can then begin living their life. I'm not saying that the lifestyle I live is for everyone, but I just wish that more people would consider it an option.