Over the last few years, my dreams have really been evolving. I always envisioned retiring fairly late in life (by which I mean normal retirement age) with a bunch of money and material possessions that I thought would make me happy. There is nothing surprising about this vision because it is really what most of us are conditioned to expect and to want.
I gradually began to challenge this view. It started by being exposed to people who retire early – in their fifties, forties, thirties, and even twenties in some cases. To tell you the truth, it never really occurred to me that it would be possible to retire at an age significantly younger than the normal retirement age, but there is a minority of people out there who retire very early and are very happy.
I have noticed that these people tend to live well below their means and don’t feel the need to have a lot of material possessions. They save and invest because they would rather have the time and freedom to experience life than have a bunch of possessions that seem to always fail to provide the fulfillment we are looking for. This is why my vision has evolved away from possessions and towards experiences. I don’t know if I will retire early in the conventional sense, but I definitely intend to “retire” very early from the necessity of spending the vast majority of my time doing things that I really don’t want to do. I may very well “work” at business opportunities that I find challenging and enjoyable.
In yesterday’s post I Have a Dream!, I explained why it is important to have a vision to guide us and provide direction. As part of the 90-Day Challenge, I have created a brief vision statement that outlines the direction that I want to take my life in the next few years. My vision will likely continue to evolve, and it won’t all be achieved at once. It will be a continual progression. I have shared my vision statement below. I don’t know if this vision statement is right, whatever that means. I just know that it has provided me with some clarity about the direction that I want to take my life in.
The vision for my life revolves around freedom. The freedom to do what I want, when I want, where I want, and with who I want. Freedom to direct my life in ways that are exciting to me. Freedom to undertake challenges that are fulfilling to me. Basically, the freedom to really live.
There are three main factors behind my vision that will make this happen.
Time Independence – The freedom to set my own schedule. The ability to decide how I will spend my time.
Location Independence – The freedom to go anywhere or live anywhere. The ability to work from anywhere.
Financial Independence – The freedom from the necessity to work. The income to do things that are fulfilling whether I get paid or not.
These three factors will allow me to put my dream into action and live life on my terms. They will allow me to be, do, and have more.
Business – I want to have the ability to create and invest in business opportunities that provide enjoyable challenges and good returns on investment.
Health and Fitness – I want to have more time to condition myself to enjoy greater energy, strength, cardiovascular fitness, and endurance, and less fatigue, weakness, illness and pain.
Stuff – I want to live a minimalist life that isn’t devoid of material possessions but eliminates excess stuff that isn’t loved and used. My living environment will be less cluttered and have more open space.
Relationships – I want to have the freedom to spend more time with family and friends and create a deep relationship with the woman of my dreams.
Travel – I want to experience much more of the amazing world that we live in and learn more about different natural wonders, different cultures, different foods, and anything else that is interesting.
Learning – I want to be able to spend time to really study things deeply like business, languages, economics, personal development, and all sorts of topics that I find interesting just for the fun of learning.
Adventure – I want to try new things that are unusual, fun, and exciting to really add spice to my life.
Contribution – I want to improve the world in some small way and feel like I have had a net positive impact on the world around me.
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