I thought a lot about this after reacting recently to a post on Twitter. I don’t know if it is entirely by our society’s grand design; like someone sitting in a dimly lit back room coming up with a strategic plan for our lives.
I think I’ve always had this mindset, but now that I’m in my mid-forties it’s really reared its ugly head and brought me to the realization that the best years of doing more physical things in life are behind me.
My body aches and pains getting more prevalent every year. It’s not this way for everyone. There are many out there who can run marathons well into their sixties and seventies. But the time for me to trek through the Himalayas has passed.
The American lifestyle I chose to live coupled with the strenuous blue-collar work I did for years has left me probably unable to fulfill that dream.
The American lifestyle I chose to live coupled with the strenuous blue-collar work I did for years has left me probably unable to fulfill that dream. But, I can tell you without a doubt, that I’m sharper and more knowledgeable about several aspects of life than I’ve ever been before.
Living Life to Its Fullest; We are continually learning and growing.
From the day we are born, we are continually learning a gaining more experience. We learn to walk by failing a ton of times. We go to school to gain the basic knowledge society tells us we need to survive. Many of us go through more school to gain a more specific amount of knowledge so we fit into a particular area of expertise where people will pay us for that particular knowledge.
Now, after all of that learning, we need to work in a particular field to gain even more knowledge and this time experience to make more money and make ourselves useful in society. Then at some point, and this point keeps getting later in life, society tells you you’ve worked long enough.
Go out and enjoy the rest of your life (retirement). At this point though, you’ve gained so much knowledge and wisdom in life, wouldn’t society stand to benefit more from your time? I think the idea of retirement probably comes from blue-collar fields of work where we age past our most physical usefulness.
This brings me to my next point.
Living Life to Its Fullest; Our bodies are aging as we get smarter.
As our bodies start to age, we have less ability to do some of the physical things we want to do. I think lifestyle has a lot to do with it also. Ah, to be eighteen again. But wait, no. I remember all the stupid things I did back then. I could have physically climbed Everest, but so stupid, that I’d probably forget my gloves.
Now I work out and do Tia Chi just to keep my body good enough to get out of bed every day. Tons of stairs put a burn in my legs which makes me want just to sit down. Maybe, a little arthritis is beginning to set in. I don’t know for sure. Maybe, the cold has a little more effect on me than it did years ago.
I’m facing the facts and growing more accepting of the fact that I just can’t do the things I used to do. It just is what it is.
Living Life to Its Fullest; Where are your crossroads between intelligence and aging?
There is what I consider a crossroads in life. It’s a point where our knowledge is increasing and our physical ability to enjoy the things we want to do, cross. Before the crossroads, we may not be knowledgeable enough or experienced enough to tackle some things.
After the crossroads, our knowledge and experience are way more than we need, but our bodies can’t respond. At what point do we call our experience and knowledge, “good enough” and get out there and do the things we’ve always wanted to do?
Society, the government, and our employers determine this to be around 65. At that point, they send us back to enjoy the rest of our life. For the best physical part of life, they told us how much vacation we could take, what time we needed to get out of bed, and when we could be done working.
This might be fine for some, but for others, it might not be the best time to get out and enjoy life. Where are your crossroads? The FIRE (financial independence retire early) community says this point should be much earlier in life. Some want to be retired by 30, some by 40.
Some believe FIRE means not having to do any work for the rest of their lives. For me, FIRE means not having to go back to a regular job. I love working. It gives me challenges to explore and accomplish. I just want to work on my terms. I believe that is when I am most productive anyway. When I’m left to dig into a project and create solutions, I can produce tirelessly.
Living Life to Its Fullest; Configure your plan.
So, where are your crossroads? Where is your point where you are knowledgeable enough to design your life plan and still be physically able to carry it out? This is different for everyone. The most challenging thing you will have to overcome is believing you can design your own life and you can create and work on your plan.
Too many people think early retirement is only for the truly gifted and smart or people born into money. Maybe it’s reserved for the few who manage to conjure up the right lottery numbers on the right day. (Actually, this isn’t true. I hear far too many stories of lottery winners going broke because they never learned to manage money.)
The fact is, I believe anyone can do it. All you need is the plan and the ability to see yourself accomplishing the plan. If you know where your crossroads lie, you are on the way. Too many people believe the crossroads don’t even exist. So, good for you if you know.
If your crossroads lie before the age of 65, I welcome you to the FIRE community. You’re in the right place because we all here are in the same mindset. And everyone has their own path.
Till next time, be safe,
Kevin