warrentalbot
Recycles dryer sheets
For me, the decision to retire early came not so much out of a focused plan at the age of 37. Instead it was the result of 2 health scares with people around me. My wife's brother had a heart attack at 35 and a dear friend had a brain aneurism at 34.
While our friend was still in the hospital we got together with friends and started talking about life and we asked the question "what would you do if you knew you would not live to be 40?". My wife and I both answered travel.
Today we are both 40 and are currently living our dream lives. I left my 20 year career in the software industry in order to live a simpler life and one that I felt matched who I am as a person. I had spent my entire life doing what I thought I was supposed to do - work hard, climb the corporate ladder, buy bigger and more expensive things. However, once we identified what we really wanted in life we put our minds towards how we could live it.
We sold everything we owned and in October 2010 we took off for a trip around the world. We have no plans to return and I cannot imagine ever going back to a conventional job or life. We are living our dream and loving every minute of it.
While our friend was still in the hospital we got together with friends and started talking about life and we asked the question "what would you do if you knew you would not live to be 40?". My wife and I both answered travel.
Today we are both 40 and are currently living our dream lives. I left my 20 year career in the software industry in order to live a simpler life and one that I felt matched who I am as a person. I had spent my entire life doing what I thought I was supposed to do - work hard, climb the corporate ladder, buy bigger and more expensive things. However, once we identified what we really wanted in life we put our minds towards how we could live it.
We sold everything we owned and in October 2010 we took off for a trip around the world. We have no plans to return and I cannot imagine ever going back to a conventional job or life. We are living our dream and loving every minute of it.