The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach- Benjamin Mays
Some readers ask me via emails what plan do I have after retirement since I am so obsessed about early retirement. How do I plan to spend all the time I have after retirement?
Am I going to give up my job after retirement? Certainly not because I love my job so much.
You must start a journey with an end ( destination) in mind. Some might think I am chasing a lot of money so that retirement can be taken care of. Actually what I am chasing is the freedom for myself. Freedom from financial encumbrances, freedom to travel, freedom from bosses, alarm clocks, disturbing calls from the hospital, busy weekends, and daily commutes time to the hospital.
Financial Freedom has a price
Financial freedom has a price, and that price is money. Big dreams, from materialistic grandeur mansion and supercar to altruistic nonprofit foundations and charity works, cost money. Saving most of my money through frugality, maximizing my income, and investing more than 50% of my saving are all necessary steps for me to reach my destination.
So what do I want to do after retirement? I hope to do what I enjoy most in life- treating patients, reading and writing books, gardening, and traveling with zero worries about money again.
Readers always think what I am doing is only after money. It is not about money, if you think all the hard works, saving, frugality, and investing are about money, you are totally f**cked. I am interested in freedom the money can bring but I am not after the infinite money for materialistic orgasm.
What is your goal in life?
Money is the most forbidden topic to talk about during a daily conversation. People think it is sinful to talk about money. When doctors discuss money, patients tend to have the impression that the doctor is unethical and greedy. Unfortunately, everything costs money in this world!
A long time ago my primary and secondary teachers asked us what my ambition was. I remembered ‘being a scientist’ was my only answer until I was 18 years old and I changed my mind to be a doctor after failing to get a scholarship to study Physics.
I wanted to help people and I was fascinated about inventions and theories I found impossible to comprehend. Either being a scientist or a doctor, won’t it be nice if I give away my services without thinking about money again.
Financial Independence is About Living Your Best Life
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you’re being miserable.
Ann Clare Boothe Luce
Possessions and material things only lead to temporary happiness. You will be euphoric for a few days or max 1-2 weeks after buying a brand new BMW or a 10,000 square feet bungalow, but this short-term euphoria leads to long term stresses of your finances.
I am after financial independence because I want to live the life I wish. The goal of financial freedom is long-term control of your own time. Finite-time is what I am after and not money. I choose time but not money!
If you are making MYR100K per month and do not have time to talk to your spouse, children, and your parent, you are not wealthy. Being rich depends on how much money you have in pocket, being wealthy depends on how much free time you have for yourself.
I Want Free Time
I want free time but still able to contribute to society. No one likes 9-5 and routines that tight you to a rock that falling off from a cliff.
Time is finite for me, I do not want half of my awake time spent on work and work-related tasks. I prefer the time spent with family members, doing charity work( treating patients free of charge), reading books, hiking Penang hill, and gardening at the backyard of my house.
How could I devote my life to helping others ( treating my patients) when I was powerless in helping ( my mum, family members, and friends) those who devoted their lives to me?
You have to think about the next chapter of life after retirement.
This is not the end
Your time in the 9 – 5 will have a huge effect on your thoughts and mindset when you’re free to spend your time as you like.
Retirement does not equal to the end of your productive life. It just gives you the freedom to do whatever you want to do in life.
Life after retirement is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
As a son, father, husband, and doctor, we live a life that people want us to live in. We pass by every second of our lives chasing money to fulfill our responsibilities as an individual unit of society and forgetting the purpose/passion of our own.
Conclusion
Try to be a minimalist, materialism orgasm only makes you euphoric for a short while. Plan your retirement early. Retirement does not equal to stop working, it just gives you the freedom to do what you want to do and enjoy most in life.
When you have all the time and retired, you know being wealthy in time but not money is the most important thing in life.
