Years ago, during my first startup, I took a shared office space in Bandra (Mumbai).
Every morning, on the way to work, I would see a retired-looking person (in his early sixties) idly sitting in his house by the window, with some jazz music playing in the background.
For one year, every single day, I would see him there. He never worked. He never read anything. He never did anything. He just sat.
In short, he was truly retired.
And I mention this because I see many youngsters craving early retirement. But is that what you really want?
I am positive that doing nothing for years would be worse than torture. Our mind needs engagement. It needs problems to solve, challenges to grapple with, and the highs and lows of daily life.
What you are looking for is not retirement, but meaningful work. You are looking for control over your time, good people to work with, and freedom from financial worries.
Retirement is just a dream solution our mind has conjured up to escape the drudgery of meaningless work.
Retirement is not the answer. The answer is to find a career that is meaningful and rewarding.
So experiment. Move away from what drains you. Move towards things that give you positive energy. Once you find such a thing, slog and become exceptional at it.
What you are looking for is mastery, control, and freedom, not retirement.
– Rajan