There is a really interesting conversation going on over at Financial Samurai on his recent post, The Dark Side of Early Retirement. He suggests that people that retire early are not necessarily doing it to enjoy the good life, but instead to escape a failed career. He also posits that retirement may not be all wine and roses, and warns where some of the thorns might be.
He cautions against listening to those that say how happy they are in retirement because those folks are giving short shrift to the hardships they face. Are they really happy or are they just faking it?
Well, the answer is somewhere in the middle.
I've tackled some of these same questions here: Is retiring early a sign of success or an admission of failure? Am I running away from unhappiness rather than toward it? Will retirement cure the fear of failure? And how will retirement affect my self-esteem?
As I recognized in my most recent post, people have a taste for different cocktails. Each retiree's motivation for retirement, and also their experience once they retire, is a mix of sweet and sour in varying measures.
So is it really possible to have a satisfying life without a job? Is success in the workplace the only way to feel a sense of achievement? Must you engage in meaningful activities to be content in retirement?
Good questions.
My suspicion is that having a meaningful life has less to do with what you do than with who you are. And that's the trick in retirement. You've spent years being defined by what it is you do for a living. Once that work identity is stripped away, it's up to you to figure out who you are and how you want to live the rest of your life. That can be a daunting task. And it is that task, I believe, that has the potential to send some into the dark side of retirement.
Related Posts:
Is Being Content Preventing You From Being Happy in Retirement?
I Might Not Be Wanting to Retire if I Were Generation Y
To me, retirement is like so many other things in life -- it's only what you allow it to be! I also think that some people tend to over analyze everything.
Posted by: Steve Skinner | May 05, 2010 at 09:00 AM
Early retirement is a gift. I'm fortunate to have retired 16 months ago at age 56 healthy, financially OK, but still need to define my purpose. Do you remember summer vacation from school at age 14 & 15? What a wonderful time to just hang out, ride your bike and have fun. I'm still enjoying just the fun of being retired but know I will need to better define my purpose.
Posted by: John Q | May 05, 2010 at 04:15 PM
I have yet to read the Financial Samurai post, but as someone who didn't spend that much time in or wedded to a career, early retirement was simply my response to the realization that there were so many more things I'd rather do than work. I wouldn't call that a failed career. Rather, perhaps, a recognition of my priorities and interests.
Posted by: OurTakeOnFreedom | May 05, 2010 at 10:22 PM
Well, it's true that there are good things and a few problems after retirement! That's life anyway! Just be positive about things in life and you'll able to cope with every situation to enjoy life. Reaching retirement age is another chapter. If you'll live in an assisted living community, meeting new people is very possible and you'll learn new things in
Posted by: Cara Larose | May 01, 2011 at 08:52 PM
If a person's career was such a failure, how could they afford to retire early? I don't get that!
Posted by: Kathy Sterndahl | February 11, 2012 at 07:27 AM
@Kathy: Good point, I didn't think of that!
Posted by: Retired Syd | March 31, 2012 at 09:37 AM