Life Lessons From The First Year of Early Retirement

[@CampFI]

Hear more from Ryan on the Forget About Money podcast here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4Okdp-cnbF3idUsi=Pj4DJnIXOydu2w6X

[@ForgetAboutMoneyPodcast]

Stephen, we had a great conversation! Thanks for sharing. And congratulations on the CampFI channel really taking off!

[@andrewkingdon2000]

Listening to him made me realise how going through life is like ticking off the levels on your own personal "Maslow hierarchy of needs". We all start with subsistence, then move into safety and security then comfort and family then ultimately personal enlightenment and inner calmness. Retiring should really be about the final step on that Maslow scale.

[@bruintoo]

Going to retire at 55 at the end of the 2024 after working for a local government for 34 years. In my case, I'm the last of my cohort to retire so all of my friends at work have already retired! A friend suggested defining retirement mission statement as a guidance. So for me, I came up with these: Retirement Mission Statement * Seek joy by doing things, not having things. * Live in a comfortable home with minimal maintenance and maximum protection from climate change. * Give time to others, to see how much good I can do even as my energy decreases. * Be generous with myself - occasionally and responsibly - by splurging on once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the people I love most. * Have money left over so I’m not a burden to any of them.

[@TennisTD]

Great goals. I share a similar vision

[@dbulsa]

I retired at 54 and my Mission Statement is “Make Everyday An Adventure”. Plain and simple. Fantastic you can join the retirement club. You will not regret it. I don’t.

[@teresiaharrison8836]

I have three years to go and will be 56 when I retire. I love your mission statement. Screenshot it to give me some direction in my own. Happy Retirement!!

[@alpen_monk]

Your third bullet focusing on others is similar to the Dalai Lama's viewpoint that compassion to others is the true key to happiness. 🙂

[@amyburdan9281]

Where are places that protect from climate change?

[@AlejandroPerez-cm6ed]

I'm going to retire at 55 in two months. After coming to the US at 25 and working hard, I have saved enough not to work for the rest of my life. Cycling and a 4 year old boy is my life. I will have plenty fun things to do for the v rest of my life. Being in toxic corporate environment is not the answer. We are moving to Europe where my savings will make total sense. Thanks for this great video. Right on time. ❤️👌

[@alfonsohorcajada4399]

That sounds amazing Alejandro. It is exactly my plan too. What country in Europe are you off to and why? Well done🎉

[@AlejandroPerez-cm6ed]

@alfonsohorcajada4399 Spain, I have family there, and I am cuban. So the language will not be an issue. Counting the days at this point, I have been planning for a long time.

[@alfonsohorcajada4399]

@@AlejandroPerez-cm6ed same here ! Te deseo lo mejor. Yo me iré para Valencia, me encanta el Mediterráneo. Un abrazo amigo!

[@alpen_monk]

Retirement is amazing! I wish you well in the next chapter of your life.

[@toddkelly75]

Single best video on the subject. I wish I had seen this a couple years ago. Having gone thru it I can say everything he says is spot on!

[@pnc1358]

The best FI video i've ever seen. I can feel like he sums it up especially for me. Well done and thank you!

[@alpen_monk]

Thank you! Which topic resonated with you most?

[@pnc1358]

@@alpen_monk if i really had to choose, it would be impermanence. One thing we can be sure is everything is changing

[@dsandhu02]

​@@alpen_monkhow did you remove your identity from an aerospace engineer? Was it focusing on ikigai? And aerospace wasn't in that framework?

[@alpen_monk]

@@dsandhu02 Before I resigned, I made a list of all the attributes (there were 31) I thought I wanted as part of my ikigai life and then scored my current job as an aerospace engineer against each of those attributes on a possible score from 0 (not possible) to 10 (awesome alignment). Out of a possible 310 points my current engineering role only scored 18 points. And 24 attributes scored a zero. I can do better than that. So I resolved to move on and make the leap to a TBD identity.

[@CampFI]

Apologies for the constant autofocusing action on the front view. Not exactly sure how to eliminate that. I hope it doesn't distract you from the powerful messages Ryan shares in this video. Thanks for watching.

[@cdunksyt]

The camera is set to auto focus. This means that when he steps further to the edge of frame the camera switches focus lengths, trying to find what to focus on. To fix it you can manually set the focus length, and as long as your presenter doesn't move too much towards or away from the camera, they will stay in focus.

[@CampFI]

@@cdunksyt thank you! Now to figure out how to manually set focus length. And what focus length even means. But progress. Really do appreciate it. The camera I use is a dslr camera I purchased used from a photographer friend who upgraded but should still be capable enough to do these types of filmings without so much of an issue. Operator error for sure.

[@CatherineCarol]

Great lesson prior to early retirement. It encourages me to find my ikigai and not look back but just prepare for early retirement so you won’t ever look back

[@JT-km7cp]

This is a really great video. Great to see someone explain this so rationally and with an open heart. He is very generous to share this.

[@susangeist]

This is a great presentation! I am also a year into early retirement and keep finding myself in self-made "to-do list" prisons.

[@runcationdreaming5822]

Yes same here! I feel seen!

[@alpen_monk]

Try out that someday maybe list technique and cull, cull, cull. Also, I go through my active to do list once a month or so and move a lot of my aspirational stuff to the someday maybe list. If your active list is longer than about 10 items on any given day you probably are having unrealistic expectations, creating anxiety, and forging those prison bars. On a related note have you or @runcationdreaming5822 ever enjoyed the peace that is inbox zero in email, snail mail, and/or to do list? It's another kind of (momentary) freedom we can gift ourselves.

[@moneyfitmoms]

This was lovely and exactly what I needed to hear right now! I hope to make it to a CampFI retreat in the future, but thank you so much for making these presentations accessible to the public. They're hugely valuable and I really appreciate your work!

[@batyushki]

Anyone who references Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is the best in my opinion... that book is the guide for my life. Thank you for your insights.

[@HannahShadrick]

Love your thoughtfulness, Ryan. My favorite part was about being careful of permanent personas. I took a mini-retirement last year and I’d add two things to your preparing list: 1) Build your team: before you leave make sure you have your therapist, personal trainer, massage therapist, vocal coach, whoever is going to support you being your whole self in this next chapter. 2) Choose some non-negotiable obligations. We have two large dogs that need long walks twice a day, everyday. And I planted a big garden last year. So, when I did wake up maybe a little panicked with no job, I had a few things to take care of and orient me. Thank you for sharing!

[@alpen_monk]

Nice! A larger theme that builds on your #2 that I have heard helps others in their transition is building a daily (and sometimes weekly) routine for yourself. It helps fill the structure void (like a power void) that is created from leaving your 9-5. We are trained from a young age in school and then work to operate within a structure and to live in a state of time scarcity, so the freedom FIRE provides can feel a bit jarring for some. Until they learn to love it. :-)

[@nateearle844]

Good stuff Ryan. I’m also an instructor at CMC and FI enthusiast. Very close to unwinding a full time engineering career.

[@megjones9171]

I would read your book. Im a Baby boomer who took time out @ 27- 29. Again in my 50's for a 3 month travel- walkabout.

[@LegoStarWars217]

Love the difference angle of perspective. Thanks for sharing with other.

[@PowerfulMoneyHabits]

5 years to go- can’t wait!

[@AKim-uu4hg]

Great video! I am one year into retirement and learned a lot from your presentation! Thank you!

[@alpen_monk]

You picked a good cohort. ;-)

[@La_sagne]

good talk! after probably over a hundred of "these videos" im surprised to still see new points of view (including real world examples of time Management and ikegai for example)

[@alpen_monk]

Thanks! I've seen lots of people talk abstractly about the concepts so I wanted to make it more concrete and actionable for people who were ready to make some improvements in their life.

[@Mylagomlife]

Thank you, you have no idea how much this helped me. Hope to reach FIRE in 2-5 years, could quit now but I feel I need to land in it a bit first to take the step and feel secure.

[@alpen_monk]

When I was 2-5 years out it felt intolerable. Like I had realized I was in a cage and couldn't wait to escape. Going to a CampFI was a life changing moment for me. Meeting lots of people who had retried early and were living their best life made it real for me and encouraged me to take the final steps of unlocking that cage and walking out into the sunlight.

[@GOATED1973]

New Jersey here, we’re the top dog🚀

[@lilibethvilella]

Thank you for this!! I’m living my best life post divorce. Published a book on finding true WHOLENESS after divorce called “THE SUN ALWAYS PIERCES THROUGH” 🌧️ ☀️

[@alpen_monk]

You're welcome! I'm curious, which concept resonated with you most in the similar but different life change you are experiencing?

[@AnhNguyen-bi6vg]

Great presentation, well articulated thank you

[@alpen_monk]

I'm glad you liked it. Maybe I'll see you at a CampFI some day. :-)

[@Adnanhasb1]

Very realistic video ... thanks for the share

[@UbiquitousBooks]

Great talk with a bunch of thoughtful and fresh perspectives. Refreshing change from the usual self help stuff that seems 90% fluff and 10% sales tactic.

[@alpen_monk]

Thank you!

[@dawnkoplitz1825]

Solid advice! Thank you!

[@lynnfrair6196]

Excellent presentation 🎉

[@CampFI]

Agreed. You graced us with a cameo. 😀

[@lynnfrair6196]

​@@CampFI Apparently so 😅 His negative time concept 🤯🤯 so great. It looks like this video is on trajectory to be among the most viewed (if not the most viewed). And noticed your film edits which were additive to the watching experience 👌

[@alpen_monk]

Thank you Lynn!!! 🙂

[@sharmeen31ify]

Very helpful! Thank you

[@ameydandekar1413]

What a nice video

[@lese3824]

What a presentation! Thank you.

[@MathieuDeVinois]

Some important messages here. Maybe I need that break to so I can answer some of those questions.

[@xxbeastlyturtlexx]

Daniel Tosh seems a lot different in retirement.

[@CampFI]

That's funny. :-) Thanks for watching. I can kind of see it.

[@SummitMan165]

Very nice presentation! 😊😊

[@spinnetti]

Surprise call out to Hermann Hesse. I've read that (and his other big works). I feel like its stepping off a cliff. No idea how to do something with a sense of purpose after I retire. I could retire any time, but need to figure that out first or I'd be a mess.

[@alpen_monk]

I'm not sure what you do, but if it's as consuming as my job was then you may never have enough negative time or available mental clarity in your life to discover your sense of purpose. Ikigai discovery is hard because it can't be forced the way we can force completion on discrete projects. Maybe if you just designed a rough daily/weekly routine for your transition so you have some structure then you could make the leap to retirement and start exploring your purpose from a more healthy mental state.

[@sewnsew6770]

Take a look at The Philosophy of Freedom by Rudolf Steiner It’s about the process of finding your true self Very helpful for seekers

[@coreythompson5213]

really good hollistic talk

[@mightT1]

yeah retire then go to some seminar take advice from random people. probably best not to retire if you can't work it out for yourself... still need people telling what to do. Retired people don't have enough free time to work it... Great job!

[@dsandhu02]

Does ryan have a linkedin or email to reach out to?

[@CampFI]

I will point him to your comment.

[@floydestelle6242]

That's why you started a podcast.

[@CampFI]

He has a podcast?

[@alpen_monk]

Where is my podcast? I'd love to listen to what my Tyler Durden side has been up to.

[@alpen_monk]

Fun note. A month after this comment a podcaster had me on to ask me more questions about my talk. You can find the link pinned near the top. I still don't have my own podcast channel though.

[@stevenewcombe7168]

Is this guy actually retired? It looks like he's switched and his new job is giving retirement advice.

[@alpen_monk]

This didn't feel like a job. It was somewhat productive though. So I guess it depends on your definition of "job". Also since the talk was 20 minutes it was a short lived tenure. If I'd turned this into a blog, vlog, podcast, and book deal then yeah maybe it would start feeling like a new career. But, it's just a 20 minute video so far.

[@ashepe]

What a silly comment 😂 You don't have to sit in a rocking chair not talking to anyone to be retired.

[@stevenewcombe7168]

@@ashepe What a silly comment 😂. So if I switch from one job to another, I've retired?!

[@ashepe]

​@@stevenewcombe7168He retired from his full-time job, is financially free and not obligated to work. Then he does some work/something productive which is valuable for others and himself for recreational purposes. Then all of a sudden he is out of retirement? 😂 I guess volunteer work and helping others in your community in an organized way would also make you unretired ?

[@feliciaflinders]

❤ I view financial independence as giving one options to do how we choose ❤ So doing presentations to help others and or nothing or writing a blog , youtube channel etc

[@MonchoDeLaMota]

Ok Mr cult guy

[@mcarroll78]

Why don’t u have any children? Just curious why u decided against having children? Notice so many fire people choose to have no children

[@alpen_monk]

If you come to a CampFI you will meet many early retirees with kids and probably see a few kids running around as well. I feel like most actually have kids thinking about my FIRE friends. Also, my wife and I tried to have kids, but it didn't work for us. And yes, we spent a lot on modern medicine trying to make it work for us. Everyone gets dealt different cards in life. What will you do with the cards in your hand?

[@user-qc5hd1km7m]

Why are you pretending to have a live audience? Disingenuous.

[@CampFI]

That would be interesting to learn that the 65+ in the audience were indeed not alive. That would mean that I wasn’t alive. But for real, all campfi talks are in front of a live audience. We do audience cutaways in some videos. Others we don’t. You can check out some of our older videos. Check out the audience/ group photos at our website or this video here shows real live people at CampFI’s. Join the CampFI Tribe at a LIVE Event Near You kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZOugpmHn8-Dp5o

[@dannyrodriguez9465]

Don't listen to this salty commenter 😂

[@alpen_monk]

@@CampFI Yes @user-qc5hd1km7m come to CampFI and bring your zombie friends. Seriously though, this presentation was all done in a single take presented to a room full of people. No laugh tracks or canned clapping. CampFI is the real deal.

[@ForgetAboutMoneyPodcast]

This is a funny comment. Made me laugh.