One Year Since Quitting My 9–5

How’s retirement? Let’s just say it’s boss being the boss.

It’s been an easy 12 months since I pulled the ripcord on retirement.

But my decision to retire was far from easy. For months I agonized: Should I stay or should I go?

It wasn’t that I wasn’t ready financially. After years of diligent saving, I knew I had enough to retire comfortably.

And it wasn’t that I wasn’t ready socially. Most of my friends had already pulled the plug on work (and were annoying me with cheerful postcards sent from white sand beaches).

My reluctance to retire, as I later came to realize, was that my work had become my identity. At some level, I believed that if I stopped working, the “I” that I knew would cease to exist.

It seemed a bit like death — or at least free-falling from 30,000 feet.

It took a lot of hand-wringing and soul-searching to work up the courage to step off that ledge. But once I did, the rest was amazing.

The chute opened…and all I could say was WOW. A whole new world opened up.

Now I’m free. I no longer have to claw for the best work “goodies” — the best title, the best salary, the best office. The benefits are already mine.

Need convincing?

Here’s how the perks you know at the office translate into the world of retirement:

1. You Get to Give Yourself a Title

You may have impressive initials at work — COO, EVP, CEO. But let’s face it: You’re still a profit-producer, a mere cog in the wheel.

In retirement, you get to decide your identity. You could be the Ambassador of Awesomeness. The Vice President of Pickleball. The Grand Poobah of Grandparenting.

Or maybe you’re good at simply being a human. Plus maybe a spouse, a parent, a lover, a sibling, a friend.

Your job title gives you a tether to cling to. But in retirement, you get to be both grounded and free. Congrats — the boss of you is now you!

2. You Get to Give Yourself the Corner Office

At work, you have a space. It might be a traditional office, a cubicle, a retail store, or the kitchen table at home. Wherever it is, this is where you swing your bat.

In retirement, you also need your own headquarters. Maybe it’s a favorite reading chair. Or a windowseat near the hummingbird feeder. Or in the hot tub, soaking up the nighttime sky.

Make sure your new spot is all yours. Purge any work files or business books. If you’ve held onto anything sentimental — think certificates, awards, or grip-and-grin photos with Important People About Town — stick ‘em in a scrapbook.

Whatever site you choose for your new digs, know you’ve earned it. And it’s a whole lot nicer than any stuffy corporate office!

3. You Get to Give Yourself a Raise

In retirement, you may be surprised you have more “wiggle room” in your budget than expected. The reason?

A lot of what you buy with your hard-earned salary is stuff that keeps you chained to your hard-earned salary.

Consider the following: Commuting. Parking passes. Fancy clothes. Dry cleaning. Manicures. Haircuts. Housekeepers. Lawn care. Daycare. Take-out.

And don’t forget therapy, since you’re most likely burned out.

Hell, I was so distracted when I was working that I bought stuff I never knew I had, like an oven with a Hanukkah setting. And I’m not even Jewish.

“Normal is…getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and, especially, the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it.” — Ellen Goodman

The bottom line: In retirement, you don’t have to buy things you don’t want or need. And with your extra time, you can shop for the best deals, and donate or resell the stuff you don’t want (like maybe an oven with a Hanukkah setting).

The Takeaway

After decades of giving so much of myself to my job, I’d forgotten my actual goal: Accumulating enough resources to not work.

Step one was confronting my amnesia. Step two was ginning up the courage to change.

But once that switch flipped, the whole world opened up.

If you’re prepared financially and socially, taking the plunge into retirement is worth it. In retirement, you get to be the boss.

And for once, you’re the one who gets to call the shots that lead to your best life.

You can also visit my profile to find a whole lot more, such as this: