Weekend Musings on ILLUMINATION — Retirement is about Aspirations, not Equations.

We are taught that Retirement is our ultimate goal in life.

The idea of finally getting to do what we want, whenever we want is a blissful one.

Trouble is, we forfeited aspiration for mathematical equations.

When we speak to many working professionals today, we can be certain that one of their ultimate goals is to retire and be free from financial worries. Most often than not, it is about “Financial Freedom”. While that is slightly different from the concept of retirement, the core principles remain the same.

To be free of debt, to have a house to stay, to not have a mortgage burden, to not have to worry about their kid’s further education demands.

Of course, we have to include a nest egg that includes financial assets and cash savings to tide them through their golden years as they spend what they amassed throughout their working years.

These are all good stuff.

Except.

Most people know what they want to retire out of. They do not know what they want to retire into.

It is easy to guess why a vast majority of the people desire financial freedom and an accelerated pathway towards retirement. They are probably sick of the Corporate World and the colleagues, business partners they have to mingle with on a daily basis. They might not want to wake up every weekday just to drag their feet to work in order to complete the never-ending workload piled on their desks.

That is not to forget the prospect of replying to hundreds of cold and instructive emails waiting for them in their Inbox.

They are in desperate quiet need to be left alone for a life they seek, not a live they currently live.

Thoughts translate to short-term and long-term actions.

Thus, most of us leave office on-time if not earlier in the short-term.

And most of us will be finding ways to accelerate our exit for the long-term.

So they work, save and invest in various financial assets that will help propel them to the Promised Land of Financial Freedom.

I know there are some, through sheer grit of their own ruthless financial budget and sticking to their investment plans through thick and thin, who actually achieved their dreams.

They share certain commonalities.

One, they celebrate.

This is a significant milestone in Life, so they celebrate big. They travel round the World and start hosting frequent social catch-ups.

It works for a short while before reality catches up with them.

Travelling round the World is an expensive hobby.

It could burn a big hole in the cash savings and asset account.

Also, friends might not always be available because they have other commitments.

And then they will start looking for things to do.

That brings me to my second point.

Most of the people do not know what they want to do and this shouldn’t be surprising. If we are raised in an environment where the cost of individualism is way higher than social cohesion, we will not prioritise our goals and ambitions. It will be family before self, society before individual.

We will always know what we dislike. We will never know what we love doing.

Accelerating our journey towards financial freedom or retirement is a good thing. I totally agree with many people out there. I think the same as well.

The important thing is to find out what our aspirations and passions are, so we will be able to pursue them wholeheartedly when we are financially free.

Otherwise, we will find ourselves by the Cafe and wondering why attaining this goal hasn’t brought any meaning into our existence during this lifetime.

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About the Author:

As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.

Because simplicity adds value.

Simplicity helps us gain clarity, and clarity helps us to grow.

And if we are not growing, then what’s the point of anything else?

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