Psuedo-retired
Let me share my experiment in "retiring". So I joined "The Great Resignation" in February 2022. My well paying job started to become extremely tedious and any opportunity that I had seen a couple years prior just evaporated. With this, I decided I was going to handle the timing and terms of any termination that was coming.
Now the company I worked for wasn't a bad company. It was a huge global conglomerate and, like all huge global conglomerate executives, didn't have a clue what was going on in their business. No, C-level execs should not know what a grunt is doing, but they should at least be aware of the attitude and direction their division/business unit/what-have-you is going. But none of that is important really, all big corporations are that way. My problem was coming from those that were connected to me and just a step or 2 higher than me. Either way, I left.
Now with my new freedom, I cleared my 401k and calculated out my expenses and planned for any immediate future things. Put money in various types of accounts and setup auto-pays and transfers so that bills were paid on time and I had gas and grocery money. I researched the stock market and dove head first into that, with minimal success.
Now we are 5 months into this experiment and I have been much happier and relaxed. Also, I am bored as fuck. I had grandiose plans to start working out and practicing my horn. I was going to practice programming so that I could try my had at freelancing to bring in a little bit of extra money. I did all of these things in the first 2 months. Then I got bored. The joys of an ADD brain with a Gemini mentality of the world. The boredom can be broken though, just have to start doing things again and all will slowly work itself out. This is how every cycle with me works.
The plan though has to be better thought out though. I did not have enough money to do this for the rest of my life being that I am in my mid-40s. I must make the decision that kind spurred this "retirement". Which industry do I want to go back to, computers or entertainment? How to go back to that industry? When to go back? In what aspect do I want to return? I said if I am going to do anything, I am fully committing to said thing. I can't be wishy-washy about it for much longer.
Oh well, here is to be even more confused as to what I want to do with the rest of my life. A decision will be made one way or another, even though being a vagabond is extremely appealing.