Are you stressed out yet?
Why early retirement? Because I am already stressed out living in a city like Singapore. Aren’t you?
Stressed out by the high food prices
Stressed out by the high property prices
Stressed out by the high car prices
The list goes on and doesn’t look like ending anytime soon. This forces us through a never ending treadmill of trying to keep up with the Jones. As long as we live in such a city, the wheel can never stop spinning. The moment it does, most of us will be in trouble.
There is, however, a choice we can make to stop being stressed like this. Move to a cheaper and more relaxing city.
In my early retirement plan, I mentioned that one of the options I have is to sell my condo when it has reached my targeted price and moved to Malaysia where houses are cheap. Most folks find that option totally unacceptable. Why?
It is your choice where and how you want to live. If you choose a life that is about consuming, then you need to bear its cost. Most of us are not capable enough to have a luxury life in a city like Singapore and enjoy early retirement. It is either one or the other.
Even living in Singapore, we can choose how to live. Nobody says you need to upgrade to a Condo. Nobody says you need to live near District 9, 10 or 11. Nobody says you need to buy a car. All these are traps that make you feel good momentarily but confined you to a lifetime of employment.
Whether you want a life that allows you to work 5 days with 2 days of rest or work 2 days with 5 days of rest is up to you. If you are feeling stressed out, time to consider the constraints of your life and make some decisions:
- Continue with this never ending pursue of consumerisum and work 5 days a week until you are 60 or beyond
- GIve up unnecessary luxuries and retire early to do the things that really matter to you
- Explode your wealth (either via entreprenuerial activities or through sheer luck such as winning toto) so that you can achieve early retirement and have everything you want at the same time
In reality, we have only these few options. If you want to change your life, you need to choose an option that is different from the one you are on right now.