Alexander the Great was talking to Diogenes and Diogenes asked him, essentially, what will you do next? "Conquer all of Greece," Alexander replies. "And then," Diogenes asks. "Conquer all of Asia Minor,"Alexander replies. "And then," Diogenes asks. "Conquer all of the world, " Alexander replies. "And after you've conquered all the world, what will you do then?" Alexander replies, "then I will relax like you." Diogenes responds, "why not save yourself the time and trouble and just relax now."
Does this sound like us? We work our whole lives so that we can "enjoy retirement" when we are no longer young enough to enjoy it. And really, does anyone want to just give up all meaningful activity for their remaining 30 years of life? I'm of the mindset that we should, one, never retire (at least not in the traditional sense), and two, start our retirement now. What is to prevent us from setting ourselves up to enjoy our retirement now, dispersed throughout our life rather than preserved for the end. Unfortunately debt may be what prevents us from being able to enjoy our retirement now, but we can change that. Commit today to living within your means, finding enjoyment in life without having to do it on credit, and work towards beginning your retirement soon.... oh yes, and never retire!
