Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
|
Lessons
We Learned in 2024
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
“Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome” - Marine slogan
What
a year!
Every
year brings new challenges that we must face. Life doesn't stop and the best
way to meet the "new" is with an open attitude and a sense of confidence.
Fear doesn't help anyone or anything.
Solid plans often break
Our Readers
will sometimes say they have just a few more things to settle, a few more
“I’s” to dot and “T’s” to cross before retiring. They’re waiting for the
health care issue to be settled, waiting for the bonus check next year, waiting to hit
"this"
particular financial number, waiting for next year to sell their properties,
waiting for things to mellow out in the country, waiting for inflation to go down,
waiting for the market to go back up,... they’re waiting…
Personal Financial Independence was put off until this imaginary perfect
time, and then finally they planned a year of
travel. But BAM! One of the spouses
became gravely ill with a disease that not only shook them up, but
forced them to shelve all
excursion plans. Or the market started pulling
back giving them the willies
and they lost confidence in their future plans of early retirement.
Ask
yourself, “What are you waiting for and why?” Then ask yourself if you have a
Plan B for these unexpected situations.
Lots
of people wait until they graduate from law school, or get the degree or
wait until they get married, or until they buy that perfect house, or until the
kids get out of school, or they
hit that magic number to retire - in order to be happy.
They
live for tomorrow and forget all about the pleasures and happiness of today.
Stop
settling, start living. NOW.
You’re not going to get anything in Life by
playing it
safe. There are no
guarantees.
Lesson learned; Faith over Fear, Don’t Worry be Happy
We only have control of ourselves.
I
get push back on this one, sometimes. Usually it falls under the “You don’t
understand what I'm going through” category.
But
if you think about it, stuff happens.
We
can’t control a loved one getting ill, can’t control that our children or
spouse do what we prefer. We
don’t have a lot of say in international peace relations. Whether our
children get divorced, illness knocks you or a loved one for a loop, there’s a huge business loss or
politics don’t go our way - all we have control over - is our response to
the situation.
If
you are feeling out of control on your moods, there are lots of
tools to clarify your mind and
calm yourself down and lots of services
available to you. Don’t let the stress build up until you have an even worse
situation happen.
Lesson Learned; Life is not in our total control – only our response to it
is.
Relationships change
Relationships are cemented or lost every year. Change is part of
life, and some relationships don't move forward with us.
Once
again if you think about it, when you got married, had a child, moved
cross-country, got that promotion, contracted a serious illness, got
divorced, retired early or hit any other life milestone, did some
friendships recede?
Most
likely.
Life is change and sometimes your better future lies ahead of you,
without those loved people in them.
Yes,
it IS difficult to let go of habits and people. We’ve all been there at
different points in our lives. It’s better to process the loss and continue
to move forward, creating the life of our dreams, than to become bitter and
angry over the loss.
In
my opinion, 2024 was a year of clarification.
What
I mean is, yup. Things fall away. Sometimes it's beloved things and people. I
think this helps us to focus on what really matters to us. This is a
blessing in disguise and you will be stronger for it.
Lesson Learned; As you grow, some relationships won’t make it into your
future.
Fear seems ever-present
When
we are afraid of something, chances are, we don’t know much about it. Our
perceptions are skewed because of this.
Remember the old saying – FEAR is False Evidence Appearing
Real?
Take
control and choose to find out more. The knowledge you discover will give you options
and open up doors for you. Question
the thoughts you are thinking and the beliefs
you are holding. Question the definitions you have set for yourself. Fear does not serve you in any way and will only
force you to contract, limiting your options even further.
This
is a choice.
You
can either
learn
and grow or contract and suffer because of it.
Lesson Learned; Fear is related to ignorance. Choose to learn more
People retreated into perceived safety
There is no safety,
there are no guarantees. And sometimes as we age, we think we'll
feel better if we just "don't take any chances."
Remember Helen Keller’s quote:
Security
is mostly a superstition. It does
not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is
either a daring adventure, or nothing.
You
can either live
your life or live in FEAR.
Make the most of life every day.
It’s later than you think!
Lesson Learned; Life is a risk every day. Manage it.
Anxiety seems to be everywhere
This
is a good one, and it surprised me a bit.
Living the “life of my dreams” I hadn’t realized that I was still carrying friction
and tension in assorted areas of my life. Billy and I started getting massages more often. I began going
to a chiropractor, and my customary yoga became more important. We upped our
exercise routine, I meditated more and I opened my mind to new information.
Anything that just didn’t “fall into
place easily” or no longer worked … we dropped.
This
made us feel freer and gave us more physical energy, clearing our minds.
Lesson Learned; Make things easier on yourself in any and all ways.
Don't stop living your life
When
things change beyond our control, we must find the advantages in the
situation and make the most of where we are.
We
continued to cook lovely meals at home.
Billy tended his garden. We traveled locally, to the States, to Europe, the
Caribbean and Asia, and we enjoyed the glorious weather
that
Chapala offers. We went out to breakfast on Sunday mornings with friends,
upgraded some things in our apartment for comfort and I
spent more time
at my art table.
For
me, while 2024 was challenging in many ways, I learned lessons that I might
not have been able to absorb had it been an easier year.
Lesson Learned; Make the most of where you are. “Improvise, Adapt, and
Overcome”
How
about you?
Looking back at 2024 can you also find some positives?
Billy and Akaisha in
Sorrento,
Southern Italy
For more Commentary articles,
Click Here
For more on
Retirement Topics,
click here and
here and don't forget to signup for
our free Newsletter.
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
HOME
Book Store
Retire Early Lifestyle Blog
About Billy & Akaisha
Kaderli
Press
Contact
20 Questions
Preferred
Links
Retirement
Country Info
Retiree
Interviews
Commentary
REL
Videos
|