Could You Retire Today? (or: The Power of Mini-Retirements)

Some people dream about retirement. Others retire early. But some enjoy the power of mini-retirements. Friday’s Digest #141

Table of contents

1. Life Update
2. Tools and Tips
3. Readers’ Favorite
4. Stuff

Life Update

There was something I really liked while working at a hospital in the US.

You must submit your vacation time for the ENTIRE year at the beginning of every year.

This way, the department is not short-staffed, and you can plan for your vacations.

Would I do the same here at home?

Hmmm… 🤔

I'm not sure I like the year-in-advance thing, but I like that I always had 4 weeks of vacation (spread out, of course).

Since coming back, I’ve only taken vacation once.

And I took it so we can move into a new apartment.

Obviously, not a real vacation.

I should really have a real vacation soon.

Speaking about vacations, it reminds me of a great book I once read.

In this book, the author discusses the concept of "Mini Retirements."

And I absolutely love this one.

So, without further ado, let's discuss retirement!

Number 141!

Tools and Tips

If you could retire today, would you do it?

For this exercise, assume all your financial needs are covered. You have a monthly pension covering all expenses.

Hold that thought for a second.

Now I want you to answer this:

Imagine your dream retirement. What will it be like?

Be specific!

For example, I want to continue to do exactly what I'm doing now, but I want to have the ability to take a vacation whenever I want and for as long as I want.

A vacation where I can turn off my phone, wake up late, and read a book on the beach 🏖️.

Now I want you to ask yourself:

Why aren't you doing these things right now? Why wait for retirement?

Let's break my own retirement example into pieces:

1️⃣ Right now, I can't take a vacation whenever I want. As a surgeon, the reasons are obvious.

2️⃣ I can't turn off my phone. I'm always on call at some level.

3️⃣ I CAN read a book on the beach!

So am I waiting for my retirement to read a book on the beach?!

That's absurd!

Now, take a moment to ask yourself these same questions.

I want you to identify which "retirement dreams" you could do RIGHT NOW.

Let's go back to my example:

I can't take unlimited vacations whenever I want.

HOWEVER, I could take shorter vacations more frequently.

And during these mini-breaks, I can try disconnecting my phone at specific times.

Now, let’s take it one step further:

Can you do something from your dream retirement right now?

I mean RIGHT NOW.

Back to my example:

Can I read a book on the beach right now?

No. I don't live near the beach. And I'm currently on call 🤦‍♂️.

But perhaps I could find time to read in the forest instead?

Or simply relax with a book on my porch?

Since this exercise is about you, not me, I'll leave you to reflect on your thoughts 🤔.

Let me just say this:

What we explored today is the concept of "Mini Retirement".

If you like this idea, check out the book recommendation in the "Stuff" section.

You don't need to wait until you're 67 to retire.

You can enjoy many of your "dream retirement" activities RIGHT NOW.

As for me? I'm heading to my porch with a good book.

Readers’ Favorite

Deciding whether to work at a hospital or private practice is one of the most important career decisions you'll make as a doctor.

As someone who has experienced both worlds, here I wrote about the 3 most important factors you should consider.

Stuff

📚 Book I read - The 4-Hour Workweek​

My workweek is very far from being 4 hours.

It's more like 70 hours 😆.

But this book opened my eyes.

For example, being able to do "dream retirement" stuff TODAY.

Epilogue

If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to join Friday's Digest, visit https://newsletter.shaysharon.com​

That’s it for this issue.

See you next week!

Shay

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