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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

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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.

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

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Would I do the same here at home?

Hmmm… 🤔

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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).

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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.

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I should really have a real vacation soon.

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

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

And I absolutely love this one.

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

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Number 141!

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Tools and Tips

If you could retire today, would you do it?

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

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Hold that thought for a second.

Now I want you to answer this:

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Imagine your dream retirement. What will it be like?

Be specific!

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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.

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

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Now I want you to ask yourself:

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

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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!

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

That's absurd!

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

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

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Let's go back to my example:

I can't take unlimited vacations whenever I want.

HOWEVER, I could take shorter vacations more frequently.

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

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Now, let’s take it one step further:

Can you do something from your dream retirement right now?

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I mean RIGHT NOW.

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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 🤦‍♂️.

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

Or simply relax with a book on my porch?

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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

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Stuff

📚 Book I read - The 4-Hour Workweek​

My workweek is very far from being 4 hours.

It's more like 70 hours 😆.

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But this book opened my eyes.

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

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Epilogue

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

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That’s it for this issue.

See you next week!

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Shay

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