My February Update Towards Retiring Early – 1,197 Days Left Until Retirement
February has been a busy month. I am still getting settled into the new condo I purchased and our urgent care department is undergoing major changes. Because I have taken on a managerial role in the UC I am pulled into whatever work drama that develops. This can be time-consuming and a bit frustrating.
The 3 big themes in my life right now are retirement, exercise and mental health. I have 1,197 days left until retirement. I am trying to figure out what productive things I want to do with my free time not only now but especially once I’m retired.
Exercise is important to me because it puts me in a good mood. I still have some underlying vanity that is tied to exercise which I am working through. I used to push myself very hard in the gym and follow strict diets. Now I am a lot more relaxed. I work out to enjoy the work out and when I no longer derive pleasure from that activity I simply stop. And when eating out or preparing my own food I’m still vegan but when food is served to me I’m not very strict. I probably should stop labeling myself as a vegan.
My mental health emphasis is to be more present and less drowned in perpetual thought. Most mornings I wake up with millions of thoughts in my head and turning that off is something I’ve only recently been able to accomplish and it’s such a wonderful feeling to be free of thought. I have learned to be more comfortable with ‘not knowing’. Not knowing who is making the noise in the hallway. Not knowing who talked shit behind my back at work. Not knowing how many days I have until retirement (that one is still a work-in-progress).
My social life is a mix of dating online and hanging out with friends. I have probably 2-3 friends locally that I hang out with. I have one BFF that I email daily, not because I feel the need to but because we just are very like-minded. She is my e-therapy and I’m hers. Dating is …. one of those nebulous concepts that I can’t figure out. When I’m not dating I want to be dating and when I’m dating I can’t wait to be alone… I’m sure DSM XII will have a diagnosis for someone like that.
The 3 things I need to reach my goal of early retirement is curb my expenses, not burn out of my current job and create another income stream. I’ve done well with my expenses and probably should be happy where I’m at. Then again, what’s the point of this blog if I don’t keep trying to improve my financial health.
To prevent burning out I try to show up to work and focus on what I need to get done and not absorb any of the work drama. I used to socialize with everyone at work, know everyone’s name, know who said what about whom… now, I just shut the fuck up and mind my own business.
Finally, I am looking for an income stream to replace my current job but haven’t found anything that I’m passionate about. Does it have to be something I’m passionate about? Yes. I know I can go work as a mechanic, plumber, day-laborer or dish-washer at any moment and make a decent living but I might as well continue being a doctor… yea, I know… sounds weird saying it but if you’ve read my posts you know what I mean.