SurfGirl Mag: Retired at 25
IT WAS ANOTHER WEDNESDAY MORNING. I WOKE AT 6:30AM HIT MY SNOOZE BUTTON THREE OR FOUR TIMES, LAID IN BED SCROLLING THROUGH MY INSTAGRAM FEED OF EXOTIC PLACES AND FACES, RUSHED TO GET DRESSED AND MAYBE BRUSHED MY HAIR, DROVE THE SAME STREET PASSING THE SAME PEOPLE WHO STOOD AT THE SAME BUS STOPS, TOOK THE SAME 3 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS UP TO MY OFFICE, AND SAT ALL DAY AT THE SAME DESK, DRINKING THE SAME COFFEE.
I was only 24-years-old when I landed what I thought was my dream job, and it was in many ways. But when I turned 25 and a few other “dream job” scenarios started to come into the picture and I questioned whether or not it was truly me dream or someone else’s, and there came the downward spiral kind of question:
What am I doing?
What is the point?
What is my purpose?
I felt like life had played some sort of sick joke on me, telling me from a young age to follow my heart, yet there I sat in a desk staring at a bright blue screen for 8 hours, 5 days a week. I looked around me and everyone else seemed to be just fine with our screen dwelling routine. As the spiral continued straight downward I really began to self-loath, treating myself like a sell-out. I wasn’t practicing what I wanted to be preaching. So, I had no choice.
I gave the company that I love & respect dearly a two month notice and started to downsize everything I owned & packed. I didn’t know what I was packing for but as I browsed the world wide web and threw a few darts at the map, I booked my first one-way ticket to Portugal, then Morocco, then UK, then Iceland, then Indonesia, and the list goes on. When you start leaking to the world and your community that you’re going to “take off” for a little while to maybe surf or ski or hike or camp or write or paint or [insert passion project you’ve been putting off here], the suggestions, people, and places start to naturally roll in. I didn’t know what I was doing or why I was doing it, but something felt more right about this departure than any of my other calculated options.
Yet, here I am on day 58 since leaving my job, living off of my savings account, homeless, and jumping on the next train, plane, or bus to a new place in the world. Every single one of those 58 days has been completely different than the other, whether it is in a new country with new food, a new language, a new culture, or new friends. I joked via my social media accounts coining the term opt-in homelessness when I found myself sleeping on a mattress under the stars in an off-the-grid bungalow in Baja California, Mexico. But it hit me with a brick wall, this wasn’t homelessness this was temporary retirement. Retirement the way our grandparents and parents have been doing it has really worked out for them, but when you tell a Millennial that social security won’t even be around by the time we’re ready to retire around 65-years-old, why wait? I came to the agreement with myself that I rather run around the world to chase the sun and surf while I’m young, nimble, and energetic vs. when I’m almost seventy-years-old with a fading memory and physical ability. In my old age, I figured, I’ll be much more at ease with resting my old, tired, well-used bones at a desk staring a blue screen with my bifocals on taking care of business. I’ll also be so old, wise, and resilient that the stresses of business and finances will be a thing of the past because we all know, by then, that everything always works out.
Here’s what temporary retirement looks like:
YOU GO TO BED, WHENEVER YOU WANT AND WAKE UP WITHOUT AN ALARM CLOCK.
YOU SLEEP LIKE AN ANGEL, STRESS AND ANXIETY FREE WAKING UP EARLY WITH ZEST AND VIGOR, READY TO TAKE ON THE DAY AND MAKE SOMETHING EXCITING HAPPEN!
YOU WALK EVERYWHERE, KNOWING THAT YOU’RE NOT ON A TIMELINE TO BE SOMEWHERE BY A CERTAIN TIME, YOU’RE ABLE TO LOOK AROUND AND TAKE NOTICE OF THINGS YOU NEVER SAW BEFORE.
YOU PHOTOGRAPH PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS FOR YOUR MEMORIES AND NOT FOR YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED.
YOU READ. YOU’RE ABLE TO PICK UP A BOOK AND SPEND THE DAY READING IT FRONT TO BACK WITHOUT INTERRUPTION.
YOU HAVE REAL CONVERSATIONS, NOT JUST THE PASSIVE, “HEY, HELLO, HOW ARE THINGS?” ABOUT THE HARD THINGS TO DISCUSS SUCH AS POLITICS, VALUES, OUR DIFFERENCES, OUR SIMILARITIES, AND HOW WE CAN BE BETTER-KINDER, MORE EFFICIENT HUMANS.
YOU CAN SPEND FIVE DAYS BACK TO BACK SURFING THE PORTUGUESE COAST OR A REMOTE ISLAND IN ASIA BECAUSE YOU’VE SPENT TIME GETTING TO KNOW THE LOCAL PEOPLE AND THEY’VE SHOWN YOU THE SECRET SPOTS.
YOU SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY. INSTEAD OF ONLY HAVING 2-WEEKS VACATION, YOU CAN SPEND 2 FULL WEEKS WITH YOUR PARENTS WHO AREN’T GETTING ANY YOUNGER.
YOU HELP YOUR FRIENDS OUT WHEN THEY NEED IT. YOU'RE NOT TOO BUSY OR STRESSED OR TIRED.
YOU GO PLACES ALONE, RE-ENFORCING YOUR INDEPENDENCE.
YOU EAT WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY, FOOD BECOMES FUEL FOR YOUR FUN.
YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BE BORED. YOU’VE HEARD IT BEFORE, BUT BOREDOM BREEDS CREATIVITY.
YOU ORGANIZE YOUR IDEAS WITHOUT DISTRACTION.
YOU GET TO WATCH THE SUNSET AND THE SUNRISE.
YOU CAN DO MORE OF WHAT YOU LOVE AND CHASE THOSE CHILDISH DREAMS YOU ONCE HAD TO BE A WRITER OR A SURFER OR A PHOTOGRAPHER, AND GO TO BED WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AS YOU REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.
YOU BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF WHEN YOU GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO REMEMBER WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
Sometimes we need to slow down to catch up. I’m not an advocate of being lazy or not working or checking out, we need to contribute and participate, not only for our own well-being, but for the betterment of our communities, society, and future. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve felt a shift in the way things are today. It has been a go-go-go world and those expectations we had many years ago for where we would be at 25-years-old are shattered because we’re waking up and questioning the status quo. We know that money, the big house, the shiny car aren’t the keys to happiness, we’re smarter than that - but let’s stop getting distracted by what everyone else is doing and focus up. I am an advocate of putting down your phone and putting your money where your “likes” are. Let’s not wait until we’re old to enjoy the world and what it has to offer. Let’s be a generation that takes understanding diversity, connectivity, presence with a serious approach to having a never-before world view.
Since leaving on this self-funded world tour, many questioned how I was affording to travel. There’s heaps of blogs out there that are giving you information about secret airline websites, credit card hacks, and so on but here’s the truth.
I worked my tush off for three years.
I pinched pennies every single day.
I put my time in at a desk job.
I didn’t go shopping. I actually really dislike shopping and acquiring more things than I need.
I didn’t go out to eat 24/7, I enjoyed cooking my little pescetarian bowls with boiled beans, rice, veggies, and vegan proteins or fish.
I don’t binge drink & buy fancy cocktails, only on the very best of occasions.
I stopped buying things for people and invested in experiences. My family stopped buying each other Christmas gifts two years ago because we realized all have too much! Instead we put our money towards a family vacation under the sun in Mexico.
I didn’t live in an expensive apartment decorated with expensive things, instead I lived in an affordable yet comfortable home and shared rent with two other wonderful roommates.
I sold the things I didn't need at a garage sale and on Craigslist or at a resale shop, even my camper van, which was sad. I reminded myself that the $20 dollars I made off those designer jeans I don't ever wear is a night in Bali at a beach bungalow!
Most of the activities I really love are free or an expensive start-up cost, then relatively free after that: surfing, skiing, hiking, running, climbing, yoga, camping things like that. All are within a 1-hour-ish radius of where I've been living. I always pack food, water, the essentials.
When I travel it is usually on miles & repeat the activity paragraph above, every time I go to Hawaii I set up a hammock between two palm trees at a friends house and surf (bring my own board), hike, run, sun, repeat.
I do love Alaska Airlines & all of their partners (as a person that lives on the west coast) because once you hit Gold MVP status, your bags (oversized bags including skis and surfboards) fly for free, they have awesome partnerships with other airlines (most benefits transfer), you get a buddy pass every year, and every $1 you spend on your Alaska card = 1 mile. I just bought a ticket to Bali for $29 & 50k miles via Alaska and Emirates. Cool. Loyalty to a credit card or airline is usually a good idea.
Lastly, after stacking a small pot of gold, I resisted the temptation to buy a new house even though I felt pressured to as a future investment or that new Volkswagen I was eyeing and convince myself that I love my old Jeep and, lastly, I pulled the ripcord! I realized I could budget out 3 months of lavish living abroad, 6-8 months of low-budget backpacking, or somewhere right in the middle.
I realized there's never really a great time to quit your job or coordinate with friends or plan the perfect get-away during the off season or perfect swell or snow conditions - so you just go anyway, with or without everything being perfect because that's the point of travel...of everything?
I chose the places carefully based on my passions & a few places that might push me out of my comfort zone. Paris is wonderful, but what do I have to learn from it? There's a few things I really truly love & feel inspired by, and I decided to chase after a few destinations that might offer experiences that really..."stoke" the fire.
Realize that the things we really want in life never come easy and will require some sacrifice. If I’ve learned anything all I can say to you is get to work, start saving, selling, and downsizing so you can go live your life freely and beautifully.
