Has anyone else heard the old saying “the day a man buys a boat is the second most happy day in his life, the first being the day he sells it!”

If flying was my thing (it is, but not that much) I would go for a commercial license or at least become an instructor so I could get paid to fly (google Phillip Greenspun). I wouldn’t want to visit every continent (or every country). I would want to live there. Same for the national parks. I don’t just want to see them, I want to hike through them. (I’m eyeing a Death Valley bike ride this fall).

BTW I know there’s a place where you can drive a race car for about $1000. Personally, 45mph downhill on a bicycle is fast enough for me

Sailing is a great example. On our honeymoon my wife and I spent a day with a small group on a chartered sailboat. We loved it and can’t wait to repeat the experience in a bigger, better way. To buy a similar sailboat new it would cost nearly a million dollars. Even to rent one for a month to take a one-in-a-lifetime trip, it would cost around $10,000.

Aviation is another example. Flight lessons are $40/hour for instruction plus $100+/hour for fuel and plane rental. To get my pilots license it will run at least $5,000 and that will open the floodgates to allow me to fly some place new every weekend.

I also want to drive a race car, visit every continent, see every National Park, etc. This is how I define living my life to the fullest. It seems to me that you might be the type who would not seek out these types of adventures to find fulfillment; I get that everyone has their own bliss. But I don’t want to see anyone settle and it strikes me as a lack of creativity when someone says, “there is nothing that they want.”

this is a good approach. but there are many things in life that must by obtained by paying. let’s say you want to practice the sport of paragliding. the option to design and build you own paraglider…is no option. you must buy one, and it is preferable to buy a new one, not used. your life depends on the quality of the flying equipment so any concession is a direct attack to your safety.

you may say: “I will find a sponsor who will give me the paraglider”. unless you are a known pro in this sport, you will not have any chance to obtain a paraglider in this way…and you are a beginner.

you must be flexible in your approaches…but you already know this

I have the same problem: I must choose to quit (or not to quit)my work when my investments in real estate and the stock market will give me a residual income sufficient to sustain me and my family - and the time is fast approaching
I am a dds (doctor in dental surgery) so the decision to quit my job will produce also a change in the social status (no more “Hey, Doctor!”). this loss will add to the other losses of personal satisfactions derived from my line of work.

so…finally is a personal decision, not a financial one.

@adfecto - Conversely, there are very few things that I want (that I can think of) that I can’t buy outright, so by your definition I’m already wealthy, right. I’ve found that it’s often more satisfactory to get what I want without paying for it either by trading, bartering, improvising, or making it myself. At my current stage there’s just no challenge in paying for things. It’s too easy. If I didn’t restrain myself I could just buy everything, and then what?

The obvious opportunity cost of early retirement is loss of wealth creation and the things or experiences which wealth facilitates! There are many many things I want to do in my life that can ONLY be achieved if I have a significant capital base to fund my life.

I will work until I’m a senior citizen but lead a balanced life the whole time. Work to live and not live to work.