This post is a part of the “More Questions” series - where I explore some of the questions I have been asking myself over the past few years. I write about the questions, and any answers I found (or didn’t find) as I consider how these questions - even more so than the answers - are changing my life.

What questions have changed your life?

Is it too late to retire early?

This is a question that came to me over the last two years. One of my regrets in life is that I didn’t consider it sooner - instead being caught up with the idea that I might find work that I actually loved, and that would meet a laundry list of needs - some of which I wasn’t aware of. But regrets aside, this is a question that has had an incredible impact on me, and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that it changed my life. And what has been really mind blowing - I have not even answered the question yet.

Do questions need answers?

There is a younger version of me who would see this question and roll her eyes so hard, she might have done herself some damage (although in all fairness, she had a lot of practice at it, so she might be fine!) Of course questions need answers - that’s the whole point of them. But is it though? These days, I have different thoughts about it. While I still like answers (and believe me with this particular question, I want the answer to be a resounding YES, followed by a step by step process that doesn’t require me to marry rich, rob a bank, or do something soul sucking) - these days I understand the power of a question lies in more than simply knowing the answer. This is something that has been clearly demonstrated to me with this particular question.

What information would I need to answer this question?

The short answer was - I needed clarity, and that included numbers. The clarity would come from what “early” meant in terms of retiring early, but also - how was I defining retirement, and was that definition rigid? In fact - how rigid was I being in general - and is being rigid helpful? These are questions that I often apply to other big questions that have a lot untangled in them, just so that I know what I am really asking.

Once I had my definitions - and had a little talk with myself about the practicality of retiring in a year when I hadn’t decided about it until now, I looked at the numbers, and then came up with an interim plan. Money is one of those funny things that sounds like it should be about numbers, but I have found that there is so much wrapped up in why I make spending decisions that is sometimes difficult to separate from the figures, and I needed to understand that as I went through the process. I also took the opportunity to learn a bit more about financial planning (I read this great book), and other money related matters. I listened to audiobooks and podcasts, and I took the question seriously.

And in the process I asked a number of other questions.

Why do I feel so stressed about money?

What empowers people who seem more financially risky than me?

What is behind some of the spending decisions I am making?

Am I going to buy this coffee?

What is a meal that I can prepare in 20 minutes or less that I actually want to eat?

What is an ISA?

Do I need another job?

What does “security” look like to me?

And more.

What should I do first?

I then set an audacious goal. To be honest - I found the very question of retiring early felt audacious when everything I read said that I should have started preparing for this 20 years ago - but I figured that if I was going to be audacious enough to ask the question, then why stop there. Once I had my financial goals set (save up an emergency fund, then create some type of financial cushion - and a few other things which came about from answering the questions above - sometimes repeatedly) I began to work on them. For now - I did need a second job. I did find a 20 minute meal. And I have unpacked ideas around “security” that have been building my entire life.

A big part of answering some of these questions lay in observing myself. Observing how and why I made certain decisions, and even when I was making them. Was I tired from a long day on clinic in the dead of winter when I ordered that takeaway? Was I caught up in the enjoyment of seeing a dear friend when I bought that expensive cocktail? Was I irritated with work when I booked that holiday? And what was I willing to do about any of those things?

All of that was important in order to create a budget that I could actually stick to. And I discovered something that I have found when answering many of the questions that I have noted here so far - that sometimes the answer that makes the most financial sense isn’t what works. I remember hearing this in a podcast I listened to - where economists talked about following popular financial advice, but I also saw it in my own life. I couldn’t lump together all of the “eating out” I did - instead, I considered which of those I wanted to change, and brainstormed ways to change it. I also brainstormed ideas for second jobs, and other ways to earn towards my interim and long term goals. And then, I listed the steps that I would take in order to do these things, and then - I went out and did them. I learned a lot along the journey so far, and I have hit some of my interim goals as well - which has felt like a win!

Other things I discovered along the way - how to collect miles for my favourite airline without a new credit card, where I could rent an instrument, a type of bank account with “pots”, no spend months (I’ll write about this in another post), and more.

This ride has been amazing so far, and even though I haven’t answered my ultimate question, I have gained so much that it has been more than worth it.

What are some questions that have changed your life - and did that change come from an answer to the question?

Where are there questions in your life that you can learn more through more questions rather than finding the answer?

And what questions have transformed your financial life?

I look forward to hearing from you.

And I send you big love from by the sea.