I’m currently 31 years old, and effectively I feel retired. What does it mean to be retired, and how to retire?
I cannot speak for you, but let me simply draw upon my experiences and thoughts:
What does it mean to retire?
Everyone has a different definition of retiring. I say:
Ignore how others define retirement. Define it for yourself.
Generally speaking, to retire means to WITHDRAW. In a general sense, to retire means to ‘withdraw from doing toilsome labor you need to do in order to pay your living expenses’.
For myself, I define retirement as the following:
To no longer do anything for the primary purpose of money.
For example, you can be retired and still do things for fun (which make money). But making money ain’t the primary goal; making money might be the secondary or third consequence or goal.
For example, I feel retired, yet I still do workshops. Why? I genuinely enjoy doing them! I learn a ton from my students, I get new creative ideas, I can focus on shooting new photos, and I love sharing new ideas. And I love curating these travel photography experiences and sharing them with others. I still charge money as a way to have students with ‘skin in the game’ (if students pay for money, it shows they are truly committed). Furthermore, making money at this point is more of a game than anything pragmatic.
No longer self-quantifying yourself with money
Another idea:
Retirement as un-linking your self-esteem from money.
The biggest problem Americans have is this:
We quantify our self-worth and self-esteem through how many dollars we earn, or how much money we got in the safe.
I grew up poor, and I was always curious what it felt being rich and being retired. Now that I have tasted both sides; I can genuinely say:
Money is useful as an “anti/negative” thing. Money isn’t good for the sake of money; money is good to NOT have to work, to NOT stress about paying rent.
Philosophically speaking, money is good as a ‘via negativa’ concept. Money doesn’t ADD to your life; money SUBTRACTS stress, bother, and hassle from your life.
Thus, don’t think of using MORE MONEY to make you “more happy”. No– think of how you can use money to REDUCE STRESS and bullshit from your life.
Uber > Owning a car
For example, using lots of money to buy myself an expensive car (Lamborghini) will not ADD positive happiness to my life. However using money to NOT need a car (living in a part of a city which allows me to walk everywhere) is good. For example, I’m paying $1500 USD a month to live in a “luxury minimalist” apartment in downtown Providence, which means I don’t need a car! A life without a car is a better life. But if I couldn’t afford that $1,500 monthly rent, I might need to buy a car (which adds positive stress to my life).
Or another example: by having enough money I can simply Uber everywhere. A life where you can Uber everywhere is 100x better than owning the most luxury car (and being stuck in traffic and having to drive yourself everywhere).
Fewer responsibilities and cares
Retirement also means to WITHDRAW yourself from cares and stresses and responsibilities (that you don’t really care for). For example, don’t get suckered into becoming part of some collective, some “board”, or anything like that. I think the best goal is to maximize your own personal individual life. Maximize your free time for yourself.
Not only that, but it ain’t even about free time. It is about focus. It is about NOT getting distracted by superfluous responsibilities.
For example, you might have 8 hours of free time today, but if you have a trillion things on your mind, that free time is useless. You also need an empty mind.
Free time + empty mind = ideal mental state to philosophize and create art.
Practical tips, techniques, and strategies on how to retire
My thought:
The quickest way to retire is to become self-employed.
I believe it is possible to retire early going through the employed path, but the danger: you get stuck.
Better to become self-employed (sole proprietor) and focus on building your own business or entrepreneurial thing which allows you to earn money by yourself (you don’t desire a paycheck!)
1. Build your own blog
I cannot speak for other strategies, but the simplest one seems to be this:
- Build your own blog
- Make your blog the #1 for a given genre or niche
- Start teaching workshops and selling products
- Make enough money to cover your rent, food, and coffee.
2. Reduce your expenses to the bare minimum
To retire, you need the minimum expenses.
As I become older and wiser, I actually REDUCE my expenses.
Also,
As I become richer, I become more frugal. And the more frugal I become, the (even more) rich I become.
For example whenever I meet really successful entrepreneurs, they all seem to use really old iPhones or cheap Android devices. Why? They don’t derive self-esteem through gadgets and expensive watches/devices or cars. Most successful entrepreneurs I know drive “whatever” cars, or better yet– don’t even own a car!
I know for myself, some practical tips:
- Save money on food: When back in the states, I like to crockpot meat which feeds me for very little (I eat mostly eggs and cheap 99 cent a pound pork). I don’t eat lunch, and I rarely eat at restaurants back in the states. And when I go to dinner with Cindy, we often share 1 entree/1 appetizer with one another.
- Don’t own a car: I encourage living in a situation where you don’t need to become enslaved to a car.
- Don’t buy anything with credit: Buy everything in cash, or when buying with a credit card (make sure you have enough money in your bank account to pay it off immediately).
- Don’t have Amazon Prime: When I used to have Amazon prime, I ordered so much shit and wasted so much money. Now that I don’t have Amazon Prime, I buy less stuff, and I save more money.
3. No debt
Of course you gotta have zero debt. Debt is the devil. And I don’t believe in “good debt”. For example, having a mortgage on a home isn’t good. A home mortgage is debt. And if you have any debt, you are enslaved.
After I graduated college, I had around $10,000 of debt (I took out some loans to backpack through Europe, and used some money to buy camera equipment). My first goal was to pay off my debt as quickly as possible. Thus when I started to make money, I aggressively put all my extra money to pay off my debt. Now, I will never put myself in any sucker situation to borrow money. And to my future children, I will teach them:
Never borrow money for anything!
What about ‘passive income’?
Passive income is a fantasy. All income is active.
Even if you got investments, you gotta actively manage them.
Whoever tries to sell you the notion of “passive income” — be extremely suspicious.
Active income is more fun
Not only that, but active income is far more interesting.
And from a philosophical perspective, ACTIVE is always better than passive.
What is money?
From a philosophical perspective — what is money, and what is money truly useful for?
My thought:
- Money is good to buy food (meat) and coffee
- Money is good to pay money to have a place to sleep at night
Beyond this, money isn’t that useful.
Philosophically speaking, I believe that money is simply quantified human-social trust/labor exchange. Money is the glue which is the bond of modern society. We use money to get people to do stuff for us that we don’t want to (or cannot) do ourselves.
For example, I cannot grow my own coffee. Thus when I use money to buy coffee, I am paying for the farmers who grow the coffee (and their labor), and paying for the transportation of that coffee to the store.
When I buy a camera or a computer, I am paying for all the engineers who designed the thing, the factory and workers who built it, and for the distribution.
Or when I need someone to do something for me (like paying my tax guy), I pay him money for the TRUST that he will actually do the taxes for me, and I also pay him money for his EXPERTISE.
Thus to me, ultimately money is a symbolic bond between human beings.
Do you care to control other humans?
When people want more money, I think what people ultimately want is more control over other humans.
Why? Because once you have [x] amount of money, you can easily gain self-independence.
But once you got self-independence, what is the purpose of having MORE money? To gain MORE CONTROL over MORE human beings.
For myself, I don’t care to have more control over humans. Why? The more people you have to control, the more you gotta manage. And I hate managing. I prefer to manage myself; not others.
Directing your life until your death
Once you’re retired, essentially the question is this:
How do I desire to use my human metabolism until I die?
For example, it is my personal ambition to live to be 140 years old (in great health). However, it isn’t certain I will live that long. I might die in a car accident, I might get cancer or some heart disease, or I might die in a texting-while-walking accident.
From a philosophical perspective, this adage seems useful:
Save money as if you lived forever, but live as if today were your last day on earth.
To me, it is a combination of “memento mori” (remember that you will and MUST die) and thinking about eternal life.
You might die today
I’ve had a few close encounters where I almost died. For example once when I was driving recklessly, and almost died in a car accident. Or once when I got a pistol drawn on me. Or once when I almost got hit by a car while distracted on my phone (walking while texting).
Now my certain rules:
- No texting while walking. No keeping a phone in my front pocket (keeping it in my backpack). If I gotta use my phone, I must stop. No using a phone while walking or moving, and certainly NOT when crossing the street.
- No reckless driving (better yet, NOT owning a car seems the safest option).
- No driving a motorbike, a bicycle, or motorcycle (one of the easiest ways to die in modern day times)
- No skydiving, no bungee jumping, or any “extreme sports” which can actually cause my death.
And now I protect myself from accidental death, the question is:
How should I best utilize today?
Living today
An ideal day of living seems to be a combination of:
- Creative production (writing, making photos, making videos, making music, and sharing it).
- Publishing to my blog, my website, and sharing ideas which I feel are strong.
- Lifting weights, physical exercise, walking
- Thinking
- Meaningful social interactions with those I love
- Some sort of interactions with other humans (the joy of interacting with strangers)
- Attempting epic things and epic thoughts
What now?
Now that I feel retired, of course I will still keep teaching workshops, keep making new products (HAPTIC INDUSTRIES), making money, traveling, and being active.
But the difference?
- Don’t self-quantify yourself with money (either how much you earn, or how much you got saved up).
- Before embarking on any entrepreneurial venture, ask yourself: “Would I still do this if I weren’t paid?” If yes, do it! If no, don’t do it.
- I will strive to “live differently”, come up with new epic turbo thoughts which I hope empower others and humanity– and always striving for greater.
ERIC
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
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Entrepreneurship Philosophy
- Via Negativa Productivity
- Why You Must Make Your Own Website
- Individuals over Companies
- Build Yourself
- Success is Survival
- Why You Shouldn’t Go to Photography or Art School
- How to Differentiate Yourself as a Photographer
- Surpass Yourself
- Can You Handle Extreme Freedom?
- Boutique or Mass Market?
- Proof of Concept
- Unified Field Theory for Photography
- Build a Company You’d Never Sell
- Play the Long Game
- Entrepreneurship and Art
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- What’s the Future for Photography?
- Full-Stack Visual Artist
- Why Scale?
- What is Your Unfair Advantage?
- Substance Marketing
- Share Your Dopeness with Others
- Frugality is Freedom
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for Entrepreneurship
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- If You’re Not Busy Growing, You’re Busy Dying
- Entrepreneurship born from Superabundance, not Need/Necessity
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- How to Master Marketing in Photography
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- Zen Entrepreneurship
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- How to Monetize a Blog Without Advertising
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- How to Blog
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- Why Become a Photography Blogger?
- Why You Must Become a Photography Blogger
- Why You Should Delete Your Instagram and Start Your Own Blog
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Self-Empowerment
- Life is Too Short to Be Negative
- Why You Must Follow Your Passion in Life
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- Onto the Next One
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- Why You Must Conquer Your Fears in Life
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- Photography Marketing and Branding 101
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- 10 Tips How to Become a More Famous Photographer
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- Why Save Money?
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- Why You Must Become Self-Employed
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- How to Get Discovered
- Financial Independence
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- In Praise of Stubbornness
- Success is Personal Bravery
- Why You Must Become an Entrepreneur
- How to Brand and Market Yourself as a Photographer
- How to Conquer Haters
- How to Accumulate Capital
- Why Be Different?
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- Don’t Play it Safe
- Why Blog?
- How to Be a More Productive Photographer
- How to Hustle
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- 8 Blogging Productivity Tips
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- How Much Suffering Are You Willing to Endure to Achieve Your Dreams?
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
- Don’t Sit Still!
- Bitcoin for Photographers
- Don’t Be Timid
- Why Start Your Own Photography Blog?
- Fill a Void
- 1,000 True Followers: How to Build Your Own Niche in Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: Why You Must Start Your Own Email Newsletter
- TURBO CREATION: Why a Maxed-Out MacBook Laptop is the Best Investment You Can Make for Photography Entrepreneurship
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- My Ultimate Productivity and Life Hacks
- Life/Productivity Hack: Write (Type on a phone) While Walking on a Dynamic Treadmill
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How to Make a Living from Your Passion
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- Build Your Own Instagram!
- How to Be More Ambitious
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- How to Make a Living From Your Passion in Photography
Put a Dent in the Universe.
- Fear Disguised as Reason
- Distraction is the Enemy
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- Reality is Malleable!
- Stoic Entrepreneurship
- Against Self-Preservation
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How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur
- You Have No Limits.
- Calculated Risk-Taking
- Invest in Yourself
- The Secret of Happiness: Shoot for the Moon!
- Moonshot Thinking
- Why We Should all Be Photography Entrepreneurs
- Memento Mori Entrepreneurship
- Why it is Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission
- How to Become a Digital Nomad
- Why You Must Own Your Own Platform
- First Principle Thinking for Photography Entrepreneurs
- How I Became a Digital Nomad
- Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission!
- Spurn Pleasing Others!
- Create Your Own Niche
- How to Gain More Exposure For Your Photography
- Intense Focus
- How to Conquer Your Fears as an Entrepreneur
- Define Yourself
- Let Dissatisfaction Drive You Forward!
- It Doesn’t Matter if Someone Else Has Done it Before!
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
- How to Create Value as a Photography Entrepreneur
- Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
- Why You Must Ignore Nay-Sayers to Succeed in Entrepreneurship, Business, and Life
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How to Monetize Your Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: INFLUENCE
- Should I Monetize My Passion for Photography?
- 10 Practical Photography Monetization Strategies: Pricing, Google SEO, & Entrepreneurship
- How to Make Money From Street Photography
Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
Take control of your own photographic destiny:
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- CREATIVE CAPITALISM
- How to Monetize Your Photography
- 5 Practical Photography Career Tips and Advice
- 10x Thinking
- How to Hustle as a Photographer
- How to Become Your Own Master Marketer
- The ‘T’ Technique of Success
- Go Ahead and Sell Out
- What is Your Unique Voice?
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- What is Your Unique Angle as a Photographer?
- Photography Content Marketing 101
- Why You Must Become Your Own Publisher
- The Art of Cross-Pollination in Photography
Photography Entrepreneurship Articles
- Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Flickr
- How to Make Money From Your Photography
- Photography SEO and Blogging: How to Become Number One on Google
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
- Now is the Best Time to Be a Photographer
- PRODUCERISM
- What Is The Value of a Picture?
- Your Photographic Labor is Not Free
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS 101
- Chapter 1. How to Make a Photography Blog
- Chapter 2. How to Price Yourself
- Chapter 3. How to Find Your Market
- Chapter 4. Why Teach Workshops?
- Chapter 5. How to Build Trust
- Chapter 6. How to Market Yourself
- Chapter 7: Why Should Someone Attend Your Workshop?
KEYS TO SUCCESS
- Why You Must Be a “Personality” in Order to Succeed
- THRIVE OR DIE.
- Impatience is a Virtue
- Create Your Own Category
- HOW TO DREAM BIG.
- Will Not or Cannot?
- Why Not?
- How to Think BIG
- How to Stay Ahead of the Curve
- How to Invest in Yourself
- The Two Camera Rule
- MEANINGFUL DIFFERENTIATION
- Advice For College Students
- How to Thrive in Uncertain Times
- CANNIBALIZE YOURSELF.
- DO AND GROW RICH
- Does Fear of Punishment Hold You Back?
- HOW TO GET MORE FOLLOWERS
- How to Innovate
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- PICK YOURSELF.
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Table of Contents
Learn how to make a living from your passion:
- Preface. BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY
- Chapter 1. How to Create Value
- Chapter 2. ZEN CAPITALISM
- Chapter 3. Scarcity
- Chapter 4. How to Brand Yourself
- Chapter 5. How to Build a True Following
- Chapter 6. The Blueprint to Success in Photography
- Chapter 7. HOW TO BE BOLD
- Chapter 8. How to Sell Out
- Chapter 9. GO AGAINST THE GRAIN
- Chapter 10. EXTREME ABUNDANCE
- Chapter 11. Photography Experience Economy
- Chapter 12. Why You Should Make Money for Your Photography
- Chapter 13. How to Become a Famous Photographer
Photography Business 101
How to Make Money with Photography
- How to Charge More Money in Your Photography
- Why You Should Not Pursue Photography as Career
- Can Photography Make You Rich?
- How I Earn $200,000+ a Year From Photography
- How to earn $10,000 a month as a photographer
- Why you must be an expensive photographer
Photography Marketing 101
- Why Have More Followers?
- Why You Should Do Photography Work For Free
- How I Became an Internet Famous Photographer
- Photography Blogging Ideas
- Why You Should Promote Your Own Name
- How to Build a Following
- How to Stand Out as a Photographer.
- HOW TO GO VIRAL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.
- How to Master Marketing
- How to Sell Yourself
How to Hustle.
- Entrepreneurial Advice to My 18 Year Old Self
- How to Become Insanely Productive.
- 5 Lessons From Hesiod on Hustling
Entrepreneurial Principles
- It is Better to Beg For Forgiveness Than Ask For Permission
- The Free Way to Become Rich
- JUST DO IT.
- 7 Steps: How to Make a Living From Your Passion
- How to Do What You Love for a Living
- How to Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- How to Fail Big
- How to Invest in Yourself
- How to Be Bold in Photography and Life
- Mission: Cover Your Rent and Food
- 1,000 True Fans
- The “10x Principle”: The Only Difference Between “Success” and “Failure”
- Make More Value Not Money
- We Live in a Photo Utopia
How to be a Full-time Photographer
- How to Make a Living From Photography
- The 3 Principles of Making Money With Photography
- Advice for Aspiring Full-Time Photographers
- Don’t Go Into Debt For Your Photography
- How to Brand Yourself as a Photographer
- Trust: The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed as a Photographer
Photography Blogging
- How to become rich from photography blogging
- How to Make a Living with Blogging
- 50 Blogging Tips For Beginners
- How to Start Your Own Photography Blog
- A Photographer’s Guide to SEO, Blogging, and Social Media
How to Teach Photography
- How to Become a Photography Teacher
- How to Teach a Street Photography Class
- Why I Teach Street Photography Workshops
Social Media
- Why I Deleted My Instagram
- The Social Media Blackbook for Photographers
- Why Do You Need More Likes or Followers?
- Instagram is Going to Be the Next Facebook
- Don’t Trust “Free” Photography Social Networks