I Don't Have Enough Money to Retire: The Story

I Don’t HAVE Enough Money to Retire: The Story

As a Psychologist, I am profoundly aware of how our internal narratives shape our reality by boldly, loudly, and confidently claiming to BE our indisputable reality, the REAL reality.

They are not, of course. They are just our stories.

Let me tell you a story.

I do not have enough money to retire.

That’s a story I have been telling myself for years. It is enormously powerful. It keeps me working full time at age 68, keeps me worrying when the Stock Market corrects, when the Crypto Market dances, when I let the “Inflation Story” get momentum in my head.

Thing is, it’s not true.

It’s not necessarily not true, either.

It depends.

It’s just one story among many I could tell myself. And oftentimes, a “belief” ends up just being a story I tell myself over and over, where I no longer question whether it is actually “true.”

It FEELS true. I’ve heard it a million times (Of course I have—I have SAID it a million times.)

Do I feel comfortable about retiring now? Not completely.

Would having MORE money feel better? Heck, yeah.

Does that mean I do not have enough? No, it does not. It means I have some feelings about the topic. Understandable.

Do I have enough to fly to Paris once a month and buy a second home in North Beach in San Francisco? Nope.

Do I have enough to live a good life if I am a little bit cautious about the spending and lifestyle decisions I make? Probably. (Oh, stop it, YES, I do…)

Narratives are extremely powerful. Politicians, religions, cultures, families, and sports teams alike put their Stories out there, hoping to gain as many fans, or at least adherents, groupies, or cowering-in-fear followers as they can. They want their Stories to be seen as The Truth.

They’re not.

Neither is my story.

Hell, I have enough money to retire. This “I don’t have enough money to retire” story has almost nothing to do with money. But that’s for another day, another blog…

James Mick

Psychologist/Life Coach

Honolulu. Hawai’i

Text me at 505-699-7616