When I was 18, I declared I was going to retire at 30. At the time I made that statement my thought was that somehow over the course of a 12 year period I would amass a certain amount of wealth that would in return lead me to retirement. However, 13 years later that has not happened. As I reflect back, the 18 year old me had the right idea and ambition just the wrong intention. Retirement was just a financial goal. Had nothing to do with the life I wanted to live. It was purely a response to not work as hard as my parents did to provide a living for my brothers and I. Today, I can say that I have retired in a different sense. I have peace. I am content. Because of this, I can look at my year end earnings and see that I only made 23K and be completely fine with that. I’m not burdened with thoughts that I need to step out and provide more for my household as the man. Would I love to make more money? Absolutely, but when I take inventory of the year, I didn’t miss a single meal or anything. I got married and have no debt from our wedding. I learned how to budget and live a comfortable life with what I have. In addition to that, everything I’m currently involved in I’m passionate about. So in a sense, I did hit my goal of retiring by 30, its just looks different. I retired from the feeling of striving and hustling. I retired from wanting things I don’t need, just because someone else has them. I retired from only seeking financial growth in my life, and have shifted to seeking spiritual and relational growth. And I have retired from making my own plans for my life. Goals are great, but I’m relying on God to make the plans for my life moving forward, my job is to simply be obedient to the call on my life.