A big part of it is not needing to work. There is a lot of security in knowing that you can just walk away from a bad situation, and take your time getting ano

A big part of it is not needing to work. There is a lot of security in knowing that you can just walk away from a bad situation, and take your time getting another job. Also, people who retire early don't just sit around watching TV all day, many of them actually start up something on the side. For example, Mr. Money Mustache is a blogger, which happens to generate income. The difference is that you don't work for income, you work to give yourself something to do. Some people hang out their hat as a DJ, or do some teaching, but they also take enough time to travel or do other hobby type tasks that they wouldn't have time for otherwise with a 9-5.