Not completely retired, but work remotely and only a few hours a week at this point. Stepping back from the rat race at 30 was the greatest thing to ever happen

Not completely retired, but work remotely and only a few hours a week at this point. Stepping back from the rat race at 30 was the greatest thing to ever happen to my life. I'd spent my entire 20s singularly focused on my career and building my skills. When I hit 30 and looked up around me, I realized I'd achieved everything I set out to do but was still miserable and alone in life. Everyone I knew was getting married, having kids, building relationships, and I had completely neglected that aspect of myself for the last 10 years. Stepping away allowed me to completely reprioritize what mattered to me and what I wanted out of life. I rekindled old friendships and love interests and eventually met my wife. I realized I'd never actually been truly happy before on a consistent basis, and learned what life is actually all about. That money and career success are simply means to an end of living well and loving others. I feel for people that are always trapped in survival mode because you get stuck in these ruts that become completely impossible to see out of. You end up so shortsighted and focusing on something that doesn't really matter in the end. But life is just a game that's meant to be played for the enjoyment of it. There's no prize at the end, and your score doesn't matter.