Slowing down this year prompted me to reflect on my journey to financial independence. I considered the milestones that have quietly shaped the journey so far. I’ve been nursing a sore knee since the start of this year. As a result, I’ve been walking more and running less. Slower mornings, scenic routes, and fewer attempts to chase pace. Unexpectedly, walking has given me something running rarely does: time to think. As I take the long way around coastal paths and quiet streets. I find myself reflecting on the journey to financial independence and the milestones quietly reached along the way.
Looking back, my focus was never been about hitting some distant retirement date. Instead, it has always been about living my ideal life now, not postponing it. For me, financial independence was never an escape plan. It was a design process.
Designing the Retired Life Before Retirement
Back in 2017, I made a decision that changed everything. I chose to make a sea-change. The goal wasn’t to “retire early.” It was simpler than that: live somewhere beautiful, work less, and start living. So I left the city and moved by the sea. I’m grateful I did.
Over summer, the town fills with tourists. Cafes are busy. Beaches are lively. Sunsets stretch late into the evening. That’s when it hit me: I get to holiday at home. Of course, it’s easy to forget that when life becomes routine. That’s why, lately I’ve been reminding myself to appreciate it. To consciously enjoy living in a place others travel to. In that sense, the move in 2017 wasn’t just geographic. It was philosophical. From that point on, I stopped deferring life.
Coast Financial Independence: A Quiet but Powerful Milestone
More recently, I reached another meaningful milestones: Coast Financial Independence (FI). Coast Financial Independence means you’ve invested enough. Even without adding another dollar, your portfolio can grow on its own. It can support retirement at the traditional retirement age. When I ran my numbers, I realised something significant. If I stopped investing today, I could retire at age 52. That was powerful. Not because I plan to stop investing, I don’t. But because it changes how work feels.
Looking ahead, my next goal is to build more margin. This way, if I stopped investing, I can retire at 50 instead. Based on current projections, that milestone is about two years away. Importantly, reaching Coast FI doesn’t mean I’m done. Instead, it means retirement is no longer dependent on constant acceleration. Time is now doing much of the heavy lifting. And that changes everything mentally.
Semi-Retirement: A Life in Balance
Another milestone, I’m quietly celebrating is semi-retirement. I work three days a week. And at this stage, it feels right. Rather than draining me, work energises me, in measured doses. As a result, there’s something deeply satisfying about looking forward to work days. At the same time, valuing days off just as much. The rhythm feels balanced. I don’t wake up desperate for Friday. Nor, do I dread Monday. In many ways, that equilibrium may be one of the most underrated milestones on the financial independence journey. After all, financial independence isn’t just about numbers in an account. Ultimately, it’s about emotional sustainability.
The Milestones That Matter Most
Because of the slower pace these past weeks, I’ve been reminded that the journey isn’t about one dramatic finish line. Rather, it’s about accumulating quiet wins:
- Designing your lifestyle before retirement
- Reaching Coast Financial Independence
- Reducing work to sustainable levels
- Living in alignment with your values
Over time, each milestone builds on the last, not just financially, but mentally. As a result, the freedom isn’t only in the future. It’s already here, at least in part.
Living the Ideal Life Now
There is one clear theme in these reflections. It is this: I never wanted to grind through decades waiting for permission to live. The move by the sea. Working three days a week. Reaching Coast FI. Targeting age 50 as a cushion. Individually, they may seem modest. Together, they represent something far more meaningful. These aren’t endpoints. Instead, they’re adjustments: small course corrections toward a time-rich life.
Eventually, the sore knee will heal. Yet, I hope I don’t lose the slower perspective it forced on me. Because sometimes, slowing down helps you see something clearly. It lets you notice how far you’ve already come. The life you were working toward isn’t waiting somewhere ahead. It’s already unfolding step by step.