[USER]

I am able to sell my business now but I have NO IDEA what I will do if I am not working.  I will still be earning about $200,000/yr from my commercial real estate property + another $150,000/yr in dividends.  Money won’t be an issue the problem is what am I going to do with all this free time off?

I am married with a 4yr old daughter so traveling all the time isn’t really an option with school.

I know what other people do but I don’t have any hobbies and feel like all I will do is play video games. I could still live another 40 years.

[Orly]

Get some hobbies. I have the opposite problem – too much I want to do and never enough time. You could also homeschool and travel a ton, the world is a great classroom.

[Mack]

Retired several years ago at age 54. Traveled quite a bit my first year of retirement (Cuba, Canada – heliskiing, Bonaire – diving, Costa Rica – surfing, 2 trips to Europe, Mexico – surfing).

Also that first year I trained and got certified as a Whitewater raft guide – spent next 2 summers guiding down Class IV rapids. The second year of retirement, I got certified as a Law Enforcement/Public Safety search, rescue and recovery Diver, and a Swiftwater 1/2 rescuer. I also qualified at the TN National aquarium as a shark tank show diver. (helped being a retired Navy Diver).

I average a couple days a month with each organization, but could volunteer more days, if I had time.

I also joined Team Rubicon (disaster response organization), and have supported dozens of missions in both the US and overseas helping people on their worst days. Team Rubicon trained/certified me as a disaster chainsaw operator and instructor, and a FEMA Incident Commander…. they would deploy me 52 weeks a year if I was available. I also started youth mentoring, the state assigns me “first-generation” high school seniors every year, to help guide them to post-secondary opportunities, state pays tuition if they meet all requirements.

In addition to volunteering, I travel (average 4 mos. a year), I’m in a yoga class 3 times a week, hike weekly with a hiking group, and try to spend time on the water (my house is on a lake with 800+ miles of shoreline), paddleboarding, jetskiing, boating and working to improve my wakesurf and foilsurf skills. I’ve already scheduled out finishing my private pilot and starting this summer, my paraglider certification. Video games, seriously?

Useful: Is there anyone that can give me some guidance on what I should do in my case to make more money and retire?

[John]

Do good.

Seriously. It’s hard to find people who can help others. You could undoubtedly turn lives around — teach, write, speak, mentor.

You’ll be a heckuva role model for your daughter!

[Stefan]

I would live abroad and teach your daughter real life experiences. School is a joke.

[Angua]

You have a four year old daughter, spend time with her, raise her, care for her. When she starts school drop her off, make her lunches, pick her up, help her with her homework, play games with her, etc..

[Zhanna]

I wish I had your problems..

[ScottandAnna]

Is homeschooling an option while you travel? So much is learned hands on…

[Freddie]

I’ve always dreamed of this, and there is a lot you can do! Community service, golf, etc. I just highly recommend that whatever you do, you do it with a purpose. Don’t just wake up every day and do whatever you feel like.

If you want to play video games for a living/be a streamer, work towards that, for example.

Related: Enough to retire early? 57 y/o with $1.8M assets

[Mark]

Read, swim, woodworking, bake, volunteer, blacksmith, sew, repair mechanical things, race cars, fly airplane, pottery, make videos, garden, play video games, paint, farm, ride motorcycles…. take over the world.

[Rahul]

Pick up Aviation. Learn to fly planes then take your family in them. That will keep you busy for next few years. If you fall in love with it then become a flight instructor. It’s a very rewarding experience.

[Wendy]

Congratulations! A quick thought as I need to get ready for another day of full time travel with my two teens (there’s a whole community of worldschoolers out there). What do you do on the weekend? Vacation? Do that. If you keep your child in traditional school – volunteer there. Adorable 4 year olds have an annoying habit of turning into still wonderful but less adorable 14 year olds.

I was a stay at home mom and still wish I could spend another day with mine at that age. Soak it up!

[Akeem]

Philanthropy & community building? That’s something I’ve dreamed about when I’m at your level. I love sports so I’d definitely find a way to be involved without being a coach, but that’s just me.

Sounds like you’ve spent a huge amount of time working, take some time to try new things & see what you like.

[Sarah]

Take some of the around-the-house load off your partners plate so you can both put more energy into your 4 year old.

This is a great opportunity for you, but it’s a fantastic one for your kiddo.

Find some social hobbies that get you out of the house.

Start exercising more.

Start volunteering for a cause you care about.

Give back to your community to help shape it into the kind of place you’d be thrilled to live.

If you’re still struggling with what to do besides work, you might consider getting yourself a therapist to talk it through with. It’s a great support to help you live your life to the fullest.

Suggested: Should I stop my retirement for a little while to save as much as I can?

[Nicole]

As we get older,

we lose lean muscle mass.

It’s good to do progressive overload exercises with sufficient protein consumption to build lean muscle mass. This will decrease risks of falls, injuries, etc. as you get older.

You could keep yourself busy by being healthy with resistance training, etc.

You can look up what people regret.

Lots of people commented they would spend quality time with their family.

Quite a few people regret not focusing more on quality time with loved ones. So, you could make beautiful memories with them.

[Author]

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