Three months ago, I wrote about wrestling with hypothetical worries while dismantling my old working life. I was anxious about whether we’d have enough resources for a safe and fulfilling retirement.
Well, the office sold. Then we sold the family home too.
It’s taken months of sorting, selling, waiting and finally signing. There were moments when it felt like the transition would never end. But at last we have made it: both sales are complete, and the long process of closing out the old life is finally behind us.
When we started dreaming about a slower, more intentional life, the vision was clear: simplicity, space, nature, and time to live with purpose. But turning that dream into reality? That’s where things got… unconventional.
We quickly realised that many of our Big Hairy Audacious Goals(BHAGs) weren’t just about mindset, they required a shift in where and how we lived. And that meant making some big, counterintuitive decisions.
When Conventional Wisdom Doesn’t Fit the Vision
Conventional retirement advice says:
Own your home
Keep things stable
Don’t rock the boat
But we found ourselves longing for things that didn’t fit that model:
A rural location in the heart of the Peak District National Park
Space to grow our own food: vegetable beds, fresh herbs, homegrown tomatoes
Rides and walks from the doorstep: not something we had to “go to,” but something woven into daily life
A home close to the church community we’re part of
A calming, decluttered sanctuary that supported reflection, rest, and purpose
The trouble was… buying a place with all of that was well out of reach.
A Radical (and Rational) Shift
So we flipped the script. We sold our house. And moved into a rental.
On paper, that might seem backwards. But in practice, it gave us:
The freedom to relocate to the rural setting we truly wanted
Flexibility to explore, to adapt, and to live without being tied down
Less stress and maintenance, fewer responsibilities, more space to breathe
The ability to invest some of the capital to support the life we’re building now, not just someday
Most importantly, it allowed us to live in alignment with our values, not just the market.
When Values Drive the Strategy
Every BHAG looks great on paper but real life needs fuel. Sometimes that fuel is money. Sometimes it’s courage. Often, it’s both.
Selling our home wasn’t about giving something up. It was about releasing what we no longer needed to make space for what we deeply wanted.
Yes, some people raised eyebrows. But that’s okay. Not everyone has to understand your priorities, the important thing is that you do.
Final Thought
If you’re dreaming of a different kind of life but feel stuck, maybe the question to ask isn’t “what should I do?” but: “What would I do if I stopped needing to follow the script?”
You don’t have to be reckless. But you can be brave. Sometimes the best next step looks strange from the outside. But on the inside? It feels like freedom.
We found the place that ticked all our boxes: rural, peaceful, close to church, space for veggies, and nature on the doorstep. We moved from the city into our new home in January. Yes there’s still work to do, but for the first time in a long time, we know we’re exactly where we need to be.
We’ve chosen a life we can build around what truly matters. And that, to us, is worth everything.
After a few months of pondering I finally decided to start documenting this journey into retirement. The blog isn’t just a hobby it’s my anchor. A way to stay on track, avoid drifting into the tempting world of procrastination, and share both the highlights and the hiccups with anyone walking a similar path.
As mentioned previously stepping into retirement hasn’t been about slowing down to stop, it’s been about slowing down to start living differently. After years of constant movement, I wanted something deeper, more intentional, and more present.
One of my big goals (BHAGs) has been to embrace Slow Living. But to make it more than an idea, I’ve used the V2MOM framework as a tool to help turn vision into action.
When I first heard the term “BHAG” (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) it was in a business context. I was in leadership at the time, and the idea was to set bold, long-term goals that inspired action and kept the company moving forward.
But after retiring (abruptly, following burnout), I began to realise something surprising: the need for bold, purposeful direction doesn’t end when the paychecks stop.
When I first heard the term “BHAG” ( Big Hairy Audacious Goal) it was in a business context. I was a company director at the time, and the idea was to set bold, long-term goals that inspired action and kept people moving forward.
But several years on, that concept has come back to me in a completely different context and with unexpected relevance.
Great2Live 