I see it the same way. The oft-cited early retirement or life without work is seen as a path to bliss, similar to emigrating to a finally great country... The person who leads an unsatisfied life during working years will not have it any different in retirement if they do not change THEMSELVES. The neighbor’s grass is always greener... I once read about an illness or suffering pattern also found in younger people that arises from craving the liberating retirement, almost as a hope for salvation. But what do you do after the third cup of coffee, after the 10th documentary, etc.? For me, there is hardly anything better than having a meaningful activity for life. You just have to manage to separate your own satisfaction from the topic of money; but that rarely succeeds... in the background, the calculator keeps ticking. What surprises me is that the improvement of quality of life often goes hand in hand with new purchases or being free from work, but hardly ever with changing one’s lifestyle towards more time and less money needed. - my full agreement. There is a book where countless older or even dying people were asked what they would do differently "next time." It was exclusively about things in the area of interpersonal relationships, never a kitchen or car; exactly such things were excluded and looked back on with bittersweet smiles.
That exists and it’s also great if one takes a new direction that one previously perhaps could not live. But the rule does not seem to be that, at least looking around my peers, where I hear a lot more complaining.
I sold a small company at 40 and was able to live as a private person for a little more than 4 years because of that. I really enjoyed having no appointment or time pressure. I could do whatever I wanted all day... sleeping in (at least until 8 a.m.), a relaxed “Sunday breakfast” every day, time for hobbies at any time of the day, short trips, long trips... at some point the money runs out and you have to return to the daily grind. I would gladly be a private person again and my goal is definitely to retire significantly earlier... 55 would be great. Good inheritance prospects, even though of course I hope the family lives as long as possible and grows very old. If I inherit at 70, I won’t be unhappy either. If I inherit at 55, I will be sad about the loss. But I will also be happy because I will definitely put my current professional life behind me.