The three words that changed everything for me

Is it time to say bye-bye work?

That question used to make me quite nervous.
I didn’t hate my job.
I didn’t have a glamorous escape plan.

But part of me wondered…
What if I stopped working and there’s nothing else?

I went on a pre-retirement course.
Not because I was definitely retiring.
Not because I had a date in mind.

I went purely out of curiosity.
I was being nosey with a “let’s just see what they say” kind of curiosity.

Heck I didn’t feel old enough to retire.

In my head, retirement felt like something earth shattering.
A big decision.
A life-altering moment.
Fireworks. Prosecco. A brass band, maybe.

Surely you didn’t just… stop working.
Surely you had to earn the right.
Be exhausted enough.
Be old enough.
Be “ready” enough.

Then the tutor on the course said something that stopped me straight.

He asked – Do you know why you should retire?

And then he said three words.
Three simple words.

“Because you can.”

That was it.
No spreadsheet.
No five-year plan.
No inspirational PowerPoint slide.

Just:
Because you can.

I panicked!

“Yes, but what about the money?”
“Yes, but what if I get bored?”
“Yes, but what if I regret it?”
“Yes, but what if people think I’m mad?”

What hit me wasn’t just the idea of stopping work.
It was the idea that I was waiting for permission.

Permission from who though?
The government?
My colleagues?
Some invisible retirement committee?

Those three words cracked something open:

You don’t always need a reason to change your life.
Sometimes it’s just… because you can.

Not because you hate your job.
Not because you’re burnt out beyond repair.
Not because something terrible has happened.

But because something inside you is saying:
I think I’m done now.

If I could go back and talk to my past self, I’d say:

• You’re allowed to want an easier life
• You don’t have to suffer to “earn” rest
• You don’t need a crisis to make you change
• You don’t have to justify your next chapter to anyone

So… is it time to say bye-bye work?
Maybe.
Maybe not yet.

But here’s the real question underneath it:
What’s actually stopping you?

Is it fear of loss?
Fear of the future?
Fear of who you’ll be without your job title?
Or is it simply that no one has ever said to you:

You’re allowed to choose differently now.
Just because you can.

If this stirred something in you, I’d love to hear:

• What’s the one thing you’re secretly tired of tolerating?
• And what would “because you can” look like in your life right now?

Pop a comment below.

Brenda x
You’re between chapters and this moment matters more than you think.