I'm 33 years old, I work a demanding job, and I'm on track to retire at 40 — with more annual income in retirement than I bring home today.

A few years ago I was doing everything the way you're supposed to. Good career, good income, checking the boxes. And somewhere in the middle of it I realized that "supposed to" wasn't a plan I actually chose — it was one that had been handed to me.

So I started building a different one.