Hello, my name is SunQuing, I'm 29, and I'm an alco . . . sorry, wrong board.

Let's start over:

Hello, my name is SunQuing, and today, I'm retiring early.

Yes, today is my last day as a member of the corporate world. Tomorrow is my first day as a semi-retired, semi-self-employed non-commuter. Of course, that's a weekend, so it really won't feel like it until Tuesday . . .

I've made a fair chunk of change in the market, but certainly not the absurd quantity of cash I'd need to truly retire at my age. Nevertheless, my increased wealth has caused me to become rather allergic to corporate work.

So I realized I'd need another idea to support myself and my family. I've paid off many things, such as my actual future retirement, cars, college educations, etc., and theoretically could pay off the house if I wanted, but there's still food, health care, and my excessively expensive hobbies. So I need a little bit o' cash inflow.

One day a couple of years ago I had an epiphany: I realized it was better to invest in myself than the stock market. Took a couple of years, but I've been proven correct. Really, investing in yourself is the ultimate Foolish philosophy--after all, it's a logical extension to go from mutual funds to individual stocks to your own business.

The overriding purpose of investment is to engage in capital spending (tangible or intangible) that results in productivity gains rather than consumption. It's the whole notion of delayed gratification creating greater future gratification. And who better than to direct your investment than yourself?

We all know what happens when you invest via mutual fund: the fund skims off some of your investment for consumptive purposes. Well, the same thing happens when you invest directly in a company, especially a tech stock of the late '90s. What do all these dot coms spend their IPO cash on, anyway? Some on development, which is hopefully productive, but quite a lot on excessive executive and employee compensation through stock options (much of the secondary market investment dollars get used up here). So then, the question becomes what do these overcompensated employees spend their money on? Some reinvest the excess, but many use it for consumption. Believe, I know, I've seen it around me for four years, as I park my pickup in between a Ferrari 328 and an Acura NSX.

I don't mean to imply that all companies are so woefully inefficient. Neither are mutual funds. Nevertheless, I know that when I invest in my company, those dollars are going to a productive use. I also don't have to deal with the random fluctuations of the market. General economic trends, yes, but they move much more slowly.

So I've started a farm; it's a vertically integrated operation where I sell directly to end consumers. I'll be working just during the growing season, and only on sunny days, plus no commute. No employees, just me and my family. It's a great lifestyle. I used to tell people when I was just out of school--eight years ago--that I'd be retired by the time I was 30. I had no idea how I'd do that. But I set the goal, and now I've semi-achieved it!

I'm writing this to encourage everybody on this board, just as you've encouraged me (a longtime lurker here) with your success stories. I'd specifically encourage everyone at a young age to think about their lifestyle and their income requirements and to look within to fulfill those needs. I'm not a big LBYMer, but that works for some. Self-employment works for others. The bottom line is to find that solution that gets you to your early retirement goal, and aim high!

Best of luck to all.