Early-retirement wannabe

Hi again, thanks for advice.

As has been said, everyone is different and with their own priorities. Looking back, there are a number of factors which assisted in my retirement planning. Probably many/most of these would not be appealing at all to others, with different needs and priorities. Other factors may not be doable for younger people in today's highly competitive work/ employment environment. I would just say that, as I was going through my working life, I never felt that I was depriving myself of anything or over-planning for retirement, although I appreciate that others might think that to be the case. In retrospect, things have worked out, as they will for most people who take steps to plan things even just a little.
I identify the following factors in own life.
(1) After a lengthy period of education, getting into good and secure employment in my mid 20s, with rising income. This is the no 1 factor, and I fully get how difficult this is today.
(2) Buying my own place at age 31; this was quite old back then but probably young in today's terms.
(3) Once purchased, only one upgrade. Happy with my limited accommodation, no desire to have a place bigger or smarter than my needs, so long as I was happy with the area and neighbourhood, which I have always been. Not moving enabled me, as a single person, to establish strong community links which I am still benefiting from. Again, I was lucky in not having to move for occupational reasons (although at one point in my career I had a commute of 60 miles or so).
(4) Saving every penny to pay off my mortgage. I bought in 1988, interest rates reached a maximum of 15.4% in, I think, 1990 so there was a real incentive to pay off my mortgage which I did by 1993( paid off in chunks). I also lost out on mortgage tax relief which was being phased out just as I started on the house purchase route. After I paid off the mortgage, I kept my two endowments going, rather than cashing in or making paid up, on the basis that I had been paying the premiums for several years and wouldn't miss the money. Whether this was a good decision or not, I don't know, but it did produce a nice lump sum in 2014 (although less than the mortgage capital amount planned for).
(5) Getting to know the ins and outs of the occupational pension scheme early, when most of my colleagues of similar age weren't particularly interested. As soon as I was able, I entered into a contract to buy the maximum number of added years which I could (7.8 years, from memory) at a fixed percentage cost of gross salary. The earlier you started, the lower percentage cost for the same number of years. This attracted tax relief at the higher rate(by then I was a higher rate tax payer). When I came to take early retirement, I got a pro rata boost in my actual years. My contract was over 21 years (from 1996 to 2017), so by retiring in 2011 I got 15/21 of the 7.8 years. At the same time as taking out the added years contract in 1997, I also started an AVC fund, originally with Equitable Life (big mistake) but moved to Scottish Widows in 2000 (In 2013, I got £543 compensation from the Equitable compensation fund for the loss of growth between 1996 and 2000; obviously my fund was quite small during those years and I have no idea how far the compensation awarded met my lossses). When the ceiling of 15% of gross income for tax relief on pension contributions was removed (was it 2006?), I upped my AVC contributions, finally reaching a total of 30% of gross income going into pension (across basic contributions, added years and AVC). When the opportunity arose for early retirement in 2011 (I wasn't expecting this), I found that I had enough to fund a reasonable standard of living and on the basis that time is finite (financial resources are infinite) I chose to have the extra time to pursue other interests. PS the added years scheme was closed to new entrants in, I think, 2007, so I am assuming that it was a good scheme for members who took advantage of it, otherwise why remove it?
(7) Not being married and not having children. I know that most people would consider this too great a sacrifice for early retirement, and they are right for themselves. However some people don't go down this route in.life, or don't get the opportunity, and for them it may be the right thing. I consider that it was right for me and have no regrets. It does, of course, mean that I have not had to finance children through education.
(8) Related to the last point, having had total control over my finances and not having had to compromise control in regard to the spending priorities of a partner. Also, not having my finances shared with another has meant (by definition) not having suffered the financial fallout of a relationship breakdown.