Why do I want to retire early?

The first thought that comes to my mind when I think of retirement is "early".  How do I retire early, and get out of this rat race?  I have been in the corporate world for several years now, and lately I find myself increasing dis-illusioned by the whole corporate atmosphere.  There has got to be more to life than dragging oneself to work everyday, doing ones best to claw your way up the corporate ladder, put in the mind boggling long hours and late night meetings, soak up the pressure of increasingly tight deadlines, and worry oneself about meeting mindless targets quarter after quarter, and sometimes day after day.  When I started my career, I never dreamt that there would come a day when I would feel like this.  Today I know that I am burnt-out, and I want out.  I figured the best way to keep myself honest to my goal, is to first acknowledge how I feel, and share my feelings out here.  Going forward, I intend to chart out a course of exit, and blog my journey to early retirement in this journal.  Lets hope this story has a happy ending.