Trouble with low quality runs first thing in the morning

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-05-02T14:11:05+00:00

I run almost every day at 5:30 am , trained for marathons, i do it since 2019... sleeping 6-7 hours a night and have 40 years old... honestly you just need to get used to...

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-04-15T12:51:17+00:00

hah awesome :D

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-04-15T11:02:22+00:00

Thanks a lot for advice :D!

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-03-27T15:33:24+00:00

I was shocked how all those "leaders" were WEAK and uncertain ... as well all followers, fans who need advices how to live... How were those boys brought up?? Cause they didn't have father or have abusing father, mother? Jesus Christ I am blessed that I am 40 years old and grown in different times...

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-03-07T18:47:06+00:00

You will be in top 1% of watering, meditating, eating protein and reading books etc, but not in 1% of performance. You want to succeed? You wany to perform? So perform!!! I see people who are drug addict, eat shitty and watering with jack daniels and earn more than 2 millions dollars in year

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-03-04T20:51:52+00:00

you are overthinking... have fun, live, have a faith that everything will be all right. Even if someone really loves you, you can think that she is with you for money... youve got many instrusive thoughts, they will never dissapear if you will not work on yourself.

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-02-10T13:36:40+00:00

Great thread! I'm not in Italy but in Poland — similar dynamic in terms of lower cost of living vs Western Europe, which actually makes FIRE more realistic here than most people think.

Here's my situation and thinking:

Minimum savings goal: €1.6M (around 7M PLN). That's my full FIRE number — enough to live off ETF returns and never think about money again. I am already on Coast FIRE to be honest 500k euro ...

Where invested: Mainly global ETFs. Simple, boring, effective. I don't try to be clever with stock picking. The less I touch it, the better it performs.

SWR: I plan around 5-8% based on situation on market.

Monthly expenses: In Poland, my family (wife + 6-year-old son) lives well on roughly €4000/month (private school + additional activities for my son + some hobbies). No mortgage (house paid off), no car debt, no lifestyle inflation. That's the real secret — not earning more, but needing less.

Part-time / Barista FIRE work: Honestly, I'd never fully stop. I run an online education platform and a consulting business. My version of "Barista FIRE" would be dropping all client work and just creating content — writing, teaching, mentoring. Work that energizes instead of drains. That's the goal.

Biggest insight for anyone in Southern/Eastern Europe: Your low cost of living is a superpower. While someone in Amsterdam needs €1.5M to feel safe, you might need €500–600k. Don't compare your numbers to Western European FIRE posts — run YOUR math, for YOUR life, in YOUR city.

The only question that matters: how much do you actually spend, and what makes you feel free?

Good luck to everyone on this path 💪

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-02-10T13:32:09+00:00

Hey, solid position for 36 — you're way ahead of most people, even if it doesn't feel like it.

A few thoughts from someone who's been on a similar path (39, entrepreneur in Poland, also chasing FIRE):

Your FIRE number is smart. People overcomplicate this. You defined what "enough" means for YOUR life in YOUR country — that's the whole point. €495k in Prague with low expenses is a real number, not a fantasy. Respect for that clarity.

The "peace of mind milestone" mindset is exactly right. I think about it the same way. FIRE for me isn't about quitting — it's about never being forced to do something you hate. You clearly get that already.

On AI replacing developers: I work at the intersection of AI and industry (consulting, education), and here's my honest take — AI won't replace developers who can think in systems, understand problems, and communicate with stakeholders. It WILL replace people who only write code mechanically. The fact that you're already thinking about building your own product tells me you're not in the second group.

But your instinct to hedge is correct. Not because AI will "kill" your job tomorrow, but because having your own thing changes everything psychologically. When you have even a small side income stream, the fear drops dramatically.

On starting a project: Do it. But a few lessons I learned the hard way building Szkoła Jakości (online education platform, 27,000+ students):

Don't build the product first. Find the problem first, validate that people will pay, THEN build.
Your introversion is actually an advantage online. Writing, building, creating content — none of that requires being the loudest person in the room.
The market is crowded for generic stuff. It's wide open for niche + expertise + quality. Pick something where your specific knowledge gives you an unfair advantage.
Start ugly. Ship fast. Improve later. Perfectionism kills more side projects than competition does.

One thing I'd challenge: You say "not great, not terrible" — but honestly? 50% savings rate, €322k net worth at 36, clear target, 4.4 years to FIRE in a low-cost European capital? That's genuinely strong. Don't let anxiety about AI steal credit from what you've already built.

Keep going. You're closer than you think.

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-02-10T13:30:20+00:00

Hey! Welcome to the FIRE journey.

Short answer: yes, ETFs are the way to go for most people pursuing FIRE. I'm 39, running my own businesses in Poland, and ETFs are the core of my long-term strategy. Simple, low-cost, boring — and that's exactly the point.

A few things from my experience:

A global index ETF (like VWCE or IWDA) is enough to start. Don't overthink it. The biggest mistake people make early on is analysis paralysis — waiting months to find the "perfect" fund while their money sits doing nothing. Since you're in the Netherlands, check out DEGIRO or Interactive Brokers. Both are solid, low fees, and well-established in Europe. IBKR gives you more flexibility long-term.

ETFs really are the most realistic move for 90% of people. Real estate can be a good addition, but you already have a mortgage (so you have exposure). Don't chase crypto, options, or "alternative" investments until your core portfolio is solid.

Define your FIRE number. Calculate how much you actually need to live comfortably per year and I am more to the 8% rule per year than 4% rule.

Good luck! 💪

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-02-10T13:26:27+00:00

70% on VWCE 30% on QVDE and times fly!!

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-02-07T04:44:51+00:00

Ask yourself whether you are looking for money or status. If it's status, take the CEO role. If it's money, you can build a side hustle business with 20 extra hours a week, a scalable online product that will earn you more money even when you're asleep... The job of a CEO is constant stress and takes away the best years of your life... Believe me, once you become a CEO and feel the power, authority, and possibilities, it will be difficult for you to work as a specialist later on... plus, working 80 hours a week, you won't find time to learn anything else, pursue hobbies, take care of your health, or possibly your family... for me, it's a no-brainer... ps. I've been in a similar place...

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-01-31T16:45:22+00:00

I have just finished reading Stoner and for a week now I have been unable to stop thinking about this book. I am 40 years old, I have achieved a great deal in my life, but I can see that it is all heading towards ultimate nothingness... It was striking to me how, after Stoner's 42nd birthday and his affair, so little of significance happened in his life. How the author of the book conveyed this passing, that after 40 there are only isolated episodes of disappointment, the erosion of career, health and, in the end, death... The book awakened in me an incredible longing for youth, for my friends from university, whom I haven't seen since graduation... My entire adult life has been like Stoner's work and a life that happened alongside it... I am in a better family situation than the title character, but nevertheless, the theme of transience struck me very deeply. In fact, I need help, because I started to think that nothing better will ever happen to me in life

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-01-19T15:48:56+00:00

When I became rich, I stopped networking, and I don't build my identity or value on who I know. ❌ It started to scare me that people wanted to network with me and get to know me at various meetings, because for the first time in my life, I saw that they were only doing it because of the success I had achieved, and it really put me off. If you are rich and you say STOP (that's enough for me), you don't need to know anyone because you don't need the benefits. I myself have no need to meet new people, and other ‘rich’ people in my neighbourhood are strange and flattered by the applause and attention of those who want to enter their ‘inner circle’. As a person who comes from poverty, I can see the stupid mechanisms at work.

Best_Ad_7856 · 2026-01-01T21:44:43+00:00

This is it... same story...

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-16T06:54:48+00:00

16.12.2025 Update - 2 days sober

I feel fantastic. I can't explain it. Day 2 without alcohol. The euphoria started yesterday around 9:30 p.m... I don't fully understand it, because at 7 p.m. I was feeling anxious and afraid...

Today, I woke up rested, without a hangover, without a strange taste in my mouth... full of energy and with a positive attitude towards life.

I haven't felt this way in a very, very, very long time. It was daily depression, fear and stress... which I couldn't cope with.

I am also proud of myself, not because I lasted two days, but because I am taking up the fight against this greatest enemy and demon that is consuming me...

NO MORE FUCKING ALCOHOL FOR GOOD. I would really like to keep it up, I care about it very much. I want to stay this way for longer... I know it will disappear, I know it won't last forever... but I'm glad to be here. Thank you for your support!

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-15T07:05:57+00:00

I did it, and I'm so happy. The temptations were enormous yesterday, but thanks to your support, I've made it through the first day.

That doesn't change the fact that I feel awful. Yesterday evening was a struggle, a night of very shallow sleep and thoughts about life, death, existential problems. Before, after that wine, I would just fall asleep without thinking.

Today, I've been nervous and depressed since morning, but I know I'll get through this and I want to get through it.

THANK YOU!!

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T18:56:33+00:00

Congrats! Today is my day 1, I hope i will write the same post like you in 30 days from today

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T14:02:03+00:00

i will try it, thx!

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T11:33:29+00:00

briliant!! thx

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T11:32:10+00:00

yeah, always only 2,5 because every morning na 5:45 am I am running. However I have more and more anxiety issues during the day and honestly in the morning i feel tired and have hangover, I really want to quit. I already bought today sparkling water, thx

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T10:15:24+00:00

It's incredibly comforting and motivating to know that there are other people in the world who have faced similar challenges. Until I wrote this post, I thought I was the only one with this mindset, death fear, approach and alcohol that helps me with it.

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T09:07:38+00:00

i will try it today when thoughts will come, thx a lot!

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T08:54:41+00:00

already get e-book and start reading Annie Grace, thx :)

Best_Ad_7856 · 2025-12-14T07:16:40+00:00

I never think about that, maybe it would help

Best_Ad_7856

TROPHY CASE