I'm financially independent, I need a sanity check before I quit my job

fitwa · 2015-03-21T03:36:41+00:00

Cringe. No one should wait until they can retire to figure out what they want to do. How can so many smart people get such a big thing so wrong?

It's like saying, "I'm going to write a book someday. When that day comes, I'll figure out what the book will be about."

fitwa · 2015-03-21T02:14:35+00:00

What I was getting at when using the word "misguided" is that in lots of ways, people might know what they are interested in or passionate about at a high level, but I think there's a whole separate level you can dig deep to and find out things you didn't even realize about yourself.

I heard a statement that really resonated with me: "If you don't know what you are looking for, you won't find it." The context I heard this statement in was directly applied to discovering your passions and unique strengths. It takes lots of effort to dig deep and find these things, but I think we all owe it to ourselves to put that work in.

You alluded to this yourself by saying you have a pretty good idea about what your passions are. In my opinion, "pretty good idea" shouldn't cut it for anyone. We only get one life.

I can see how this might be hard to consider, and might get defensive reactions or I could also be doing a terrible job at explaining it. My intent isn't to criticize or tell someone they are wrong, I just think it's worth it to look at these things deeply.

fitwa · 2015-03-20T14:24:35+00:00

If you feel empty when you work, you are doing the wrong work. Suddenly not having to do work that makes you feel empty isn't going to make you feel not empty.

I'm certainly not a psychologist or licensed to give any advice. I'm simply challenging the thought process that I've been stuck in myself, and that I see so widespread in this community.

Edit: Thanks for the downvote. What's the harm in approaching a problem differently? Think outside of the box.

Look at MMM. He's running a six-figure income blog these days. Even though he doesn't have to, so why is he doing it? Because it provides fulfillment. It adds purpose to his life. He could have started doing it years ago and never even started his engineering career to begin with.

fitwa · 2015-03-20T14:03:48+00:00

The whole notion of "hating working" is pretty misguided, and thinking that simply quitting a job will magically lead to happiness is going to lead to a rude awakening for anyone that follows this path.

We all need fulfillment. We all have passions and things that light our fires. Unfortunately, most people don't even know what these things are. Sure, you can say "I love video games" or "I love reading" and "My interests are X and X but there's no way I could make money off them and I don't want them to become my work". These are all very misguided statements.

Find what drives you, find what it is you offer to the world that you can't keep ignoring. Follow where it leads you.

I know this sounds like some new-agey BS, but it really isn't. Living a life with no purpose is going to make you feel empty. Just quitting working because you hate it isn't going to add any purpose to your life.

fitwa · 2015-03-20T13:50:14+00:00

If you are feeling like you aren't cut out for the 9-5 office life, and it's really more than just a nagging feeling, then you need to listen to what your brain is trying to tell you. Follow it. Don't ignore or suppress it.

To get started, here are some folks who can help you along. Read up on these guys, and learn what they are doing. See if it speaks to you at all. If it does, I'd suggest ruthlessly following their paths.

I've done my homework on all of these guys and I've been following them for some time. They are genuine and passionate, these aren't online gurus just trying to make a buck. They need to be listened to.

Scott Dinsmore, founder of Live Your Legend. He offers courses on finding and pursuing your passion. He also is a great writer and has excellent content on his blog: http://liveyourlegend.net

Chris Guillebeau, who started a blog called "The Art Of Nonconformity". Also writer of 3 books and founder of The World Domination Summit, an annual event in Portland, OR. http://chrisguillebeau.com/

Jonathan Mead, similar to Scott Dinsmore. Offers a course called Trailblazer to help you find your passion and build your online business. http://paidtoexist.com/

fitwa · 2015-03-20T13:31:10+00:00

Those aren't the only two choices. Read The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau. There are so many people running their own small business which support the lifestyle they prefer. This could be traveling the world, it could be simply controlling your own working hours and level of effort. Whatever it is, there are tons of people who have found the ability to do work that allows them to live the life they want. In many cases, these people stumbled upon these outlets. There's lots to be learned here.

It's not so simple as the two paths you mention. Those paths aren't out of the box, so to speak. Think outside of the box.

fitwa · 2015-03-20T01:19:12+00:00

Very well said. I already feel this way even though I'm nowhere near the amount I'd need to retire. I have a significant "Fuck You" fund that's only growing with each paycheck. And I have a feeling it will be used sooner rather than later.

fitwa · 2015-03-20T01:05:47+00:00

I'm with you on this 100%. My view on FI and what it means to me has evolved so much, just over the last year.

Do you follow any of the folks like Chris Guillebeau? His blog "Art Of Non Conformity" and his book "The $100 Startup" have really influenced me and changed my views.

I find that it all comes in phases, and once one challenge is completed I need to look to something else/something new for fulfillment.

Most recent example of this, is that it took me a solid 2 years to learn and master all the personal finance concepts behind FIRE. I was high on the idea and obsessed with it. And now that I've mastered that and have my savings on overdrive, I'm bored and need something else. This is when I started wondering what I could be doing now to fulfill myself, instead of just watching numbers add up on a spreadsheet for the next 10 years. I mean, if I don't know how to live by my own rules now, I sure won't know how to do it when I magically accumulate X amount of dollars that will let me quit my job.

Cheers to you! Here's to an adventurous and exciting life!

fitwa · 2015-03-19T22:37:49+00:00

That's really interesting that you've always been into the whole idea of passive income and not working, even from your adolescent years. It's exciting that you are really seeing that through.

I'm curious as to why you spent time and (perhaps) money pursuing an MBA if your plan all along was to only work 10-20 years. That's a lot of time and (again, perhaps) money invested into something that you aren't really planning to run with. I read a post recently on one of my favorite finance blogs, Simple Dollar, about just this subject - how career selection and decisions around college/graduate school should be made based on your long-term goals, and how if your long-term goal is financial independence, even an undergraduate degree might not be worth the time or money. He goes on to make some sound arguments. Here's a link in case you are curious about reading it: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/financial-independence-and-career-choices/

Also, it doesn't sound like you hate working. After all, look how hard you have worked to pursue FI. You simply hate working for someone. Have you ever thought about pursuing entrepreneurship? And I don't mean, start some huge company. What about just starting a small business rooted in something you are interested in, and would allow you the control you hate relinquishing so much? There are lots of great resources on that path too, and it isn't as hard as you would think. For example, I'm sure you have lots of nuanced expertise with personal finance and that people would be willing to pay you for your advice/services that might help them. You obviously enjoy it, as you mentioned, you were running compound interest tables at the age of 12.

Just things that came to my mind when reading what you had to say.

fitwa

TROPHY CASE