Live More Than One Lifetime

rebornIt appears to me that people like to put other people in boxes.

Even worse, people oftentimes like to actually be placed in these boxes. Well, they don’t seem to mind, at least.

Is there something about being placed in a box that’s comforting? I mean, I get that boxes are good at holding stuff. Like a table that you put together. Or your dishes when you move from one home to another.

But your entire identity?

I’d argue that not only should you not want to be placed in a box or place others in boxes, but you should instead fight to stay out of a box.

In fact, I’d argue going further. Once you’re able to refrain from being boxed in or boxing others in, you’re able to actually live more than one lifetime.

It’s said life is short, right? And it is. We get maybe 80 or so years alive, if we’re lucky enough not to die early of some unfortunate disease. 80 years? That’s it? Yikes!

But as short as that is, what if you’re able to extend your one life into multiple lives?

Live More Than Once

I ran into an online comic strip animation a while back and it really resonated with me.

It discussed a concept involving the truth of one day being dead, but the falsehood of only living once. And I think there’s just a ton of insight and value in that concept.

So that animation assumes it takes seven years to master something. You can argue with that based on a variety of factors including the actual number of hours spent practicing, natural talent, and interest. But I think it’s a fair assumption with the estimate of 10,000 hours often bandied about. I can tell you that I’ve been writing consistently and intensely for four years now and I still haven’t mastered it.

If it takes you seven years to really master a skill, then you have the opportunity to live more than once by mastering multiple skills throughout your lifetime. You can become multiple versions of yourself throughout your life by taking on different identities, depending on what interest you have at that time. We can take that 80 years and divide it by seven to come up with at least eight “lifetimes” in one life (assuming you start after adulthood).

These individual lifetimes can be whatever you want them to be. The animation proposes spending a lifetime being a student (we all do that, don’t we?), then spending a lifetime being a poet, and then a builder. So on and so forth. But these individual lifetimes can cumulatively add up to a pretty interesting life in the holistic sense.

Don’t Be Afraid To Die

It seems that some people are afraid to die, as the animation deftly points out. Not in the traditional sense of passing on, but in the sense that there’s fear in potentially discovering what else you could do beyond whatever it is you currently do.

Is there an identity crisis there? Are we afraid of finding out who we really are without whatever full-time job that currently takes up most of our waking hours? What would we be doing without the spreadsheets to complete or the customers to serve? Who would you become if your boss wasn’t busy telling you who to be and what to do?

I find myself becoming bored with something after I know just about all there is to know about it. I spent approximately nine years in the auto industry, eight of them as a service advisor before quitting my full-time job last year (hopefully, for good). And I was absolutely bored and burned out the last year. I knew, deep down inside, that I was just repeating the same motions day in and out. Different day, same crap. That was around the seventh year of being a service advisor. Is there something to that?

But I did something about it. I transitioned into writing/blogging, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Now, I could have easily stayed at the job. It’s tough to kiss a job paying me $60,000 per year or so goodbye. But I was far enough along the spectrum of freedom to jump and try something new. Even if writing didn’t work out, I knew I could try something else. Indefinitely working part-time could allow me to pay my bills and then some, so there was really no risk there. Especially when I’m a guaranteed millionaire, even if I stop investing.

I also realize that there could very well be a time when blogging won’t be as fun for me. Maybe I get burned out. Maybe I run out of ideas. Maybe I won’t be as inspired in the future. Or maybe I just lose interest at some point. If any of that happens – if I lose my passion for writing – I’ll just stop. I’ll let that lifetime die only to be reborn into a different and new lifetime. I’ve been at this for more than four years now, so maybe the clock is ticking.

But to help fight that loss of interest, I’ve branched out a bit. I wrote a best-selling book. I’m now coaching others interested in fighting for their freedom and pursuing a different path. It’s not just about diversification of income (though, that thought does often cross my mind). It’s also about diversification of lifetimes… diversification of identities, passions, and pursuits. Not only that, but one lifetime can unexpectedly lead you into another lifetime. Maybe writing transitions into coaching on a full-time basis. And maybe coaching later turns into speaking. Then maybe that leads me to a whole new cause I take up as a philanthropist. Who knows? What I do know is this: Whatever it is I do, I’ll be doing because I love to do it and want to do it.

But there’s no sense continuing on doing something just because it’s what you’ve been doing for a year or ten. If you don’t wake up wanting to do it, why do it? It’s like we let momentum take over logic and happiness. It’s almost as if because we’ve been doing something that we must then continue to do it. But that’s just not true.

Why be afraid to let an identity die off? If you’re not enjoying something as much in the the sixth or seventh year as you were when you first started out, why continue? Why not do something totally different? Why not seek a new lifetime? Why not be someone new?

Don’t Be Afraid To Live

Once you allow a lifetime to die, you have a whole new opportunity for a brand new lifetime.

How exciting is that?

And this brings me around to the value of seeking and achieving financial independence. It allows you to seek out new lifetimes without worrying about how much you might make during that lifetime.

Want to become a poet for seven years? Might be a tough go if you have a big mortgage and no passive income. But if you’re able to embrace frugality, save a good chunk of your capital every month, invest intelligently, and slowly become more free every single day, the possible lifetimes you can live open wide up. Who cares how much money you might make writing poems when you’re already comfortably paying your bills?

Even better, the skills that you learn in one lifetime can add value to the next lifetime. For instance, the good habits that allow you to save and invest in the first place can carry on for the rest of your life. That means a little income goes a long way, no matter what you end up doing. And if you’re the type of person who’s driven enough to achieve financial independence quite early in life, then you’re probably the type of person who adds value almost everywhere you go. And that value has a way of coming back around to you. Hard work rarely goes unrewarded. Thus, active income will likely flow your way even if you’re not looking for it.

Moreover, there’s a big difference in working hard at something you truly enjoy and working hard at something you do just for the money. And I believe others pick up on that difference. So not only is it likely that you can actually make more money doing something you enjoy, but the process will be a lot more fun.

Getting back to the poet example, maybe you become so great at writing poems that you publish a book – out of love, not for money. And the royalties from that book allow you to pursue a whole new lifetime. Then maybe you play around with fixing stuff until you become so good at it that other people want to hire you to start fixing their stuff. Perhaps you then do that for a year or two before getting tired of it. Then it’s on to a new lifetime.

So you can see that even if you think the passive income might be a bit tight when contemplating trying new things, it’s probably not as tight as you think it is. If you’re a driven person who works hard and achieves something as amazing as financial independence a decade or three before most people are retiring off of Social Security checks and modest 401(k) savings, you’re the kind of person who’s going to go on and do amazing things in any lifetime you pursue, assuming you have an interest there. You’re going to add value. And value is going to come back around to you.

Not only that, but at some point money just ceases to really matter at all. Do it right and you’ll end up with far more money than you could ever spend, which puts you in a great position to live one more lifetime near the end of your long life: a philanthropist. Actually, because money will likely be of little concern early in your life, it’s possible to volunteer your time for many lifetimes. Find a cause. Improve the world. Be the change you really wish to see.

Don’t be afraid to live. Embrace whatever interests you have at the moment. Change is good. It allows us to see things we couldn’t see before, become a person we never were, and form new relationships that otherwise would have been impossible.

Don’t Box Yourself In And Don’t Box Others In

I’ll occasionally read a review of something – a movie, an album, or a book –  and there will sometimes be criticism related to change.

“This band doesn’t sound like they did 10 years ago.”

“This actor isn’t the same guy he used to be.”

“Yeah, this was good. But it wasn’t like that thing I read/saw/listened to X years ago.”

“That athlete isn’t as fast/strong/good as he/she used to be.”

It’s almost as if people want to be stuck in a moment, in time. And they want others to stay stuck in time as well. People want to define others and let themselves be defined. I’m not quite sure why that is. Of course a band sounds different a decade later. Who wants to create the same songs over and over again forever? Likewise, who wants to sit at the same desk and deal with the same problems for most of their life?

I look at a lot of well-respected and well-known celebrities across the spectrum of fame (be it athletes, actors, musicians, etc.) and I see a lot of lifetimes among them.

Take Michael Jordan, for example. He certainly mastered basketball, right? But he’s been doing other stuff nearly as long as he was a professional basketball player. Stuff like running a professional sports team and other various businesses, golfing, traveling, and lending his image and likeness for sponsorship deals. He even took a year off from basketball during his prime to give baseball a run. That lifetime didn’t work out, but you’ve got to give the guy credit for trying it out.

And that’s the point. Fear of failure shouldn’t hold you back from trying new lifetimes. It’s fear of missing out, the fear of regret, that should instead inspire you to potentially try too many lifetimes. Jordan retired from professional basketball, twice, when he could have easily kept on playing and making a ton of money. But he is more than just a basketball player. And I think I’m more than a service advisor, a writer, an investor, or whatever else I might want to try out in the future.

Michael Jordan can try out multiple lifetimes concurrently due to his vast wealth and resources, but there’s nothing stopping you from trying to be a world-class golfer, or starting your own business, or traveling… all on a smaller scale than Jordan, obviously (and not simultaneously). But the key is to first move yourself up far enough along that freedom spectrum, or become financially independent altogether. Without some element of freedom, the fear of “not making it” will creep in. We all need to pay bills. But lower those bills enough and increase your passive income enough, and that fear disappears.

Conclusion

I think we all have the potential to live more than one lifetime. Or even three or four lifetimes. There’s no reason you can’t spend five years being a philosopher before taking a decade to then master carpentry… or music. Then maybe you move on to protecting wildlife. Or perhaps you spend the first ten years out of college dedicated to your career before downshifting to being a stay-at-home parent. The possibilities are almost endless. But don’t box yourself (or others) in. And don’t be afraid to die. Or live.

I leave you with a quote by Pablo Picasso, who was, at various times throughout his life, a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet, and playwright:

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

What do you think? Can we live more than one lifetime? What kind of lifetimes do you want to live?

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: iosphere/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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106 Comments

  1. It’s sort of like Charlie Mungers concept of having multiple mental modes in your head to think straight – just as you can’t understand reality accurately without multiple mental models, you can’t truly live life without experiencing many different things.

    Although living in Africa and Europe was expensive during university (and prolonged student loan repayment by ~1 year) I have absolutely no regrets having done that.

    I’m so excited you took the plunge away from the 9-to-5 – I think I’m probably ~10 years away still!

  2. This post really resonate with me. I found that I like to change things up every 7-8 years. I changed job within the same field, quit work to become a stay at home dad/blogger, and who knows what’s next. Life is a lot more fun when you are learning something new. I don’t really agree that you can master something in 7 years. You can get pretty good at it, but to really master something, it’d probably take much longer than that.

    Anyway, I love the idea of switching it up and trying different things. It’s a privilege to be able to do that because so many people are just stuck in their lives. For the next change, I hope to travel around the world for a year or two and explore.

  3. Steve,

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Yeah, that’s an apt comparison there. I’m confident that’s why Munger reads so much. Knowledge compounds a lot like dollars, and more knowledge allows for one to become more open-minded and generally aware. Knowledge and experience then allows for a more robust life.

    I don’t necessarily think that travel is going to make one a better person or anything, but I do believe that staying stuck in one mode, or lifetime, for your entire life means you’ll naturally be limited as a person. But that’s maybe how a lot of people like it. Some people are afraid to explore outside the confines of their box. And that relates back to Plato’s cave allegory.

    I’m sure you’ll break way from the 9-to-5. Once you want something – if you really want it – it’s almost impossible to be held back. 🙂

    Best regards.

  4. Joe,

    Yeah, the mastery thing depends on who you ask. I think the seven-year mark is probably pretty close, because I, like you, tend to get tired of things every seven or eight years. 10,000 hours has been generally agreed upon, but some opinions are far more aggressive:

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2013/05/30/josh-kaufman-it-takes-20-hours-not-10000-hours-to-learn-a-skill/

    But there’s incredible value in financial independence beyond just being free of a job. And there’s incredible value way ahead of covering 100% of your expenses. Just being able to get yourself 50% along that spectrum and cover half your expenses via passive income means you can try out new lifetimes almost at will. And that gives you incredible flexibility and freedom.

    I’m not sure where I’ll be in another decade. Maybe doing this. Maybe not. But I do know that I’ll be doing what makes sense at the time and what makes me happy. And when whatever that might be no longer does it, I’ll try something new. Rigidity is the enemy of creativity.

    Your travel idea sounds great. There’s a big world out there to explore! 🙂

    Cheers.

  5. I agree. It takes a couple years to really feel comfortable doing something, then you enjoy being an expert for a few more. After 5-7 years boredom sets in hard. You can power through it, or make a change. If you structure your life properly though, each subsequent change becomes easier and easier. And you’ll be less and less afraid to take the leap. Too many structure their lives around their “expert” years, then are stuck since they can’t afford to live through “novice” years again. Layoffs can force the issue however, and can be devastating. I prefer to live as if a layoff is inevitable. Therefore I won’t fear it, and I will be financially prepared. And the longer I live, the more prepared I will become. Eventually a layoff is just a ticket to freedom. Of course by then one is free already.

  6. Yes, I agree you can live more than one life. At the very least, there’s being a child versus being a grown-up. And one reason young people stress out is they are worried they won’t find the right grown-up role.

    I really like your point about not boxing other people in. Yes, you might want musicians to keep writing the same kinds of songs and your favorite authors to write the same kinds of books, but they are human beings, not machines. It makes me sad when famous people get pressured–by their fans (who supposedly like them in a way that bosses might not)–to do stuff they don’t want to do.

  7. Jason,
    This may very well be my new favorite post of yours. I was having a conversation with a coworker a few weeks ago about finding a new career in a completely different field. My coworkers response was that I was too good at what I do and can never leave after doing it for almost 10 years. To me that is the reason to leave to “get out of the box” because it’s no longer enjoyable to me. What I do enjoy is reading and commenting on blogs such as this, spending time with my wife of only 3 years and being active in a few local groups that I am fully involved in. And getting to a point where I can do those things more often than i currently do is my next “box” to get into.

    Hope you find all the “lives” you want Jason.

    Tyler

  8. TBDM,

    Right. I agree that people tend to structure their lives around that “expert” phase so much to where they extrapolate it out for the rest of their lives. Just because you currently do something and do it well doesn’t mean you can/should/will do it for the rest of your life. I probably could have kept on making a comfortable salary in the auto industry ad infinitum, but is that really a robust life? Do I want He was a great service advisor on my tombstone? Not so sure about that.

    Not only is planning for or thinking about the next layoff a good way to think about things (especially in terms of preparedness), but it puts you in a great position to lay yourself off. And like the animation points out, how exciting is that?! I just died. A new life??!! What’s next? Awesome.

    Best wishes!

  9. Debbie,

    Yeah, that’s a shame when people don’t like to let others change/grow/evolve. I’m not sure why that is. It’s like they want artists to keep producing the same thing over and over again. Or they want an athlete to compete at the same level when they’re 35 as when they were 25. People fear change, though. And that fear holds people back. Of course, it means there is more opportunity out there for others who don’t hold that same fear. 🙂

    Cheers!

  10. Tyler,

    Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

    That’s a great way to think about it – jumping from one box to another. I suppose it’s good to have some routine, being boxed in in some way. But it’s important to not let yourself become so identifiable and synonymous with that one box to where you can’t/won’t try to fit into a new box. There are so many boxes out there!

    And I agree that right about the time you start to “master” a lifetime, it might be time to start thinking about a new lifetime. If I can master seven or eight different lifetimes in my life, I’d consider my life a huge success.

    Thanks for adding that.

    Best regards.

  11. If enough people follow this line of thinking, my next life may be in the tombstone business! “He was a great service advisor” is a great epitaph, btw.

  12. Totally agree. But your ideas is more about doing what you want, more then having more then one life. Its something similar to what Confucius said: find a job that is similar to your passion and you will never have to work again 🙂 I like your thinking, it is very inspiring. Its nice that there are such deep minded people out there. And above to that people that are good at analyzing and understanding business. A lot of people have understanding to something close to that money grow on trees 🙂

  13. Furido,

    Absolutely. It’s definitely about doing what you want. But it goes a bit further than that, because a lot of people don’t get to just do what they want. They have to do what they need to do in order to pay the bills. And that’s where the value of financial independence comes into play since it gives you the flexibility and freedom to take on new challenges/lifetimes without worrying how you’ll pay the bills.

    In addition, I’m not necessarily 100% on board with the whole idea of not working a day in your life if you do what you like (I love writing, but it’s still a lot of work). Like I mentioned in the article and in the comments, I tend to get bored with something after seven or eight years. Once you master something, the challenge is largely gone. Not saying that’s a good or bad thing, but rather that finding new challenges and new opportunities shouldn’t be eschewed in favor of the familiar. I imagine I’ll one day be blogging less or possibly not at all. But if I’m financially independent, I can try out a new lifetime with no worries. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Cheers.

  14. Jason, this is a good post.
    Based in my experience, I’ve changed jobs on average every 6-7 years – moving to completely different areas of work. Otherwise, I think I’ll be completely bored. Outside of work, there’s no reason not to explore new hobbies/interests/travel. Feed the soul, feed the mind.
    D4S

  15. Great post, I’ve been finding myself changing something every 4.5 years or so. Even if you’re doing something very good, it’s always good to change to challenge yourself and evolve yourself as a person.

  16. Great post, this ties right in with your message of frugality and financial independence at an early age…that gives you the freedom to do whatever you want and become a Renaissance Man. Can’t even imagine doing the same thing for 40 years, even if it’s high paying like a doctor or lawyer, and then retiring at the “requisite” age of 65.

  17. Ive been thinking about this a lot for myself. I might make a career change, well go back to school for a career change. It will set us back in the short term but the freedom and possibilities that can open up for the long term are much greater.

    I’d love to be able to just spend 5-7 years mastering something but our financial house isnt quite there yet. Id love to give full time writing/blogging a chance but i think we’re a little too far away for that to be a realistic option at this time. Photography would be another really interesting hobby that could expand into a business opportunity.

    Breaking your momentum is difficult. I think thats parts of the reason why people on average know the big concept of personal finance, spend less than you earn, but very few are able to truly put it into practice. The momentum of years of doing something a certain way or working at a job is too great compared to the ibertia needed to change direction. But more often than not the change leads to much better things. Thats why im seriously considering school/career change but need to figure out the logistics first.

    One thing that I cant stand is when you meet new people and the question that always comes is the wg at do you do question or tell me about yourself or sone variation. Inevitably the answer that is given most often is related to their job and thats a shame because your job shouldnt be your identity. And im sure for the most part it isnt but we’ve becone so ingrained to identify ourselves with whatever we do for a living. With FI you can have the opportunity to add to that list and not box yourself in to whatever you do to make money. More often than not a job is not necessarily a passion.

  18. Good post Jason.

    Change is the name of the game. I’ve found myself wanting to follow a multitude of career paths, but there’s so much schooling necessary, unless you can get lucky and have the opportunity to show yourself off and snag an opportunity. I’ve only just entered the work force one year ago, at least tech changes often enough!

    Best regards
    DB

  19. Tawcan,

    Thank you. Hope you enjoyed it. I’ve been sitting on it for about a month now. It was time to finally publish it. 🙂

    Evolution is the name of the game. If humanity never evolved, we’d still be living in caves.

    Thanks for dropping by!

    Best regards.

  20. Randall,

    I’m with you all the way. I can’t imagine doing anything for the next 40 years. For instance, I really enjoy working out. But would I like doing it for eight hours a day, 50 weeks per year, 40 years straight? Hell no. There are so many different opportunities and challenges out there in the world. I wouldn’t feel right if I were sitting on my deathbed knowing that I did one thing my whole life because it was easy, familiar, and paid the bills.

    I hope I get to try on at least six or seven more unique challenges before I call it quits. Who knows what you might be good at or love if you never try anything? I would have never known the world of blogging had I never started doing this back in early 2011. Likewise, the future me may be on to something even more exciting. Just haven’t been there yet. 🙂

    Best wishes!

  21. JC,

    You’re in a great spot over there. At least you have a diverse set of interests/passions. I’ve actually had conversations with other people that just couldn’t imagine what else they’d do besides the day job. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but I definitely can’t identify with that. Maybe it’s lack of imagination. Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s just that people like to feel comfortable. Of course, not being at least partially financially free means you’re very inflexible in regards to what you can try on.

    But we’re on a great path. Every day we’re more free than we were yesterday. And the possibilities continue to open up for us. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing!

    Best regards.

  22. DB,

    The schooling necessary to take on different career paths is just another benefit to becoming financially independent. It allows you to operate outside the normal rules of “do this then do that”. No degree necessary to travel the world and take pictures along the way, become a writer, start a band, build things, learn things, or take up surfing.

    The flexibility is just incredible once you no longer have to think about careers and money. 🙂

    Cheers!

  23. Jason, I love those posts!

    I am, like you I guess, someone who gets bored easily with things. I always have to learn new things and once I’ve learned enough I have to go learn something else. Unlike you though my interest in something rarely goes beyong 3 weeks or 3 months lol. I guess that mostly why I changed job (within the same industry) more than 12 times over the last 10 years… yeah … I know… that’s a lot!

    Unfortunately I made mistakes early in my life that led me to work for money instead of working in a domain that truly passionates me. For sure I’ve been misled by my education and society but most of my actual situation is due to my fault and it’s not always easy to accept. It’s hard to wake up in the morning to do something you don’t like just because “you have to do it”, because you let others box you in and because even worse… you let yourself boxed in. (I like the concept :)).

    I don’t define myself by my job. Actually I try to not even talk about it when my time is done. I see it as a prison penalty for not having been intelligent enough to find a way out of the rat race sooner. At least now I do it for a purpose. I’m putting the money it brings in to work to build my freedom.

    I hope to be able to get out of there within a couple of years. My mortgage should be fully paid by 2020 and I hope to have at least 5000$ in dividend income by then plus who knows how much more in online passive income. Who knows where this will lead me? To a better future I guess. One in which I’ll live a new life more in line with what I love to do.

    I do love writing too – but in french as my english is not good enough – I love to build furnitures even though I haven’t built a piece over the last two years and I love animals, I even have a french blog who made the first page in the press recently about animal cruelty and veganism.

    I’d love to spend my time working on these various projects instead of doing what I currently do.

    But as good habits like investing compounds, bad ones do compound too. I spent years doing the wrong things, overspending, getting in debts, working in a field I don’t like so I guess that the price to pay is to spend years repairing my mistakes until I’ll have enough “security” to change my life for the better without taking undue risks.

    My wife is pregnant. I’ll soon be a father and that’ll be a huge responsibility. I don’t want it to change my goals. In fact I see it more as a motivation to free myself from the chains of my 9@5 job faster to be able to work from home and spend time with my kid and to see him become an adult and live a better life than I.

    I won’t raise my kid in a box. That’s for sure.

    Cheers and keep writing those posts once in a while. They are inspiring!

  24. DM,

    Congrats with another very nice post!

    Society just expects you to get trained to do one job, it starts already in school where you are put in a box teach you to perform a profession. Then when you finally start your working life, society expects you to climb the ladder within that profession, earning a bigger monthly salary each year, eventually buy this bigger house and bigger car. It seems that people just tend to take the easiest path and stop thinking any further and just let the days go by.

    If one decides to change profession, in let’s say this 7 years, people will look at you as a failure, questioning why the heck you would leave a stable situation for the unknown. There must be something wrong with you. And yes, without any safety net like passive income, who would dare to take this risk. For sure if FI in finally coming close, ‘changing your life’ would be much easier as bills will not give you a headache.

    DF

  25. Allan,

    Congrats on the pregnancy. I’m confident fatherhood will suit you well. And you’re in a great position to raise your child without a box. 🙂

    I know how you feel over there. I always felt like my job was a form of punishment as well. I “did my time”, however, as penance for making so many mistakes throughout my 20s. And now that my prison sentence is over, the possibilities are nearly endless.

    One has to be aware and cognizant of their situation to even start down the path, right? And you’re cognizant. You’re aware. And you want more. In order to achieve financial independence, you have to really want it and be willing to do what’s necessary to go out and get it. You’re already in that spot, which is key.

    And it’s great as well that you already have all of these other passions and activities lined up for your post-employment life. And, like I wrote about in the article, it’s likely that if you really enjoy those activities and master them to the point to where you become extremely proficient, you’ll probably end up monetizing your time anyhow.

    Thanks for all the support. Let’s keep fighting for that freedom!

    Best regards.

  26. DF,

    Thank you. Hope you enjoyed it. 🙂

    Society is really funny. I long ago decided that I wanted to opt out of what society considers “normal”. Once you’re free of those expectations, life is so much easier!

    Thanks for stopping by and adding that. There’s a big, amazing, and wonderful world out there. Financial independence gives us the resources and flexibility to fully explore it and ourselves. Let’s continue to strive for that.

    Cheers.

  27. Jason,

    What an interesting way to phrase it. We (my fiancee and I) are currently transitioning from a history of spending most of our income to a high-savings life style. Changing isn’t easy, but reading through your blog as well as others inspires us to make these changes. We are letting that lifetime die!

    10 years from now we are hoping that the corporate version of ourselves die, but the young frugal version of ourselves has fully matured to carry on into the next lifetime on our agenda… ER!

    Nice to see the philosophical post!

  28. Mr. RB35,

    Best of luck with that. How fun it’ll be to see your corporate lifetime die, only to start a whole new, exciting lifetime. Even better, you’ll be extremely flexible in terms of what your next agenda is due to being financially independent. 🙂

    Thanks for dropping by!

    Best regards.

  29. Good article as always, Jason!

    I’ll admit my only goal for now is to get rid of my job. I might content myself with only one life after this one, but who knows. Maybe after 7 years of early retirement I’ll want to experiment something else.

  30. Hi Jason,

    This is an outstanding post. Your writing and quality of concepts keep getting better and better. I fully agree with you. Today is my 42nd birthday and I have already been in 5 totally different careers. Having a financial cushion with passive income really helps make this journey smoother.

    Thanks for sharing your great writings with all of us.

    -Mike

  31. StockBeard,

    Nothing wrong with that. You’re doing the right thing over there. Just reaching financial independence at all is incredibly difficult and likely requires all of your resources and focus. It took all of my will just to put myself in a position to quit my job last year. But once you’re able to reduce that intensity after reaching the top of the mountain, you’ll figure out what your own version of the view looks like. And you’ll be in a position to change the view at will, if you want to.

    Cheers!

  32. Mike,

    That’s fantastic. It’s a great feeling being able to jump from one opportunity to another without much care as to how much money you’ll make. I’m in my second “career” now, but I doubt it’ll be my last. However, whatever career/lifetime I take on next won’t be for the money, that’s for sure.

    Appreciate the kind words very much. Not sure how much longer this creativity will last for me, so I guess I can one day use this article as my excuse. 🙂

    Best wishes.

  33. Mantra,

    Phew, may have to go back and re-read this a few times, beast of an article!

    I agree – if you’re an employee strapped to an employer or the box, per se, then and you don’t want to wake up and go – then I agree, what the heck are we doing, hopping in that box day after day, after day…

    I think we should really think about what we like at a place where we work, and if there are those things that we like – just simply do more of that/those items, right? Doesn’t that make sense too, in a way? I would say the unhappy employees are doing things they don’t want to do constantly, without taking control of what they do.

    Now, on the other hand, if you cannot control what you do – then yes, time to wave goodbye and say see ya. Life is too little waste not developing one of those skills you mentioned above that you had passions for.

    I agree DM, I agree. Life… it’s something so “everything” as I don’t have the words. It’s interesting. I’ll have to read this a few more times over and see what I can take from and apply. Thanks DM.

    -Lanny

  34. innerscorecard,

    Absolutely. That’s really part of the value in achieving financial independence – you’ll either be without debt or be able to easily service it with passive income. The chains disappear at that point. 🙂

    Take care!

  35. Lanny,

    Hope you found some value in it. I’ve been sitting on the article for about a month now. Finally had a moment to publish it.

    “Now, on the other hand, if you cannot control what you do – then yes, time to wave goodbye and say see ya.”

    That’s just it. That’s how most jobs are. You have defined roles, defined projects, defined schedules, defined clients, etc. You don’t generally get to come in when you want, leave when you want, work on the projects you want to, work only with the people you want to, etc. But that’s why there’s so much value in freeing yourself and putting yourself in a position where you can take on only those opportunities that allow for all of those things. 🙂

    Thanks for dropping by!

    Best wishes.

  36. Great article as usual, buddy! Keep up the passion. Everytime someone touches base on this topic I always think about what Ben Franklin, “Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing.”

  37. Chris,

    Very, very kind of you. Really appreciate it. I have all these ideas always circulating in my head. Sometimes difficult to nail them down into words. Always trying to push the envelope and put my own spin on things. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping in.

    Cheers!

  38. When I read your article I was thinking about a picture which I saw in a German newsletter:

    http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/katzen-in-kisten-warum-stubentiger-enge-boxen-moegen-a-1017459.html

    Cats love boxes, but they don´t change their lives. But I like this photo :).

    You are right with being self responsible to live like you want and to change things if the current live is getting boring. A lot of people stick to the old stuff because they are always thinking about the money and losing existing stuff they own. Its the house, the car whatever you want and thats why you are working in a job you don´t like but it pays you all the things around you. You have familiy and your children have to go to school/college and your wife (man) want to go to holidays twice a year to a really expensive location etc. etc. So most people are thinking, they are not free as they can´t afford all the things they like or near persons like. I think, America is not much different to Europe or some parts in Asia. If you are a poet in Germany the people will tell you: Do someting useful and go to work. But if you have the money, even then the people will tell you that and do not really respect you. Thats quite difficult.

    On the other hand if you are FI or work less with help of passive income its up to you how you live. And if you are FI its rather easy to do that. But we all have to work hard for it and in the meantime there is a life as well. If you are more independant, its easier to change your live immediatly. Changing your job should be possible for a lot of people if they don´t want to do it any more. But a lot of people don´t trust themselve enough, thats really a pity.

  39. Loved this post Jason. I saw a similar comic strip not too long ago, but I think there were actually 11 lives in that one 🙂

    This is something I’ve been thinking very much about in recent years, having worked in a profession I don’t mind but don’t love for just over 10 years, that pays very well. Am really trying to re-balance my life and spend some time doing something more creative and meaningful instead. Really inspired by what you’ve done with your own life, and hope to veer off the crowded path / step out of the box myself in the near future!

    Cheers,

    Jason

  40. Jason,
    I really needed to read this post! A year ago I left a relatively high paying job to be a stay at home mom to our beautiful daughter. Since then I’ve been asked repeatedly by pretty much everyone when I’m going to go back to work. My job was crazy stressful and I hated the people I worked for (they were beyond awful to me throughout our adoption process). I cannot even imagine going back to that job, but it seems other people can’t imagine me not going back! Deep down I really do feel like I’m done with that part of my life- but explaining that to other people is really difficult. I’ve honestly been wondering if there is something wrong with me, feeling “done” with a lucrative job that some people easily do for decades. But financially we’ve been busting our butts to build a solid future, choosing to use our time and money to dump debt and build streams of passive income. Hubby makes enough money for us right now, and I do plan to “work” again (since I’ve also been running into people who don’t seem to think that being a SAHM counts as work)- but I’d really like to do something different for work. Thank you so much for helping me feel like I’m not crazy 🙂

  41. Love your posts Jason! This is related with my life too. I retired last year- I was getting involved as a volunteer with city Mayor’s program. I did not see the people working there had integrity so I quit- became a board member of a civic org- now am planning to quit as their operating principles do not match my values- involved with Score as mentor- losing interest- started doing painting arts- I am enjoying this and will be doing this for a while, involved with high school students as mentor but students are not ready to be mentored- so very soon I will quit.
    I agree with you that we have to live life maximizing what we have that gets challenged!

  42. Excellent article Jason…..seriously, one of the best i’ve ever read on the site.

  43. This is a great article.

    If you ever read “The 4 Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss, the sheer amount of things he’s been able to accomplish with this mindset is staggering. I believe at one point, he became a competitive tango dancer or am something like that.

    I actually attempted something like this not too long ago. I tried to leave banking and do law enforcement. It did not work out, but I regret nothing.

    I don’t really know what I would do if I were to become financially free right now. But I do know what I WOULDN’tT do, and that’s sit at a desk and serve customers until I’m too old to enjoy life.

    I hope we all die and see our next lifetime soon.

    Sincerely,
    ARB–Angry Retail Banker

  44. This was enjoyable Friday morning reading while having my breakfast. I have to get away from my multi-tasking lifestyle! 🙂

    You certainly are an excellent example to us of having multiple lifetimes. Just in a little over 30 years you have gone from a tough up bringing, over spending, becoming a service writer, a super saver, a dividend investor, a blogger, an author, a husband, a father, and now a coach. My rough count says you already have had 10 lifetimes!

    I think I have had about 20 lifetimes….. Stopping work for an employer is my next lifetime.

    The exciting part for all of us is if we keep trying new things and get “outside of the box” in our thinking, who knows what interesting things we can create in the future? The one thing that is certain is if we do not continue to grow – we are beginning to die.

  45. Great post, DM. I have gone through the whole 7-yr cycle and the feeling of being boxed in myself. I felt that I was not stimulated enough in my career and was looking in all sorts of places to get the joy and rush I was looking for. In the midst of this, my boss left and I ended up with a new boss – which it turned out was the main problem. Now, I feel that I am facing challenges in my career that I relish in – and I have rediscovered the joy that was missing in my life. I cant say that I dont dream about branching out and exploring other avenues in life….still I ended up learning something about myself in that process.

    I didnt know you were doing consulting – I have thought about something similar in the past – but never acted on it. Maybe something that I can pursue in the future…its there as an idea at the back of my mind. For now, I try to teach and educate the readers via just writing on my blog and direct emails to ppl who ask. Ive always enjoyed coaching, hope you are having good success on that front.

    Best wishes
    R2R

  46. olli,

    “If you are a poet in Germany the people will tell you: Do someting useful and go to work. But if you have the money, even then the people will tell you that and do not really respect you. Thats quite difficult.”

    That’s why I don’t care about what others think about me. Not caring about what society thinks of you is fairly necessary to even veer off the path most traveled in the first place. And it’s incredibly freeing to let go of those unrealistic and inhibitive expectations. 🙂

    Thanks for dropping by and sharing!

    Best regards.

  47. Jason,

    Glad you enjoyed the post. I really enjoyed taking this concept on and expanding on it a bit.

    I know how you feel. I remember feeling so constrained before, and I was incredibly anxious to get out of that situation and let that lifetime die so that I could live once again. I’m sure you’ll find the right time to do the same. 🙂

    Looking forward to seeing that post we worked on together go live. Have a great weekend over there!

    Best wishes.

  48. Dee,

    You’re definitely not crazy at all. I’d argue that most of the rest of society is the crazy party.

    Well, I take that back. I’m not one to judge. And it’s perhaps the fact that most people don’t think outside the box that there are all these opportunities open for those that allow themselves to flourish across multiple lifetimes. Enjoy your current lifetime as a stay-at-home mom. The time flies by, so treasure it. And then, when you’re ready, you’ll be in a great spot to try out something different and exciting. Life isn’t linear, right?

    Have a great weekend!

    Take care.

  49. Brij,

    Thank you. Appreciate the readership! 🙂

    Sounds like you’re rolling with the punches there and not allowing yourself to become too identifiable with any one lifetime. We’re more than what we do at any given time, if we allow ourselves to be. And what we’re doing today isn’t what we have to do for the rest of our lives. New challenges, new adventures, and new lifetimes are out there waiting for us to explore.

    Cheers!

  50. ARB,

    Hey, I give you props for trying it out. Just think if you would have gone on your whole life and not tried it. Would you have regretted it? Probably.

    Not every lifetime will work out. But we don’t know until we try. What I do know, however, is that doing just one thing from 25 to 65 years old is something I can’t live with, even if that thing is enjoyable at the time. There are just too many lifetimes out there to explore, and we have no idea what’s inside of us unless we let it out.

    Thanks for adding that. Let’s indeed hope we see our next lifetime soon. I’m excited!

    Best regards.

  51. Bryan,

    Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂

    Yeah, I suppose I have had quite a few lifetimes. And I think I’ve taken the best from each one of them, which has made me who I am today. Growing up the way I did really sucked, but it’s given me such an immense appreciation for what I now have.

    “The one thing that is certain is if we do not continue to grow – we are beginning to die.”

    Couldn’t agree more. And I saw it every day back at the dealership. I remember looking at my co-workers as they performed lifeless shuffles to and fro over and over again… like zombies. I realized I was dying inside as well, which made it apparent that it was time to let that lifetime die off so I could live again. And I’m living more than ever.

    I’m truly enjoying this lifetime. But I’m also aware that it might not always be that way. As such, I’m also excited for the possibilities beyond what I’m now doing.

    Appreciate the thoughts. Let’s see what’s possible in the future.

    Cheers!

  52. R2R,

    That’s awesome that you’re finding challenges and interest again. And sometimes a big shakeup is necessary to keep doing something. Glad it worked out for you over there. I’m kind of doing the same thing over here, mixing it up so that I don’t get burned out too quickly. Even within one lifetime, there’s a ton of variety available there. Even with just being a writer, think of all the things you can write about. Or all the topics you can cover within one niche. And then, when you’re tired of that, it’s on to something new.

    The coaching is going great. It’s just another way to add value and connect with people. Having a lot of fun with that.

    Have a great weekend. Thanks for all the support!

    Cheers.

  53. I highly recommend Tim’s book “The Four Hour Work Week”. This will certainly get you to consider looking at things from a different perspective! Completely in line with Jason’s post today – Tim talks about creating “dream lines”. 🙂

  54. DM,

    As always, great article. It shines a light and calls out a topic that most people think about, dream about, but are too afraid to do anything about. Sometimes, I find myself in the latter half unfortunately. There are 8 million reasons (obvious exaggeration) for why people should try new things and branch out, but for so many people, they just can’t break out of the box that you described. For some reason, the dark that is outside is just too much. But you know what, that’s okay, because each person is different things in life. You last point is the best and what I hope everyone takes away from this article. Whether or not you agree or disagree with a person’ decision to pursue something new and exciting, don’t discourage it and don’t box them in. Just because you want to live in the box doesn’t mean you should force it on others or just because you constantly find yourself out the box don’t force that on others who prefer to stay in. If someone wants to leave the next, let them go and try. Encourage them and let them know there is safety and a place to return if they find the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

    Sorry, I know I went on a little bit of a rant there. But thank you so much for writing the article and bringing these emotions out of me. Hopefully others have found it as inspiration and thought provoking as I have. Have a great weekend.

    Bert

  55. dividenddad,

    Absolutely. That reinvention goes beyond just your pursuits (whether or not your monetizing those pursuits), but also for your education. I expect that, no matter what lifetime I’m in, I’ll constantly be evolving and learning. It’s just part of the fun. 🙂

    Cheers!

  56. Bert,

    Great point there. Some people will always stay in a box. Nothing wrong with that if that’s what they really want and it makes them happy, though I would caution against fear holding someone back (which is mostly what the article was really about). But criticizing those people who like to just do one thing or stay in one place their whole life is also boxing them in. And that kind of judgement is just as bad as those still “inside the Matrix” judging those who decide to take a different path. Live and let live, I say.

    This isn’t about judging. It’s about pushing each other to be better versions of ourselves. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best regards.

  57. Jason
    Excellent post, I only have hopefully ten years to go before I can swap the office for a golf course, currently earning a fifth of my after tax salary in share dividends which are reinvested in addition to monthly and lump sum purchases of shares in dividend paying companies. I believe that the ten years target is achievable but time will tell!!. Regards

    Mark

  58. Thanks DM. I agree, I am sure fear is what is holding them back most of the time. Some people just want to ignore the elephant in the room. For us, we are people being pushed because it helps motivate us to strive and reach for greatness. What’s hard is finding the balance with others who are in the box and are not planning to leave. What’s pushing to us may be seen as criticism to them. Man, it is tough. I am not saying it is easy and if this discussion has shown anything, it is that each person and each scenario is unique and you really have to know the person you are dealing with. Where the heck is that fine line between pushing and motivating or criticism.

    Thanks for the great response DM. You keep on driving me to think deeper about this topic. Much appreciated here.

    Bert

  59. Mark,

    Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it and found value in it. 🙂

    Ten years isn’t that long, my friend. I’m sure you know that. I feel like the last five years have kinda flown by, though my time passes by much slower today than it used to. A new lifetime where you knock that handicap down awaits you. And then… who knows? Many opportunities and challenges are possible.

    Cheers!

  60. awesome post mantra… err jason..

    I’ve been thinking this way for years now, and it’s been a dream to have enough passive in come to subsidize my lifestyle. It’s kind of funny, when I was in college that it seemed I couldn’t wait fast enough to start working. I knew what it meant.. i.e. trading in your time for money, weekends off, two weeks vacation….. and then repeating that process for 20-30 years! Why would anyone do this?? I mean in the back of my mind I knew there had to be a better way, but I figured I’d plug away like everyone else does..

    Fast forward a few years ago, and now I have a little bit of a portfolio of stocks and cash flow (+)’ve real estate. I only wish I started this sooner. I’ve since then embraced frugality, It’s absolutely gratifying to see your debt balances go down, and your investment balances increase! The dividends don’t hurt at all either!! It seems so obvious now that I’m older and time isn’t on my side. We really do have only one life to live, and finding your passion/happiness means everything. And you’ve got to have living expenses paid to pursue that, and what better way to have that than real estate and dividend paying stocks?

    I’ve been following you for a while now Jason; I probably started right when your portfolio turned $100K. And I can’t help but be in awe to where you are now. Congratulations.

    Great post btw, It validates everything that I’ve been doing the past few years.

  61. jm,

    Thanks so much!

    Yeah, I hear you there. I was actually somewhat opposite, though. I never wanted to work my whole life, and I kind of always thought I didn’t really “fit in” to the whole system/grind/rat race. I actually thought about trying to see how long my inheritance would last in Thailand (I figured I could be free for at least a decade), but I ended up blowing it here in the US over the course of a couple years. I guess I always thought about escaping the 9-to-5, but just never put the pieces together until early 2010. I’m so fortunate I finally got things in gear.

    We’re in a great spot now, though. Passive income rolling in, and that which will surely grow at an attractive rate over the next few decades. We’re becoming more and more free with every day that passes. A lot of lifetimes out there waiting to be lived! 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Cheers!

  62. I would say its 5 years with your job. I have moved to another possition 5 years before now were i worked 5 years also. At first you are exited about new things and after 3-4 years you get bored of what you do. Thats realy the case for me now 🙂 so im searching for new things. Same thing with woman by the way 😀 but what im trying to say is that real happynes is to find something that will make you happy even after 20-30 years. Sometimes i see people that do things for that kind of time or even longer and they still have that burning in thdir eyes and in most cases dont care about how much they make. I think that this is what confucious meant. I think from what i read you wont get borred with thiz Jason as yoh are realy into it. Happynes of what you do dont come that easyly.

    By the way again same with woman 😀 if you could stay happy with someone even after 50 year that would be one of thouse miracles of life. I saw this once, actualy thouse were my grandparents. That is something realy inspireng. But i see in meny cases that people tend to get bored of each other in 3-4 years.

  63. By the way, Jason, I was wondering why are you not moving out of town? Your work is remote and you can do it anwere you like. I would go to some neet little town. There would be financial benifits as well as everthing is cheeper there also people are more friendly 🙂 I have this goal in my chalanges for life.. I want to move out of town and not to suburns, but much furthed to real countryside. I think large towns destroy peoples souls and your link to nature. I always like going to small tows and see how friendly people are out there and how nice the nature is there.

  64. furido,

    “By the way again same with woman if you could stay happy with someone even after 50 year that would be one of thouse miracles of life. I saw this once, actualy thouse were my grandparents. That is something realy inspireng. But i see in meny cases that people tend to get bored of each other in 3-4 years.”

    I definitely don’t disagree with that. I once mentioned that I don’t agree with the typical metric by which people measure success in relationships, which is time spent with one another. We might applaud a couple who spend 50 years together, not even asking if they’re really happy about that. It’s the same with careers. People will applaud the guy who retired from Box McJob after 40 years, but fail to question whether he even enjoyed it there. Not sure why we automatically correlate time spent doing something with success. I think a relationship is a success if two people were happy, learned from one another, improved as individuals and as a couple, had fun, and were generally better off together than apart. And I think that’s true whether the relationship lasts five years or fifty years. As a side note, I’ve met quite a few married couples in my time that were still together, but definitely not happy about it. That’s a shame.

    As far as moving out of town, it’s not really a desire of mine. Keep in mind as well that although I’m geographically independent now, Claudia isn’t. In addition, I’m not a big fan of living in the countryside. I much prefer cities. It’s very unlikely I’ll live here for another 10 years, but the odds are good that I’ll end up in a bigger, more dynamic city when it’s all said and done. Tampa to the north has some positive attributes. I’m also incredibly interested in seeing Portland one day. Living in the countryside can be far cheaper than living in a city, though.

    Another thing I think about (though not possible right now) is living outside the US. SE Asia is incredibly cheap with great culture, history, food, weather, and sights. Could be a whole new lifetime down the line waiting for me. 🙂

    Cheers!

  65. ‘If you don’t wake up wanting to do it, why do it?’

    This is the line that resonates most with me.

    Waking up with ‘that’ feeling in the pit of my stomach is the reason I’m now on my 4th ‘life’ already…!

    I know some people think I’m mad having stepped off the corporate ladder and walked away from a well paid job, but it was sucking the life and soul out of me. Working towards full FI, I may not be as well off as I was a couple of years ago, but I’m definitely happier!

    A great, inspirational article, Jason. I’ve shared on facebook in the hope it resonates with one or two of my friends too.

  66. You should defiantly try Greece. Been there few times and I have to say I have never seen so relaxed and not caring people in the world.

    Perfect place for holiday were you come with you problems from home, work ect. and you see that people all around you don’t care and you start to relax and don’t care about your problems also. Then you will see that Greece debt crisis in other colors 🙂 They don’t care that they can not pay their debts. Generally that piss off everybody else but they will live with such attitude much longer for sure. By the way it is very cheep there now. If Greece will bankrupt it will be super cheep.

    About living in countryside, well yes if your a city type of guy then no countryside for you. But you should try it sometime anyway just for few weeks or so. Specially when you have the possibility to try out all kind of life styles. You could even try visiting Tibet and live with the monks. Cant wait to see what you will do with that financial independence 🙂

  67. I definitely agree. My passions, hobbies, and things that interest me change as I grow older. There is nothing wrong with changing the path you want to go down. Financial independence will just make that transition less stressful 🙂

  68. Hey,
    “Maybe writing transitions into coaching on a full-time basis. And maybe coaching later turns into speaking.”
    — I can definitely picture 3-4 years out attending a dividend mantra conference in NYC (please reserve me a seat). In the brief months I’ve been reading your blog you it seems you continue to excel at providing great content and the book was simply terrific. Once passive online income and dividend income plateau you into the next stage of your career as a writer the sky really is the limit.
    I’m about 5 years into my career and have just recently began expanding into something new (from computer tech to finance). Hope in 7 years this new me will be wiser and wealthier.
    Cheers,
    -Rich

  69. Phil,

    I know exactly what you’re talking about in regards to that pain in the stomach. Life is so much better now without waking up with that feeling. What a crummy way to start the day, right?

    Like I wrote about not long ago when I reminisced on the last year, I’d absolutely recommend taking the slower, but more enjoyable path to FI over the faster path where you’re waking up with knots in your stomach. I don’t regret doing the job for as long as I did, because hopping off the treadmill at 32 years old isn’t bad, but I also couldn’t imagine still being there. I just laugh when I hear about delaying gratification, now knowing what that really means and what’s really gratifying in life (and how I’m not delaying it at all).

    Thanks for sharing. I hope it inspires!

    Keep up the great work over there.

    Best wishes.

  70. FF,

    Absolutely. Easy to change gears midstream when you don’t need to worry about maintaining a roof over your head. And, like you mention, we change as we grow older. Nothing wrong with that. Doing in your 50s what you found interesting/fun/challenging in your 20s just because you have to maintain a roof over your head is such a bummer. But financial independence gives you the flexibility to change gears midstream without worrying about paying the mortgage.

    Thanks for dropping by!

    Cheers.

  71. Rich,

    Thanks for the vote of confidence. Much appreciated. Although, my speaking career isn’t off to a great start after turning down the opportunity to speak in Ecuador.

    So glad that you’re expanding into something new. Every new challenge and opportunity we take on makes us bigger, better, wiser, and bolder. It’s really just about being the best versions of ourselves. And being financially free gives us the flexibility to take on any opportunity without worrying about a pesky paycheck.

    Have fun with the transition over there!

    Best regards.

  72. I kind of think of it as those shoe boxes you have under your bed from your past, whether past relationships or family heirlooms that you don’t use but know you want to keep. Each life is like one of those shoe boxes that you can look back at and feel good about but not something your currently doing.

  73. Jason, can completely identify with this post. It’s so great to try everything in life. No need to limit yourself and put yourself in a box. it’s always the things that are outside our comfort zone that bring us the most pleasure. In just the last year I’ve been a lawyer and a wine importer. Both have been equally fun and rewarding. Can’t wait to see what I will be in the next lifetime.

  74. ridah1o1,

    That’s fantastic. What a diverse set of lifetimes, and doing them concurrently is pretty amazing and rare. That’s fantastic.

    I definitely agree that it’s oftentimes those activities/experiences that are outside our comfort zone that bring us the greatest pleasure of all. It’s too big of a world to be placed in a small box, right?

    I’m excited to see what your next lifetime brings you. Good things lie ahead!

    Take care.

  75. This article reminded me of Tim Ferris’s “The 4 Hour Work Week”. Essentially learning a new skill after 10,000 hours of practice. Tim has managed to do a lot of crazy cool stuff, once he automated his business and removed himself from day-to-day operations – participating in dance competitions, body building,travel, becoming a best selling author etc.

    You might not like blogging/writing in say 7 – 10 years Jason, but you might still like the investing part and maybe run a fund, become a financial advisor, or do something else investment related. Either way, the nice thing about investing is that it is not a “static skill” like say history or geography.

    I myself always found investing more interesting than anything else, and have been following/learning actively for 17 – 18 years now. If I want to follow the Buffett model, I would just specialize in one thing and do it actively as long as I am waking up excited each day to do it (investing). However, finding someone else like Munger to talk to, definitely helped Buffett in his approach.

    Either way, good post.

  76. DGI,

    Yeah, it sounds like this post is somewhat reminiscent of some of the things that Ferris talks about. Haven’t read his book yet, but it’s on my short list. Gotta get around to picking it up at some point. Seems like we’re really on the same page, so it’d be great to read his stuff.

    You’re definitely right there about investing. I don’t see myself ever getting tired of talking about investing, thinking about it, or trying to share the knowledge. While I might tire of blogging or writing, that doesn’t mean other opportunities won’t open up. Either way, I’m incredibly excited for the future.

    I sometimes lament not having a “Munger” or even a “Buffett” of my own – I’d gladly play second (or even third) fiddle. It’d be great to have someone to regularly chat with about this stuff, which is largely why blogging/writing is so uniquely rewarding. I get to form “virtual” relationships that I really treasure, especially when it’s so difficult/impossible to find people in other aspects of our lives that are interested in these topics. I hope to one day live in a bigger city and maybe form/join some type of meetup service that would potentially facilitate something like that. We’ll see.

    Thanks for dropping by. Our futures are incredibly bright. I’m sure of it. 🙂

    Best regards.

  77. I read the part about transitioning from writer to coach to speaker to philanthropist, and my first thought was “I look forward to your TED Talk, Jason.” 😀 But, in all seriousness, it is good to change careers now and then. Even if there’s some short-term pain of giving up a higher salary for a lower one – as you’ve noted – pursuing a new interest keeps life alive and vibrant.

  78. David,

    Ha! Wouldn’t that be crazy. I’d love to just attend a TED Talk, let alone actually be up on the stage. I guess you never know…

    Variety is indeed the spice of life. It appears to me that a lot of people like familiarity, routine, and staying in their comfort zone. I’m not out to criticize that, but you can see in a lot of surveys that people aren’t really happy. And I’ve personally noticed an immense change/increase in my quality of life and happiness in making this big change and taking on a new direction. And being more free every single day is an incredible boost to life morale. So I’m just doing my best to inspire similar results in others’ lives.

    Thanks for stopping by. Appreciate the support!

    Best wishes.

  79. DM,

    First of all, that’s a great comic strip.

    Secondly, there’s a book by Herman Hesse called the “Steppenwolf”. It’s an existentialist novel written in the early 1900s. In it, Hesse’s character discusses how ridiculous it is for people to lump their personalities into two categories (man and beast/animal). He talks about how multitudinous we are and that there are thousands of potentialities within us. Anyhow, it’s an interesting read and left an impression on me.

    Thanks for the read,
    – Ryan from GRB

  80. GRB,

    I’ve never heard of the book, but I definitely like the concept.

    There’s so much more in us than whatever we’re doing right at this moment. But it takes courage to explore those other lifetimes. And it’s really up to the individual to decide whether it’s worth it or not. I’d argue that it definitely is. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing!

    Best regards.

  81. Jason,

    I really enjoyed your exploration of the multiple lifetimes concept. (And the subsequent discussions in the comments) I think by harnessing curiosity and avoiding boxing that the majority of people can enjoy the fruits of multiple virtual lifetimes throughout their single, physical lives.

    Speaking of opening new lifetimes I’ve been using Coursera (www.coursera.com) as of late to access college-quality courses for free on subjects ranging from alterative energy sources to asset pricing to machine learning with computer algorithms. My experience thus far has been extremely rewarding and I thought it would make sense to mention that here.

    Have you tried Coursera or any other massive open online courses? (MOOCs) I don’t think I’ve seen you talk about them before in posts or comments. If you have insights I’d be curious to hear them 🙂

    Cheers,

    David

  82. Forgive the typo. I meant to say alternative energy sources. I guess it’s time to go to bed before any more sleep-deprived errors are entered into the permanent record of the Internet!

  83. David,

    That’s really neat. I’ve never heard of Coursera or anything like it. That’s definitely a unique platform if you’re looking to try out a new lifetime where you become a student/learner once more.

    I’ve never been a big fan of taking courses like that, however. I hated high school and college. It seems I just prefer to teach myself when there’s something I’m particularly interested in.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Cheers.

  84. Agreed…I have always learned more when doing things that interest me. I am on the fence regarding pushing my kids to go to college. Is going into tens of thousands of dollars of debt worth it? It took me 15 years to pay off my wife’s and my student loans. It was tough financially and hard on our marriage. Most jobs will take years of experience as an equivalent to a degree.

  85. Hi Jason,
    An interesting article. Based on what you’ve written here I’m curious to know how many countries you’ve traveled to up to this point in your life.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

  86. I enjoyed this one. I live the idea of reinventing yourself over and over again. There’s no excuse not to do it, but financial independence will certainly make it much easier.

  87. DFG,

    College is a tough call. I personally rank going to college as one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. Some people count it as one of the best things they ever did. But I try to keep in mind that the economy is changing quite a bit and there are a lot of ways to make a lot of money that don’t require a degree whatsoever. Just depends on the person and their interests, I suppose.

    Best of luck deciding which way to go there!

    Cheers.

  88. Like you, when I get bored doing what I’m doing, I know it’s time to move on. I haven’t noticed a 7-year cycle, but maybe there’s something to that. What keeps me energized and looking forward to each day is learning. If I’m not learning, I don’t see the point, and I get bored and a little depressed. I don’t care if I’m earning money or not–I just want to be learning something new and interesting I can then play around with. 🙂

  89. Mike,

    Thanks. Hope you enjoyed it. 🙂

    I haven’t traveled much outside the country. I’ve been to three countries, though I don’t view international travel as necessarily any better or more noble than any other lifetime or activity. I have some desire to travel at some point down the line, but it’s not particularly strong. And I might be just as interested in seeing a larger part of the US; it’s a big country.

    Whenever I think of international travel, I’m reminded of something that a prominent travel blogger wrote. And it basically went along the lines that the more this person travels, the more they realize that life is essentially the same no matter where they go. It’s just people trying to get by, go to work, have time with their families, and live as much as they can. Different climates, cultures, and buildings, but life isn’t overall much different whether you’re in Oklahoma or Malaysia.

    Cheers!

  90. Adam,

    Agreed. Having that freedom and flexibility makes it a lot easier. It’s probably scary enough for most people, but worrying about how the bills are going to get paid makes it impossible. Being freed of that worry means you’re left with few excuses to try new things and become a bigger, bolder you.

    Thanks so much!

    Best regards.

  91. Kurt,

    Yeah, I’m with you. It definitely shouldn’t be about money, either. And I think that’s why financial independence offers so much value. It allows you to take money out of the equation and pursue/learn new things without worrying about how much money you’ll make or won’t make.

    When you pursue something purely out of love and not how much money it’ll make you, you’re on the right track. 🙂

    Take care!

  92. Great post.

    That makes sense I have been at my job for about 7 yrs… And I’m itching for a change….

    I guess I thought I should just stay in it until we reach FI but this sounds so much better. As FI is ~ 10 yrs out.

    Ha-ha one critiques though…. Being a full time stay at home parent is not shifting down in gears. I think that a poor misconception and the only way to correct it is by not continuing to promote it. I would say if I was working and a parent already then quiting my job to be just a parent is shifting down in the sense of before I had 2 Jobs but now I have just one. Maybe that’s what you meant but it sounded like parenting is less demanding or challenging then a standard job…. Which is the sentiment I disagree with and think we should not promote.

    My 2 cents

    I do look forward to another life. Parenting full time and then traveling.

  93. Roamer,

    I didn’t mean that being a stay-at-home parent is any less challenging than having a traditional full-time job. I only meant downshifting as in taking a detour from the corporate ladder climbing and spending more time with family.

    Cheers!

  94. Jason,

    Fear holds a lot of people back. So does lack of opportunity and flexibility. But that’s why I do what I do and write what I write. 🙂

    Cheers.

  95. Hey Jason! I wanted to recommend an article on Forbes that you may be interested in, it talks about a similar principle (the idea of being an expert at many things over a life time). It is about being what they call a “generalist” … not sure if you have read it, but the article is titled: “the one trait that elon musk, benjamin franklin, and marie curie have in common” … I just read it and thought of your article here. It really got me thinking about how I spend my time in life and how I learn from different perspectives. Anyway, keep up the good work! My wife and I love your website! I am actually a pastor of a church and I have recommended your website to people in my congregation who are seeking financial independence!

  96. JC,

    Thanks for sharing that. I hadn’t come across that article yet. I’ve never heard the term “generalist” before. Rather, I’ve always heard the terms “Renaissance Man” or polymath.

    It definitely jives with what I’m talking about in this article. The need to just focus on one thing and do it really well for your entire life just seems… outdated to me. I mean, we live a long time these days. It’s not ancient China where having one “sharp knife” made a lot of sense when you were likely only going to live until 30 or 40 years old. But I think a lot of the advice there is spot on, especially about mental models. To live your whole life with only one mental model is like looking at the world with just one color. There are so many perspectives and I think it’s not a bad idea to expand one’s horizons.

    Appreciate the support. Thanks so much for spreading the word. Means the world to me. 🙂

    Best wishes!

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