It’s Not About Hating Your Job

businessI recently wrote about how I believe freedom is the ultimate status symbol. Forget a fancy car or a big house, folks. You want to show everyone you’ve truly made it? Break out the “I don’t really have to work anymore” card. That will do it.

But just because you don’t have to work anymore doesn’t mean you necessarily quit your job that instant. And chasing after financial independence isn’t only for those that have some kind of deep hatred for what they do for a living.

Chasing after financial independence is about bringing value to your life. It’s about prioritizing your time and focusing on your passions. You could very well be one of the very few out there that genuinely loves what you do for a living. Maybe you change the world for the better as a member of American Red Cross, or maybe you’re a doctor and you couldn’t imagine your life without fixing people. If you are one of these people then that’s fantastic. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still seek freedom.

Freedom is about choice. It’s about being able to do whatever you want. You may really enjoy what you do for a living, but what if all of the sudden you want to take some time off to travel? What if some kind of health concern befalls you that requires you to take extended time off from work? What if you just need a lengthy sabbatical to refresh yourself?

And before you claim how much you love your job, imagine for a second that you are completely financially independent. Do you still go in for 40 or more hours per week? Do you still deal with the office politics? The backstabbing? The commute? The grind?

There’s the possibility that maybe you don’t love your job as much as you think you do.

List your passions in life. What drives you? How do you identify yourself? Who are you? What makes you truly happy?

What does this list look like? Does it contain your full-time job?

I work full-time at a car dealership. Actually, I work more than full-time as I average more than 50 hours per week there. I’m good at my job, as I’ve been doing it for almost ten years now. I’m comfortable in my role, and the pay is generally pretty good considering my education level and the skills I bring to the table. I’m not miserable every single minute I’m there. But it’s not about hating your job.

It’s about maximizing every minute you’re alive on this planet, because whether you want to admit it or not you’re slowly dying one minute at a time.

While I’m good at my job and I receive pretty good pay for what I do, it’s a huge drain on my time. I’m there for most of my waking hours. I get up at 6:30 a.m. and I don’t get home until 6:30 p.m. If I want to get a decent night’s sleep I’m in bed by 10 p.m. That means I have about three hours to myself per day for the entire week to pursue whatever I actually want in life.

And I know what I want in life. I made my list, and I know who I am.

I’m a passionate writer. A detail-oriented, value-based dividend growth investor. A loving family member as a son, brother, partner, and soon-to-be uncle. I’m a loyal friend. A fitness enthusiast. A free-thinker, and a philosopher. A daydreamer. I love reading, especially about personal finance. A would-be world traveler (one day!). And hopefully I’ll build enough wealth in my lifetime to be a philanthropist.

That’s a lot of passions. And having three hours per day during the week to indulge them all is simply not enough. So while I don’t necessarily hate my job, it’s a barrier between what I really want out of my life and what I’m actually getting.

You may really love what you do for a living, but I do encourage you to really think about whether what you do for most of your waking hours is a primary passion for you. Life is way too short to spend most of your time creating value and happiness for others.

And I’m not encouraging people to quit their jobs when I write about chasing after financial freedom. Having financial independence does not necessarily mean you have to cash it in the second you attain it and tell your boss off. You can keep working for as long as you want. But it’s really about freedom to do whatever you want. Work or not work, the choice is yours.

What if you spend 20 years at a job that you’re completely passionate about but one day the company decides to downsize and you’re one of the unfortunate? Without financial independence you might be in a tough spot. Of course, many people found this out the hard way when the Great Recession hit and they were left jobless with skills limited to what they had been doing for decades on end.

Financial freedom is about choice. It’s about flexibility. It gives you power and control over your life. And most of all it allows you to own your own time. And how could you not want to own the one commodity you were born with, but yet find yourself without for most of your life?

How about you? Do you hate your job? Do you believe chasing after financial freedom is simply about whether you love your job or not?

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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83 Comments

  1. I really like this topic. I feel comfortable with my job as salesman at office but still chasing final freedom. I agree, all this to own our time is not about hating our jobs. Its abot to make time for things that matters like family, friends and travel.

    Keep up the good work. Regards from Sweden

  2. DM,

    I definitely hear you on the time crunch. With so many hobbies and interests, it’s difficult fitting everything into a given day, especially one that is mostly consumed with work.

    I’ve been playing this game for seven years now, and even from Day 1 was never really able to assimilate. The 9-5 works for some people (there are those who LOVE it, it seems), but it just never registered for me. I just was never able to adapt to it… and now I know for certain it’s something I cannot continue doing.

    Early FI is something so worth aspiring towards. Even if you love your job today, who’s to say you always will, for the next 30-40 years?

    There are so many benefits, and I can’t think of one drawback against early financial freedom.

  3. I always say “money equals freedom.” Once you have it, you don’t have to worship it. It does not have spiritual values. Always, respect the value of your hard earned money and use it wisely. So many Americans working their butt off to make other people rich. The greatest thing money provided me was that the thought of comfort such cozy and warm feeling, knowing no matter what I will be well taken care of.

  4. I’m with you DM, I don’t think it’s about hating your job, it’s much deeper than that; wanting your own freedom from someone else’s demands on your time. I think the seed is sown when many people start there jobs and come to the realization that if this is what the whole job thing is about they want something else. I’m not even sure it’s natural to do the same thing for 40 hrs. a week and do it for years on end. I even make the distinction between work and a job. Work is something natural every living species on this planet does to some extent to live. Jobs are a product of civilization that give us a means for accomplishing the work of living. However, there is a huge disconnect between the time we spend at our jobs and the time needed to support ourselves.

    Some will argue that they love their jobs and would never want to consider retiring early. I would argue these people have accepted without question the narrative we tell ourselves about what a job really is. However deep your passions they deserve expression in something worthier than a job.

  5. That’s the truth. Having financial freedom means, you have the choice. You stop working because “everybody has to work” and you start to work because the work you do is simply worth it! It’s true freedom to tell on every choice what you want to do or not. But another truth is, that many people are scared of that choices. They need somebody who tells them what they should do. They dont have dreams and they lost their inner voice that tells them what valuable things they really wanna achieve in life.

  6. DM,
    I’m in the ‘I don’t mind my job’ boat. Its usually only 40 hours and I have some flexibility to work from home. Its a means to an end. Pays well and helps me achieve my financial goals. But I’d rather be not working full time.
    -RBD

  7. I really like the “And I know what I want in life. I made my list, and I know who I am” comment. There are so many things that I want to do, and I know not all of them are going to be full-time and paid. I’d love to not have to be concerned about whether the things I want in life provide an income, and I don’t want to be stuck doing something that goes against who I am! I’ve already been very grateful to have (and use!) F U money, but FI is another level of freedom that I’m looking forward to.

    Given the quality and quantity of your posts these past 2 weeks, it’s obvious you’re ready to own all of your own time. Freedom suits you! I hope you get there more quickly than you expect 🙂

  8. I agree completely Jason. Hating your job can be a fleeting or pervasive situation. Personally, I have my good days and bad, but ultimately want the freedom to do as I please, when I please.

    As Mcsaveypants said above, you’ve been on fire this past week an a half. Freedom suits you well. Here’s to you nailing your goal sooner rather than later (perhaps hit the 10k dividend mark and 10k net income mark from writing – Early FI anyone?).

  9. Hey DM,

    Long-time reader, first-time commenter. This really rings true for me. I teach and love doing it, but that doesn’t mean I want to do it forever. Gaining FI really is about choice. The choice to hang up your hat and call it a day whenever you feel like it.

    Also, I just want to say that I’ve been loving all the posts recently! I know you can’t keep this pace up since your stay-cation will eventually end, but I just wanted to say that I’m appreciating the extra content while it lasts. Keep up the good work.

  10. I agree with this post and the status symbol post 100%

    It is unfortunate that so many people chain themselves to their job through the accumulation of debt.

    Our jobs aren’t terrible and we enjoy them for the most part. And even though we aren’t financially independent yet, its nice to know that we could go a few years without a source of income coming in. Having that knowledge makes going to work so much more enjoyable then if I knew I would be homeless and starving if I lost my job.

    Even if someone didn’t want to quit working at an early age they should still have the insight to realize how dependent they are on their job to survive. And with that knowledge they should set out pursuing partial financial independence at a minimum. If nothing else it will make the daily grind more enjoyable because they know they aren’t chained to that job in the long run.

  11. I can think of a drawback and it comes from my own family. My youngest brother married into a wealthy family where his two stepsons each received a seven figure inheritance from their grandfather by the time they were 21. They no longer were interested in university because why bother when they were now set for life at a young age. There is no structure in their days now, because they can get up when they want, go to bed when they want & spend their days socializing & going to the beach. Now that lifestyle, as much as it seems great, will get boring after a while, because they have no challenges in life. I do enjoy reading this site, but I think if Mantra had a job he enjoyed, it would not seem like a chore to go in. If, for example he was paid sufficiently to write on personal finances rather than work at a car dealership, it would be a passion, rather than a job. Not everyone is going to love their job, but that’s why they pay you to do it. If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I’m not sure if the twelve hour work days includes travelling a great distance to work,or going to the gym after work, but they are all choices about where you work, distance from work & what you do after work. So also is sleeping for 81/2 hours per night as he suggested to get his sleep. Some function well on 5 hours so it varies person to person. I love the who idea of FI & the way Mantra has looked in the mirror and greatly changed his life for the better, but don’t mistake financial independence from doing what you want to do with that newly acquired spare time. It may or may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

  12. DM,

    I know you don’t have time to watch every video people send you, but your article reminded me of this TED talk about “an equation for intelligence”. The speaker talks about a computer program that they designed that is able to solve problems without instruction. They define intelligence by the ability to always maximize available options. (that sounds a lot like your definition of freedom. I would have never equated freedom with intelligence, its an interesting thought). Its worth the 10 minute watch, might give you some good insight.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2ZEmTJ_Xo

    Spencer Stojic

  13. I love my job!
    I can do what I want!
    But at the end of the month, the revenue-target have to been reach!
    If I reach the goal, nobody say one word – but if not, then I get a lot of trouble.

    How more I sell, how more money I receive from our company.
    And if I receive a bigger paycheck, I have more money to invest in shares and receive more dividends.

    I think that is a positiv circle – going up and higher and higher….
    More work -> more revenue -> bigger paycheck -> more shares -> more dividends… 🙂

    Best regards
    D-S

  14. Jason

    As ever, a great post.

    I totally agree it’s not just about hating your job, it’s about resenting the things that your job imposes on you, such as:

    I HAVE to get up early every Mon – Friday
    I HAVE to interact with people I wouldn’t choose too (I am aware that others may say this about me too)
    I HAVE to be present in the office until the end of the working day
    I HAVE to pretend my boss isn’t an ass
    I HAVE to put up with the office politics

    If I had Financial Independence, I would have the freedom to do the things I want to do, such as:

    I would CHOOSE to get up early when I want to go and do outdoor stuff.
    I would CHOOSE who I interact with
    I would CHOOSE to be where I WANT to be each day.
    I would CHOOSE to not have a boss who is an ads

    This is the difference that Financial Independence would make to me as I may continue to have a job, but I would be able to CHOOSE a job that meets my needs, and if a job that did this wasn’t available I could still continue to do the things I wanted to do.

    I hope you don’t miss the time away from work too much next week, and that you can get to CHOOSE the things you WANT to do.

    Best Wishes
    FI UK

  15. Thanks for tackling a common misconception about early retirement and financial independence. People regularly assume that: one, FIRE folks must hate their jobs and, two, if you love your job, there’s no reason to worry about achieving financial independence. If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life…stuff like that. But options are good, and this is the best way to achieve the most options.

  16. DM, Great topic. I leant from someone who reads my blog early on that it’s all about having the option to do whatever you want to. If that’s what you do day to day, 9-5 then great. If it’s not, then you have the option to indulge in whatever that passion may well be.
    It’s an interesting comment on putting the list together and seeing if you work item falls as one of those top passions. In my case, I have a bunch of passions and interest outside work. I’m just not sure that they would fill the 40 hour void outside of doing what I do. Scaling up interests into full fledged passions that can have a significant amount of time devoted to them is something I still need to work on.
    Fortunately, I’ve got 8 years to figure that out! Best!

  17. For the last two years of work I took six weeks off a year. It was glorious. That’s when the temptation struck to just have total freedom. I think 10-12 weeks off a year is the perfect amount!

    Sam

  18. I completely agree. I also think it’s important to note that most jobs are created to drive profitability for a company. They are not designed to provide fulfillment to their incumbents. Yes, if everyone could pursue their passion and get paid for it, it would be a wonderful world. However, this is not the function of most jobs. Net, it’s very challenging to task humans to find most of their fulfillment in jobs when jobs aren’t created for that purpose. I think FI is very attractive because it allows people to find passion outside of the construct of employment. I commend those like DM who start to receive income from following their passion, but also recognize that many who work at their passion daily may never find an income source from it.

  19. Christoffer,

    Couldn’t agree more! It’s not about having a hatred for your job, but rather a love for everything else that matters to you in your life. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by all the way from Sweden.

    Best wishes.

  20. Jason, You are absolutely right about the freedom aspect of life. I worked for the same employer for 37 years and liked my job very much and never thought much about retirement. I have now been retired for 12 years and that came because my company was bought by another company and was the reason I retired. I have never been happier since actually being forced to retire because of the buyout. Freedom like you say is all about doing and being what ever it is that makes you happy. It surely isn’t the same thing for everybody but until I actually experienced the freedom you talk about it was foreign to me to even think about because I was actually happy on my job. The freedom you speak of is way beyond being happy with your job because even though you may be happy with your job you don’t have that freedom that comes from not having to go to that job everyday like it or not.

    You were smart to see what real freedom is like even if it was only for a couple of weeks but I believe you are even more motivated today because of it. I can tell you that since I have had that freedom for 12 years now it only gets sweeter with time. Since retiring I have moved four times to different parts of the country just because I can, to experience what it is like to live in different parts of the country. I lived and worked in one area for 62 years of my life but now have the freedom to live wherever I like.

    You have the right idea. Stay the course and live your dream and yes dreams do come true if you truly believe in them.

  21. FI Fighter,

    Totally agree. There’s so many benefits to seeking, and eventually achieving, financial independence, and yet no drawbacks. I honestly can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to seek it out?

    And I’m in the same boat as you. I just never got the appeal of the daily grind. It’s just such a time suck to create value for everyone else but yourself. And, yeah, you may really love what you do today…but will you love it after 30 or 40 years? I mean I love working out, but if the gym called me at 6:30 and advised me I needed to come in for a workout by 7 a.m. and keep working out until 6 p.m., and then repeat this daily schedule for the next 40 years…well, I wouldn’t like working out very much anymore!

    Thanks for stopping by. I never assimilated either, which is actually to our benefit because it led us to what we’re doing now. 🙂

    Best regards!

  22. Brian,

    I don’t agree.

    I’ve had a great little preview of exactly what FI looks like over the last two weeks.

    Not only am I not bored at all, but I’ve felt more alive than ever. I’ve been focusing on what makes me happy. I’ve been spending time with people I care about, staying active, writing, inspiring, managing my investments, sleeping a lot more, relaxing, communicating with like-minded individuals, etc. It’s been simply fantastic.

    Again, it’s not about hating what you do. The whole point behind the article was to not think about whether or not you love your job. FI gives you complete freedom. It gives you choice every single day. And that alone can really boost how you feel about your job, and life in general.

    And like I was saying in the other comment to FI, there are many things in life I love. But I need variety. To spend 50+ hours per week on one thing over and over and over again for decades is just not for me. Never has been, never will. But that’s just me.

    And, like I said in the post, achieving FI doesn’t mean you need to quit your job that second. You can keep working if you want. Or not. It’s all up to you at that point. There are no drawbacks to freedom, because at that point every decision in your life is completely up to you.

    Thanks for stopping by and offering the perspective!

    Cheers.

  23. The Stoic,

    You’ve echoed my thoughts exactly. As I was responding to Brian above, to me it’s definitely not natural to do something for most of your waking hours for years on end. I need variety in my life. I need to have freedom of choice. I can’t see how that could possibly be a bad thing, but maybe some people are brainwashed into keeping in step?

    The tough thing with a job, however, is it’s difficult to just hop from industry to industry. You need education and skills in many fields, so doing something for five years and then growing tired of it makes it tough to just go from industry to industry. I think this would probably make things a lot easier, but even then you’ll always be on someone’s schedule.

    And I go through phases where I feel really productive and I get so much done, and then other times when I just don’t feel productive. I think this is natural. But jobs require you to be on your game the entire time you’re clocked in.

    Again, it’s not about loving or hating your job. It’s about having passion in life and chasing after it. It’s about bringing value to your life. If your job brings that value and is a passion for you, then consider yourself blessed. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still want freedom over what you do. Because there’s no way to tell that you’ll find that passion in what you do for decades on end, or that you or your employer won’t want to explore other avenues down the road.

    Just my take on it. I want to own my own time because I think it’s a basic liberty in life. 🙂

    Take care.

  24. Rico,

    Interesting perspective.

    I think you’re probably right. There’s probably a certain segment of the population that just plain wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if they had complete autonomy. I think employment is probably a method of control. You’d have to wonder what would happen to humanity if nobody had to work all of the sudden. Would crime go through the roof? Would civilization continue to function? Interesting questions for sure.

    There’s a sheepish element to people in large groups that is quite evident. In any large group of people you usually have a small percentage that exude leadership qualities, and then there’s a large percentage that look to be told what to do. I was involved in some of these exercises back in college. It’s really interesting to see it play out right in front of you.

    If freedom is power, maybe that power is just not meant for everyone?

    Great thoughts there. Really appreciate you stopping by.

    Best regards.

  25. Young,

    I totally hear what you’re saying.

    That’s probably the biggest benefit of freedom: knowing you’ll be able to eat and have a roof over your head, no matter what.

    Just knowing that alone can be a huge stress reliever. Knowing that if you’re let go at work you’ll still be able to keep your home and pay your bills makes everything a lot easier.

    Appreciate you stopping by and sharing that!

    Take care.

  26. RBD,

    I’m glad you don’t mind your job. I’d say you’re in a pretty good camp! 🙂

    I’m wondering, however, do you think your opinion of your job would change if you were completely financially independent with a nice margin of safety?

    Personally, even if I really enjoyed what I do there’s no way I’d continue a daily grind if I were FI. I just enjoy my autonomy way too much. Maybe if I loved a job and they gave me a totally free schedule and didn’t require any set amount of hours then we’d be good…but what kind of job is like that??

    Cheers!

  27. McSaveypants,

    I like the name! I love to wear my mcsaveypants every single day! 🙂

    Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. I wasn’t sure how I’d do over the two weeks, but I already have a really great idea of what freedom looks like. And it looks great.

    I’m totally with you regarding your passions. It’s wonderful to know that you can chase your passions in life without any regard as to whether you’ll be financially compensated or not. Money is obviously a scoreboard in life, but if you already have enough to last the rest of your life you don’t need to worry about the score. You can instead just enjoy the game. 🙂

    Best regards.

  28. W2R,

    Absolutely. We all have bad days, right? And while I personally don’t enjoy my job at all, I also don’t hate it. It just takes up too much damn time for something that I’m not 100% passionate about. I love blogging and writing, but even that might be a little much at 52 hours per week. 🙂

    Thanks for the kind words. Hmm, $10k dividend income and $10k net online income. That’s a great concept. That would definitely pay for all of my bills. I’d be a bit hesitant claiming victory at that point, however, only because online income seems a bit fleeting. I just have very little control over it. Of course, how much “control” do I really have over dividend income, right? I can choose the highest quality companies in the world and diversify like crazy, but I still don’t actually have control over how much money they give me as a shareholder. I think I could probably get to that 10/10 split within the next couple years or so at my current pace. Although I wouldn’t be completely FI because I’d still be relying on a “job” of sorts for the online income, it would certainly be a much more enjoyable existence. And, at that point, the journey to full FI would be a lot easier.

    Thanks for stopping by. Always appreciate your thoughts.

    Best regards.

  29. thehappypotamus,

    Hey, thanks for commenting for the first time. Much appreciated! And thanks also for your readership.

    Great name. This must be the day of great names. First McSaveypants, and now happypotamus. 🙂

    I appreciate that perspective. Your vision is exactly what I was referencing in the article. You can do what you love, and I encourage that. Nobody wants to work 40 or more hours per week at a miserable workplace. That sucks. But even doing what you love comes at a cost. Every activity competes with every other possible activity, right? And so every hour you’re spending at work teaching is an hour you’re not spending doing something else. You may find that tradeoff worth it now, but one day you may not. Freedom allows you to take the other path.

    And thanks for appreciating the content. I was going to just store up the articles in the hopper and release them on my usual Sun-Tues-Thurs schedule, but then I thought about it and decided to post them now. I thought the idea of just sitting on a bunch of articles sucked. I’d rather share my thoughts as they happen, and hopefully there’s some value in that. Maybe my blogging will be a little lighter in March as a result, but we’re not all at 100% capacity all the time. I’ve been feeling particularly inspired lately, and I guess I just wanted to share that with the world.

    Take care!

  30. BJ,

    I have found the same peace of mind as you have in having extra money saved up now. When I was working 50+ hours per week with no plan to ever get out and no money to my name I was stressed out all the time. Knowing that I could get by for probably a full decade if I was fired tomorrow with no hopes of other employment is a really great feeling. That does make it not only easier to keep going to work, but also inspires me to try even harder to make more and more progress. Success begets success. 🙂

    Thanks for the thoughts.

    Cheers!

  31. Spencer,

    I just watched the video, thanks for sharing. Very interesting talk. I always find the TED talks pretty fascinating.

    I think it’s not just intelligence that can be maximized by the number of possible options and variables, but happiness. I know that I’m a much happier person when I feel like my options are almost limitless. And that’s kind of how I’ve felt over the last couple weeks. I feel like every day is an opportunity to do whatever I want. Whereas when I’m at work I’m bound by the options placed in front of me by an employer. That kind of sucks, right?

    By the way, it was interesting stage. The whole background was pop cans. Go Pepsi and Coke! 🙂

    Best regards.

  32. FI UK,

    Absolutely! It’s about choice. Whether or not you choose to go to work when you’re FI is still a choice. And that’s a choice not many people have. Most people have to go to work, whether they like it or not. But having complete choice in your life is really priceless. I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t want that kind of liberty.

    And, like I was saying in the above comment, my choices over the last two weeks have been pretty much limitless. While at work I’m extremely limited. I must answer my phone when it rings. I must write a repair order when a customer comes in. I must put estimates together when a technician provides them. And I must solve problems as they’re presented to me. I also must clock in and clock out when my employer designates, and eat during a specified time period as well.

    Who wouldn’t want complete choice over all of these things? Eat when you want to? Wake up when you want to? Go to work when/if you want to? Have relationships with people that actually mean the most to you? Drive through rush hour only if you want to?

    To me, choice is everything!

    Cheers.

  33. DB40,

    Options are definitely good. How could you not want to maximize your options in life?

    I’ve had many people contact me over the years and wonder why I’d continue working at a job I must clearly hate. But I don’t hate my job. It’s just that there is nothing in this life that I want to be forced to do for 50 hours per week, decades on end. That’s just me.

    Complete freedom of how you spend your time is such an amazing concept for me. And I feel really blessed that I’ve had a little preview of it over the last couple weeks. Whether or not you spend that freedom at a job is irrelevant, because at that point you’re doing it by choice. That’s a vast difference from the billions of people out there that must do it because otherwise they’d be starving and homeless.

    Best wishes!

  34. Integrator,

    I’m quite sure that over the next 8 years you’ll figure out exactly what you love to do.

    And I don’t think every hobby or passion has to be scalable. Some will, some won’t. But it doesn’t matter, because once you’re financially independent (earning that $65k/year!) you won’t have to do any of them for money. You can hop from passion to passion as your interests in them come and go.

    It’ll be a great time for you, because you’ll probably learn a lot about yourself. I know I’m excited to reach FI and become the me I was meant to be. I’m sure I’ll learn many new things about not only what I love, but also what I’m capable of. And that’s worth the price of admission alone. 🙂

    Cheers.

  35. D-S,

    See, you’re life is dominated by money right now because you don’t have enough of it to do whatever you want. And money is the scoreboard of life, right? We all keep score by money. The more you make, the better off you are.

    But money is time. And once you have enough money to actually buy all of the time remaining in your life you’ll have no such constraints. And, I think, that’s when life really begins! 🙂

    Best wishes.

  36. Sam,

    I’d love to have 10-12 weeks off per year. And, perhaps, if I was given access to such a schedule I might not be in such a hurry for financial independence. Unfortunately, that type of time off is a pretty rare bird here in the US. In my industry I’m looked at funny for even taking my full two weeks off. You wouldn’t believe the jokes I took for taking the two weeks off. Everyone asked me what I’d do all day, as if I have no life outside of work. It’s really amusing.

    I think I’d rather just buy 52 weeks off per year, and then work when I want. That seems like the way to go. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best wishes.

  37. Nicki,

    Absolutely agree. Jobs aren’t designed to be delightful; they’re designed to be productive for a company. In exchange for that productivity, a company pays you for your time.

    But as I get older and older that time becomes more and more valuable to me. And I’m getting to the point where I don’t want to trade off my life energy for a paycheck. It works for now because I need the money, but once I no longer need the money…well, I’ll move on to the things I value in life.

    Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it!

    Best wishes.

  38. Bob,

    Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing that. That’s a really inspiring story there.

    That’s awesome to hear that you’ve moved on in a healthy way and found passions you never knew you had. Similarly, I’m looking forward to learning more about myself once I have the freedom to do so. Two weeks of freedom has been great, but it’s just not enough time to really explore life. It’s enough to certainly expand my passions a bit with writing and fitness and what not, but not enough to do anything really big.

    And I LOVE your idea of traveling around a bit and living in different cities for a while. I also have a bit of a dream of maybe living in a number of locales throughout my life. I get kind of worn out one place after a while.

    So it would be great to maybe go back home to Michigan for a few years, and then maybe move overseas and live in Thailand or Ecuador for a few years. Then maybe try out the Pacific NW like Portland for three or four years. Once the place becomes boring, you can move on to a totally new area.

    Of course, this idea sounds good only if I had a significant other to do it with. So they’d have to be financially independent too, or I’d have to generate enough money to pay for both of us. Or, they’d have to have mobile work or be able to get work easily in different areas. Doing this by myself might get depressing as I get lonely quite easily.

    Thanks again for sharing your story. I really appreciate that perspective. It’s so interesting to hear from someone that loved what they did and had no plans to quit, but was forced to and really found a better side of life. 🙂

    Keep on enjoying your life. You worked hard for it!

    Best regards.

  39. Two weeks of freedom does not give you a proper perspective of what the next 45+ years will look like, assuming you live to a ripe old age but I really do hope it works for you. The reason I brought up my brother’s stepson’s retirement basically at the age of 21 was to illustrate what it would be like to have no structure and no reason to get up for 60+ years. I couldn’t do it, but I suppose it is a dream for many & I wish them all the best.

  40. Dm,
    This article hits home! Sad to say but right now I’m hating my job, not only it is a dead end but also compensation is not enough to achieve my monthly financial goals, Oh boy the strings I have to pull to make it happen. Good news, I am so over it and actively looking to get out of the rut.

    On my quest for financial freedom, the only aspect that I am not shortchanging is my love of travel. There is always money on my Travel Fund and nothing gives me more pleasure than spending it. Once I dreamt of practicing Yoga by the sea and on November of 2013 there I was in Riviera Maya.

    I want to live more. I am choosing to live more. This is what it sums up to.

  41. Brian,

    You bring up a good point and it prompts more discussion… And I do believe Jason has addressed this in previous articles…

    There is a drastic difference between earning your fortune as opposed to having it handed it down to you as an inheritance. Anyone who has had to start from square one and build up their net worth has acquired the ability to manage money. This type of individual is much less prone to waste it, and can fully appreciate how much hard work it took to get to this point.

    On the other hand, if you have nothing and suddenly find yourself a millionaire, of course you don’t know how to handle it. If you had given me $1 million back when I was 18, I can assure you that I would have spent it all by now… Maybe the bad experience would have even caused me to become jaded with money and perhaps I never would have started my own journey to early FI.

  42. I generally enjoy the technical stuff I do at work and I also enjoy the camaraderie. But the politics, backstabbing, commute, the requirement to be there 40 hrs/week, and the beaurocracy really spoils the fun. There are days when I simply don’t feel like going in. Today I had a particularly long day and by now I am just totally spent, how can the rest of the evening be any fun when I’m this tired?

    I feel that devoting this much time to a job doesn’t allow me to explore other things in life.

    I think the biggest obstacle for most people is that work defines who they are. They can’t handle developing an identity that doesn’t involve a 9-5 job. Then there’s also the need to keep up with the Joneses.

    I can’t say I am much better than others in that regard, but I think I am less affected.

  43. Yet another golden post, Jason. All of us here took the red pill, and we see the “9 to 5 ’til you die” bullshit exactly for what it is. Practically my entire career has been in “save the world” positions such as environmental conservation and alternative energy, and yet its still tainted with politics, unrealistic expectations, excessive demands of my time, etc that leave me too jaded to want to do this indefinitely.

  44. If I were completely FI with a nice margin of safety, I would probably not be working at my current job. it would depend on how much margin of safety there was and my age. I mention age because I have young kids and living FI without a job and having two mouths to feed would make it much tougher. But when they are closer to leaving the house, the possibility is more realistic. I ran some models recently and it could work if I stay on track. Enjoy may be too strong a word for what I do. I enjoy moments there. But I’d much rather be doing something else!

    The worst part is having to be somewhere, or doing something, for a fixed period of time. At least being debt free I don’t have to be there. But its driving the goal.

  45. FI Fighter,

    Great points there.

    I actually know firsthand what it’s like to be given some money at a young age. I squandered away my entire inheritance when I turned 21. Luckily, it wasn’t enough to retire off of or else I might really have some regrets!

    And I actually just very recently talked about how having time off when you’re in your early 20s and not real sure what you want out of life and having this kind of time off when you have clearly defined goals is much different.

    But we all must learn at our own pace. They say youth is wasted on the young. That’s probably true to a degree.

    Cheers!

  46. Buybabybuy,

    Terribly sorry to hear of your predicament.

    I’ve been there. I know how difficult that is. I spent my early 20s waiting tables and at one point I worked at a call center for $11/hour. These were definitely jobs without any type of advancement or future.

    Better days are ahead though. Keep working hard and keep your head up! 🙂

    It’s great to hear you’ve already identified a major life passion for you. I haven’t traveled a lot yet, but I hope to one day travel a lot more. My girlfriend has a young child, so it would be really difficult for us to engage in any type of long-term travel right now, but you never know what the future holds.

    I think you’re making a great choice in choosing to live more. The future you will be really glad the you of today is taking the right steps toward freedom.

    Best wishes.

  47. Investing Pursuits,

    You nailed it. It’s all about choice. And what you do with that freedom, once attained, is all up to you. Work or don’t work. Travel or don’t travel. Sleep in or wake up early. Once you’re financially independent you can custom design your life however you want. And I think that’s amazing.

    Take care.

  48. Spoonman,

    I totally hear you. Even if you really like the actual work of whatever you do at work, there’s all the negative effects that can eventually wear you out. But if you have no other way to meet your obligations in life you’re kind of stuck.

    And the time suck aspect of work is the biggest problem for me. I simply have too many things I enjoy in life to spend more than 40 of my waking hours at a job creating value for someone else. My interests and passions are diverse. And I’ve just never identified myself by a job. I suppose if you find a piece of your identity in what you do that would definitely make it more difficult to detach from the full-time gig.

    I’m looking forward to later this year and seeing how you do with FI. I think we’re a lot alike, so I’ll live vicariously through you as a precursor to my own experience.

    Cheers!

  49. Josh,

    The red pill. I love it! Great reference there. Couldn’t agree more. 🙂

    Very interesting perspective there coming from someone who has worked in positions that many of would view as probably quite fulfilling and enjoyable. I’m glad you stopped by and shared that.

    I often have people ask me why I don’t go into the finance industry. Perhaps become a financial advisor. But the problem is that I’ve also been emailed by people in the industry who are just as anxious to achieve financial independence as I am because of the office politics, sales quotas, moral ambiguity, time sucks, meetings, backstabbing, rumors, etc. It’s really all of the same stuff that the rest of us deal with.

    I’ve realized that the grass isn’t greener with any other job. The fact is that all jobs have the same shitty, brown grass. I’ll take my chances with financial independence.

    Best wishes.

  50. Hi DM,

    Great topic! Not quite sure where I would exactly fit in. I had a fantastic career in my twenties & til mid thirty, climbed up the career ladder + was paid a generously high six figure salary. The price I had to pay for this was big. Too big. There was an enourmos amount of pressure put on me + 70-80hrs work per week etc. In hindsight I wasn’t happy. I completely lost the connection to myself. Thousands of people would have killed to get my job. I decided to leave it.

    To cut a long story short, I left the job & decided in my mid thirties to go through a complete life/career change – I began to study what I was not able to do right after school (just about to finish my degree in Psychology), I met the love of my life + am now a proud father of a small daughter.

    The price I have/had to pay for this is to give up some of my financial security/freedom. Perhaps some kind of advance payment. However, I gained so much during that time + for the next 20 years of my career I will now be able to work in a field that I truly love and where I will be able to do something meaningful.

    Both my wife and I are able to live on part-time jobs which allows us to have a lot of quality time to us and for our little daughter. We are happy with that degree of freedom and would not change the way we live even, if we would have another x million available to us.

    Perhaps I am saying that I prefer to use some of the financial freedom already now to see my little daughter grow up + during a time where we are still young enough and healthy. Who knows what the future will bring.

    All the best & greetings from sunny Europe
    D

  51. Pingback: Weekend reading: financial independence, insured annuity, and more | AAFS Insurance
  52. Certainly always a matter of perspective and looking at different ways to maximize your potential for early freedom. What happens if you go to an 8k/8k/15k split between dividends/writing/part-time work. Given your current work experience, I’m sure there are auto shops who would love an experienced part time service advisor. Work two days a week, make 12-15k per year. Add in the dividends and writing income, and you are still building wealth and saving. If anything, you’ve put yourself in a position to expand your writing (freelance and here) while still allow yourself to grow your dividend stream.

    I am of the opinion that you will no longer be in your full-time job by the end of 2015. 🙂

  53. Couldn’t agree more. I think if you have a healthy stash/insurance account just in case the job doesn’t work out for whatever reason.. it’s always a good thing. You don’t have to be fired. You could become disabled for a short period of time; and unable to work. It’s always good to know that other income streams can be relied on.

    Great post. I’ve been following your blog for about a month now; and the posts are always well written and thought provoking. thanks.

  54. I actually enjoy my work now. Being a consultant for an automaker is frustrating, but it’s nice to have an impact on such a sprawling company.

    I’m with you though. A true measure of wealth is freedom. Freedom to choose $ millions in salary working in corporate America, time off with family, travel, sitting on your porch drinking lemonade, or just sleeping. Wealth is about choice! I hope one day I’ll be there. I don’t like the feeling of being attached to something because I NEED it. I would hope that one day most parts of my life are part of my life because I WANT them there.

    Great post again. Have a nice weekend.

    Ravi

  55. I find I’m constantly at odds with myself. The job I have is not especially lucrative or in a field I care about, but it’s easy, close to home, and I’m good at it. I still apply for the jobs that I’d consider myself successful if I had them, but then I might lose a great deal of the convenience of this job. The only consistency is that I always want to own more quality stocks.

  56. one of the most powerful experiences that I have ever had was when I began my working career. I was working for a large oil company in northern Canada. At that time, for people that were ready to retire, they simply filed a request for the HR department to send a statement saying what they would recieve for a pension. Everyone assumed that because we were all paid a relatively high wage, the pension would be good. One of the tradespeople that I worked with was having health problems and he was ready to retire. He expected to live on his pension from the company as he always spent his wage. He opened his statement in front of a group of us. It was hard to watch him as he realized that the pension that he would be recieving would be a thousand dollars a month after 20 yrs service. He had no options, and it was all he could do to keep himself composed. That was hard to watch.
    It really impressed on me the need to work towards not needing a paycheck some day.
    I only ever invested in raw land and stocks, and have I taken some big hits over the years, but kept going. When I did reach the point where my wage was replaced with investment income, it was a really liberating feeling. There was a lot of sacrifice involved, looking back, I’m not convinced it was worth it. The options that money gives you is nice, but I sold too much of my time for assets.
    A noble pursuit, I agree, don’t lose sight of the fact that money doesn’t buy everything

  57. D,

    Great comment there. Glad to hear that you figured out your priorities early in life. Marginal utility is an important concept to fully understand, and you figured out that once you have enough money there’s just bigger and better things in the world to focus on.

    And I agree that it’s important to find balance in life, with all things. Not just money and time, but personal growth, continuing education, human connections, family, and even career growth. It’s all about being a well-balanced individual, not loving or hating a job. Unfortunately, when a job demands too much of your time it throws this balance off and that’s where the problems start.

    Glad to see you’ve found your balance. And look at the reward: a loving family, a daughter, and more time to spend with them. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by from Europe!

    Cheers.

  58. jm,

    Thanks for the kind words. And thanks as well for following the blog. 🙂

    It’s never a bad thing to have a stash around, just in case. You simply never know what tomorrow will bring. And although money doesn’t buy happiness, it sure buys security. And having that security of knowing that you’ll be okay if for some reason you find yourself jobless is priceless. It goes beyond just an emergency fund, and knowing that you’ll be able to eat for five or six months if you lose your job. It’s about knowing that you’re okay in life, and that just about any speed bump that comes your way won’t take the wheels off.

    Diversifying your income streams is incredibly important and rewarding. And not just rewarding in the physical sense of the money, but psychologically as well. I wrote about that a while ago when I compared the risk of having just one paycheck (the day job) to 50 (50 companies in a portfolio sending you regular dividend payments). I know which situation I’d rather be in!

    Take care.

  59. Ravi,

    Glad to hear you enjoy what you do for a living. That’s an enviable position to be in!

    But, like you say, choice is still invaluable. To know that you could quit at any time because you don’t need the money, yet still choose to go in because you genuinely enjoy the unique challenges your job provides means you’re living life on your terms. You choose what you do and do not do. Freedom is choice – the choice to basically custom design your life to your needs, desires, wants, and passions. It’s really an incredible concept.

    Best of luck with attaining freedom while still enjoying the path. 🙂

    Take care.

  60. Kevin,

    Well, if you can continue doing what you’re doing while also building up your portfolio in the meanwhile you might get the best of both worlds. And then maybe once the portfolio spits out enough income to cover, say, half your expenses or so then maybe it might be time to branch out and do something that you’re more passionate about. At that point your risk is significantly reduced in case it doesn’t work out.

    The great thing is that you’re building options. The passive income stream will slowly start to cover more and more expenses, and every new milestone opens up new opportunities. I’m currently waiting for the day when I can proudly claim that I’m able to routinely cover half of my expenses via dividends. At that point I’ll feel like I’ll have a whole world of options open to me. Knowing that I have all kinds of choices in front of me really reduces my stress.

    It’s like bits and chunks of freedom are coming my way in building the portfolio. It’s not like you go from chained to completely free all in one day once you claim financial independence. Rather, I find that freedom comes in bits and pieces as the passive income builds and covers more and more expenses. You could say I’m about 25% or so free right now, which is a wonderful feeling!

    Best regards.

  61. wkg,

    Thanks for sharing that.

    I couldn’t agree more. Money definitely does not buy everything. It can buy security in the form of shelter and food, but it doesn’t buy happiness.

    I plan to give up millions of dollars by quitting my full-time job by 40 years old. But I’m okay with that, because I’d rather gain access to time. Money can always be made and spent, but time, once spent, is gone forever. I realized early on that my time is extremely valuable. It’s really all I have in this world. Once my time is gone I cease to exist – at least in only form I know. To trade away the most valuable commodity I have for more money once I have enough of it seems rather pointless to me.

    I’m glad you’re liberated, but I do hope that you get to enjoy your time now that you’re on the other side. As I was mentioning early, life is all about balance. While I feel out of balance now because I work too much, I’d also want to be careful about chasing after freedom too aggressively to where I lose focus on the here and now. I think I’m guilty sometimes of having my head in the clouds, and need to stay grounded. Thanks for the reminder.

    Best regards.

  62. W2R,

    If I could cut my hours and pay in half tomorrow I’d do it. No questions asked. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I’ve never actually seen a part-time service advisor. I suspect that’s because of the fact that once you check a customer in you’re their liaison until the job is done. So if you check them in on Monday, and they call in on Tuesday for an update and you’re not working…well, I can see how that could lead to issues. Also, many repairs have unexpected issues. Not being there to discuss these with the technician can also be an issue. I suppose if you had a really good team in place that watched everyone’s back it might work, but I’ve never seen it attempted. And that’s really why I work so many hours. I’m there for as long as the dealership is open. It’d be nice if we could do rotations (come in early or leave early on certain days), but management doesn’t even allow this because then we’re not there for the customers. It’s understandable, but draining.

    While that scenario might not work in my current field of employment, I do remain open-minded on doing some kind of dividend/writing/part-time work split down the road, even if the part-time work is in a wholly new field. By the end of 2015 would be amazing. We shall see!

    I hope you’re able to unlock similar opportunities down the road as well. You’re doing great already, and your income streams are even more diversified than my own. Keep up the great work. 🙂

    Best wishes.

  63. I hated my last job by the end. And as of yesterday noon, I started liking my new job (now that I’m getting to know what I’m doing).

    Financial freedom is about just that: freedom. For me, it means ditching the paying jobs–I’d rather be a volunteer tutor, read library books, get my exercise in, customize my stuff better, audit classes, plan parties, meet my friends for picnics at their jobs, etc. In general, I feel sure I’m better at thinking of fun stuff for me to do than any boss would be. Admittedly, I don’t have my dream job.

    But for everyone, financial freedom makes it easier to do things the way you think they should be done rather than the way you fear your bosses think they should be done. When you’re not coming from a position of fear, you often do a better job at work. And if your workplace is so messed up that this doesn’t work in your favor, you don’t have to panic–you can take your time looking for a better environment.

    Admittedly, some of the things I do will still require watching the clock, doing what people say, and hanging with people I wouldn’t pick out myself (like tutoring and auditing classes), but if it gets too bad, I can stop at the end of the agreement, class, or whatever, (or even in the middle) rather than just deal with it while job hunting until I can beg someone else to hire me–bleh.

    And I might want structure, but I can make my own structure. I can have certain chores for certain days or always go for a jog at the same time–for now I prefer utter structurelessness even though it means I get less done.

    By the way, I don’t think you need a significant other to move around, but you might have to limit yourself to places where you already know someone. For me, that would probably limit me to Dallas, Indianapolis, San Jose, Seattle, the Florida Keys, Phoenix, and Baltimore. I’m older than you, so I’ve had more time to meet people, and my friends have had more time to move away, but you have more blog readers than I do and Facebook has been around a longer percentage of your life (you probably haven’t lost as many friends)! Another idea is to tag along when your friends have to go on business trips.

  64. DM,
    Once the opportunity presents itself take it wholeheartedly. As a single mom I can relate to your girlfriend. So I plan for short trips on the road with my kid. When I went to Europe he stayed I travelled light and hit four countries in a week. I have friends and family there so accommodation is free. Mexico we went together.

    Don’t postpone it to your retirement there are adventures better enjoyed when we are young.

    I hope the near future offers that to you!

  65. Debbie M,

    Glad to hear the new job is suiting you better. I know what you mean about being fed up. I’ve had a lot of issues at work lately, and this two-week break was absolutely necessary without question. I still don’t feel ready to go back in and deal with the day-to-day bullshit, but I’m going to do my best.

    Great point there. Who’s better at thinking up stuff for you to do – you or your boss? I know which one I’d rather have in control of my time!

    I know that my job has gotten a lot easier as my passive income has steadily increased. It’s definitely reduced a lot of stress knowing that as my passive income and portfolio value increases my freedom is coming one day at a time. Plus, it’s great to know that if I were to be canned tomorrow I could get by for probably a decade or so without a problem. Just having that small slice of freedom is amazing in its ability to make my life better, so I can only imagine what having 100% will do!

    And I hear you on the travel. And one can get pretty creative if they want to travel the world these days. Room sharing, house sitting, hostels, etc. all make for great and cheap ways to see the world. I hope to definitely broaden my horizons once I’m financially independent.

    Thanks for stopping by and sharing.

    Best wishes!

  66. I guess I like what I do for a profession.(HVAC installer) I do not Love what I do. They say if you love what you do for work you will never work a day in your life. To be totally honest I am not quite at that point. Work is a means to an end and so is Dividend growth investing.I love it when I get paid buy companies to own them. I am 33 and plan on FI when I am about 50. I have young kids, I love them dearly, but they are expensive. Take care

  67. Oh I forgot to mention. Your writing style is easy to understand and your willingness to reply is awesome.Keep up the great work for all of us! Thank you.

  68. Fozzy,

    I’m glad to hear you’ve got a fantastic goal there. Being able to reach financial independence by 50 would be phenomenal, and well ahead of what most of the population is able to. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your journey.

    I’m also happy to hear that you have a job that you enjoy. I would say my feelings on my job oscillate between not minding it and disliking it rather strongly. I’ve never been able to move the needle to that “I really enjoy it” area. Wish I could, but I think it’s really the amount of time it sucks away from me that bothers me the most. And I guess that’s what’s at the heart of my journey: time. I just want more time for me.

    But I hope you continue to enjoy your work in HVAC. That makes the journey to your early retirement much more enjoyable! 🙂

    And I’m always glad to respond to readers. This blog wouldn’t exist without you guys. So it is I that thanks you.

    Cheers!

  69. Dividend Mantra,

    I agree that is not all about hating your job, but having that safety net for hours being cut or being let go. Still for a lot of people to be able to leave a regular job that brings no extra joy, passion, or satisfaction it is worth getting out or limiting the hours spent there as soon as possible. I would much rather take a job because I want it or enjoy it then because I have to in order to survive.

  70. “I don’t understand people who like to work and talk about it like it was some sort of go–amn duty. Doing nothing feels like floating on warm water to me. Delightful, perfect.”

    -Ava Gardner

    A lot of people go quoting that statement about if you find your passion, you never have to work a day in your life. That’s fine if you are fortunate enough to find a job that is your passion. I’m happy for them but that’s not how life always works. Ageism, office politics, white collar crime, corporate buyouts and lay offs can interfere with a worker’s ability to earn an income and things can get pretty nasty when people are trying to survive in the corporate world.

    Even good people can act nasty when there’s a survival mentality in the corporate world. They will do things to co-workers that they probably wouldn’t do to their family and friends. In fact I’ve only worked in the corporate world for about 4-5 years but I’ve seen enough that I’m turned off. I’ve realized the corporate life is not for me. If you talk to people enough, you realize that many of us are putting up a good front at work. A front of, “I love my career/company.”

    I have many interests and hobbies that I know I can keep busy without a job. The things that I love and already do on a regular basis, do not require a million dollar lifestyle. I long for the day that my time is my own, where I don’t have to be at the beck and call of my co-workers and boss. And as a woman I feel like the feminist movement sold women a bill of goods about careers. Some feminists often deride women who have no passion for careers and want to stay at home.

    Actually women staying at home is often more popular in upper middle class and wealthy households. These days you are starting to see young middle class women opting out of careers if their husband makes enough money. Honestly I don’t blame them. I work because I like having my own money not because I love my job. So for now I keep on saving, I just started investing, and I’m keeping an eye on my health.

    So no I don’t loathe my job, but I don’t love it either. It’s a job but there’s more to life than work.

  71. Another great article. Totally agree. I like the career I’m in but to me it’s about balance. My work isn’t the only thing I like doing yet I have done a lot of working and a lot less of the other things I like doing. Financial freedom will allow me to get a bit more balance in my life.

  72. SWAN,

    I agree. Having a safety net removes a lot of stress from the table. Knowing that no matter what happens to your job you can still have a roof over your head and eat tomorrow is extremely comforting. Even though I’m not financially independent yet, I’ve realized some of this benefit already as work is a lot less stressful knowing that if I were to be fired tomorrow I could probably get by for a decade or more with no problems.

    Cheers!

  73. Lila,

    I like the Ava Gardner quote. I quite enjoy doing nothing as well sometimes. Relaxing is highly underrated, while being busy all the time is overrated. I’d rather work smart than work hard! 🙂

    And there’s definitely more to life than working. I like to say that I work to live, I don’t live to work. Life is way too short to spend decades of your life at a job, especially if you’re not completely passionate about it. And I just have too many passions, hobbies, and ideas to spend my whole life doing one thing for 50 hours per week for decades on end. At least, that’s how I feel now. Maybe I’ll find something down the road that I love so much that I wouldn’t mind enveloping myself in it. But I know working at a dealership isn’t it.

    Best of luck to you in finding more time for your passions while hopefully being able to work less!

    Take care.

  74. EG,

    Thanks for stopping by.

    And I completely concur. Life is best when it’s properly balanced. Tilting the scale too heavily toward work limits your opportunities to work on the things that bring value to your life. While tilting it too much to inactivity can maybe make you not appreciate some of the things you have in your life. I think working hard to acheive financial independence, however, puts one in a great position to really enjoy freedom. Who better to appreciate complete freedom than someone who worked incredibly hard to get it?

    Best regards!

  75. The way most blogs preach FI is in the way of “get out as soon as you can”. As a result, I think people take “FU money” seriously. As in, as soon as I don’t need you anymore, FU! Freedom for a lot of people means just that, freedom to do whatever they want.

    I think a lot of these blogs turn people to hating their jobs so I’m glad you did this post. I’ve noticed it before and notice how commenters attitudes are on various sites. It’s all about perspective really.

    I think a better word than freedom to get the point across is “security” for people that don’t hate their jobs. Maybe you love your job but are just shit at planning and finance. You need to work on that for your own security should that layoff occur or you do one day hate your routine.

  76. Ricky,

    Thanks for stopping by.

    I agree with you. It’s a shame that so many people out there associate the journey to financial independence with some kind of hatred toward one’s job. You put it succinctly when you stated it’s all about security. That’s really at the heart of this. While I don’t have a desire to work a 9-5 till 65, that doesn’t mean that people who are interested in such things should be financially secure. Because even if you really love your job, your job may not always love you.

    Cheers!

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