
Journey
I have been on my journey to FIRE for about a solid 3 years now. I started to be curious around 4 years ago and it took me some time to really dive deep in and buckle down. I have had my ups and downs on this journey. Does pursuing FIRE actually make you happier? It’s a question many including me asked ourselves yet few realize the impact it has.
The pursuit of FIRE is a little different looking for everyone. It rightfully should be as well. Some do it as a single person, couple, married, married with kids and so on. Not only is the pursuit of different, but outcomes will also vary as well. Some people get super hardcore about everything and others take the more leisure route. For some, the journey could take 5 years and others 25 years or even more.
I have met people who loved their current job. Others who could not wait to hit FIRE. I have even met some folks who used that good old fashioned “FU Money” and told their boss to go pound sand.
There are different strategies to achieve FIRE. Some use Realestate as their main path. Others like to trade stocks. I like the lazy index fund investing and forget it path. Especially using M1 Fiance and love their fractional share buying ability for the new investor. Of course, there are those that do a hybrid of all the above and some things I have not even mentioned.
But what is all of it for if not for Happiness?
The Truth About FIRE
That’s right everyone I was wrong about FIRE. I thought it was a great idea and would bring me joy and freedom. I thought as I built my wealth I would increase my happiness. I was so sure about it I loved sharing everything and anything about it on social media. With friends, coworkers, and even family. So much so that I shared my monthly Net Worth Update for everyone to see. But what now?
You see FIRE literally killed my ideology of what happiness was to me. I thought happiness was having that new phone. You know the one that is around $1,000 and everyone waits in line for it and all your friends ask you about it once you have it. I thought it was having that dream vehicle I always wanted. That one that I really didn’t need but really did need. The vehicle that was the latest model that would give me all the looks from people on the street. The one where I would post it on social media and everyone would congratulate me for getting it. I thought it was about being able to buy all that stuff I deserved because I worked so dam hard in my career and every day for it. I mean I deserve it right? I thought it was about buying a home to call mine. Because it would show that I’m successful and finally made it as an adult. No more throwing my money away to rent like a kid. I thought about a lot of things. I guess I just learned this ideology growing up from my environment, tv, radio, and friends. “I was wrong about happiness.”
You see FIRE literally killed my ideology of what happiness was to me.
The Rebirth
FIRE killed my ideology about happiness. In the ashes, a new mindset was born like a phoenix being reborn in the FIRE. I had to say Fuck Normal. I have done a lot of research on happiness over the last 3 years. I have had a lot of self-reflection on my journey. I’m no expert in happiness nor finances. I’m just an average guy who does things a little bit differently than average to get extraordinary results in life.
I now believe the possibilities are endless with FIRE.
I use to think simple things like going out to eat dinner was something I really valued. Now I realize I just was not that great of a cook and had a horrible system in place to cook and clean up. Now I value eating in with friends and neighbors. I value nature and being active outdoors. I love hiking, bicycle rides, running, and going to the gym. I love helping my neighbors in any way I can get more involved in my community. You see FIRE has literally lit a FIRE under me to the point it has shown me what I value the most out of life and what really brings me the most “long-term happiness”.
What Do You Value?
To my surprise, It’s not stuff at all. Actually, the more stuff (no matter how cool, fancy, or pricey it is) has had a very real negative effect on my long term happiness. Yes, I still buy stuff and will certainly buy stuff even pricey things in the future. But I’m more aware of what I want and what effect on me it will have.
You see FIRE has literally lit a FIRE under me to the point it has shown me what I value the most out of life and what really brings me the most “long-term happiness”.
The greatest part of all of this is by learning and being honest with myself it has had a direct effect on my finances. It has made me spend a low amount even in an “HCOL” area. I have even gotten some flak from people in the FI community with my low expenses. People have said they can’t imagine how I am happy spending so little or that I am depriving myself of the fruits of my labor.
The truth is I’m happier today on a 24-hour shift at work than I have ever been spending more money as I did before. I can’t think of anything I need or want that I don’t have. The journey to FIRE has undoubtedly changed me and my life. I am grateful to have found the community and this path.
How has the journey to FIRE changed your life?
This reminds me of a young enlisted couple years ago: They were deciding whether to re-up or not. Had a new baby, and didn’t have a good contingency plan for if they both got deployed simultaneously. It looked like one or both was going to get out…And then they *both* decided to reenlist, and they spent all their reenlistment bonuses on a luxury SUV…while stationed overseas, where the roads were often too narrow for their new splashy vehicle.
I guess they felt like they’d arrived. But it sure wasn’t the decision Spousal Unit & I would have made.
That sounds like so many junior military members. Including myself, I spent too much money and should have saved more.
Thanks for the post! One of the best things about fire is how it makes you re-evaluate your priorities. One of my favorite quotes is, “you can have anything you want, but not everything you want”. A lot of the social indicators of success (cars, houses, etc.) do not necessarily equal being wealthy. A lot of times it just means debt or being chained to a job to hit your payments… and all the stress associated with that if you ever lose your job!
So true and totally agree. It’s funny how most of society views stuff as indicators of wealth. When typically it’s the exact opposite.