For FIRE or close to it, how did you decide what to do?

[catmustache]

This may already have been asked somewhere and I just can't find it, but for people who are financially independent or close to it, how did you figure out what to do with the rest of your lives? Not so much big plans, like travel to Europe, buy a plane or what-have you, but just what you'd do every single day to fill your time?

I've been somewhat lacking in motivation lately because I can't picture what I'd do day-to-day if I didn't have to work to stay afloat, so I thought I'd turn to this forum. 

[nawhite]

I'm a long way off, but I plan to work at a job I love. Kayak instructor at a friends company or pizza chef at a local food truck which is hiring. One idea is to keep your job but start actively looking for something else you'd like to do with your time (other more fullfilling job, volunteer work, major home project, biking/running adventure trip, etc).

Basically rather than thinking about it as, "I have enough money so I should retire because that could maybe be better than what I'm doing now" think of it as "I have F--- You Money! I'll work as long at this job as I damn well please because I can! And when I find something that sounds better to me, I'm outta here because I can! <cue evil laugh>Muah ah ah ah!!!"

Once you have the attitude change, you'll either love what you're doing now more, or recognize something you'd rather be doing. No problem choosing either path as long as it is what you want to do.

[Edit: After re-reading your question it sounds like you may be a long way off too, you just can't picture why it is so enjoyable. I think the F--- You money mindset still works as a good motivation. Think that your are pushing for getting to the freedom to do what you want, even if that is to continue at your current job.]

[wing117]

I'm not close to FIRE, but I think about this quite often. If you didn't have to worry about money, what would you do to help society? Volunteer work? Would you go read stories to children? How about personal enrichment? There are tons of resources for learning now - go learn and invent. If you're a programmer, you could contribute to open source code to help improve projects. Go fishing. Participate in neighborhood socials.

I look at it this way - right now I work a job I'm good at to make money to do the things I love (like woodworking). If I didn't have to worry about the money, I'd be spending a lot of time making things in the shop and selling them - not high volume, high quality. I'd go fishing in the mornings, I'd work on the house, I'd attend socials and bike rides when they came up, and learn more about physics and math, because I'm really interested in that. I'd pick up a telescope and learn astronomy at night, study astrophysics, participate in local clubs and help children learn.

What do you love to do? When you are at work, what would you rather be doing instead?

[travelbug]

For us knowing (and figuring out) what we want to do and what we love has been part of the driving process to become FI.
We will be selling up everything next year, or later this year if our business sells quickly, and travel the world for afew years. We want to eradicate boundaries between humankind and act as role models to our children by living simply and with curiousity.
Once we find a place we love we may settle or we may decide to "season" in a place and become slow travel nomads.
On the way we hope to meet people who are doing amazing things with their time on this planet and we will have the time to join in and make the world better for other people.
I am also looking forward to developing who I am and having time to spend doing things that I love. These may include; yoga, meditation, writing, hiking, swimming, learning languages, salsa dancing, painting, setting up a philanthropic venture...
I am sure these ideas will evolve as I do.
But the essence of what we are longing for is time. Time to breathe and become who we can be.

[LightTripper]

If you are interested in other blogs Retired Syd and Simple Living in Suffolk both have good posts on what post retirement life is really like.

[Ozstache]

Having very recently put myself in the FIREing line, I too have found myself wondering what I will do to fill the days in a couple of months time when work no longer steals them away.

First thing on my list is to unwind. After a 30 year career, and all the sacrifices that entails, it will be great to just kick back my heels and spend quality time doing absolutely NOTHING. I don't know how long it will take for that novelty to wear off, but on the other side I have a bulging "honey do" list to tuck into. 

That'll take care of the extended vacation phase, but obviously that too will pass. Next up will be the list of longer term activities that I've always wanted to try, including the good old bucket list. The content of the list is not so important, as it will depend very much on the individual, rather it is the fact that I have been consciously growing it as I entered into the FIREing zone.

Finally, I have a contingency plan for returning to the voluntary or paid workforce if ER is not for me or my FI finances run aground, thus requiring me not to burn any bridges on the way out that I may need to traverse to get back in. I really don't think it will come to this, but my last 20 years in management forces me to consider the consequences of the risk, regardless of how unlikely it may eventuate.

I truly don't know how any of this will pan out, but IMO that's part of the excitement and challenge of FIREing. Although it may sound as though I have planned my ER in detail, the reality is that my choices in what I do will be far greater than I what I can achieve now and my selection of them will be unscripted (for the first time in my otherwise well-organised life!).