Man, totally.
The irony is, that's the typical "bum life". But if you're frugal it's actually better than being a lawyer or in a high-octane position, IMO.
Most of us here are in stressful positions, and we can't think of working until 65. But if you're a hairdresser or sell fruits at the market, it's easy and you can cruise until 65 easily. Which is better?
Oh, I’m still in a super stressful high octane position.
I’m in a profession that’s famous for its rampant suicide rate.
I’m personally pretty cool with intense stress as long as it’s productive stress and not toxic destructive stress.
My last job was nearly double the hours, hence why it was nearly double the pay. I didn’t take any step down in terms of my actual job, I just work less, but actually at a much higher level of performance now.
Working too many hours in an environment that was toxically stressful left me no time or energy to take care of myself. I was unhealthy and miserable and unhealthy miserable people can’t find their best life through frugality because they can’t find their best life period.
So I bailed.
Found a much more prestigious work environment that could only offer me part time hours and required me to invest several tens of thousands in advanced training so that I could make less money, but work in a much more satisfying way.
I made a move that pretty much doubled my timeline to FIRE, but suddenly my work had more meaning, I was doing much better work, I didn’t dread going into the office, and I had a ton of free time for my marriage and for self care.
I finally had the space to figure out how to be happy.
I used my free time to engage in projects and initiatives that interested me and kind of fell accidentally into an amazing business opportunity that will probably make me substantially more money than the original long hours job.
I think there are so many more options between: ‘work yourself into the ground for a solid paycheque” vs ‘be a bum selling shell necklaces on the beach but being happy”
A friend of mine was a university business school prof, he was miserable and stressed and hated the bullshit politics. He was getting fat, drinking too much, and his marriage fell apart, but he was tenured...so...
He had a full on break down, quit with no plan, went to rehab, lost the weight, and now makes more money sitting on boards for corporations, doing some management consulting, and lecturing in China. He works a total of about 50 days a year now. He’s writing a book that will never get published because it’s terrible, but it’s what he enjoys. He’s living a great life.
Most people have a hard time wrapping their minds around just how much opportunity is out there to make money doing interesting things. It’s not predictable, it’s not “safe”, and it usually takes thinking outside the box and looking where other people aren’t looking, but it’s very doable.
Most people on this forum aren’t skill-less idiots who can’t think outside the box. They’re here because they’re exactly the kind of people who can look past what’s expected and get behind new ways of thinking based on evidence and common sense as opposed to fear and social pressure.
The people on this forum are exactly the kind of people who could readily monetize their passions and talents if they tried to.
Living frugally and eliminating debt creates the perfect situation for taking a little more risk and going after passion projects and generally doing awesome shit.
