Anyone else on track to hit FI in 2022? I'm 7 yrs and 1m out from my date and it seems so far away! How do you stay in the moment and enjoy life while also keeping focused on optimizing your savings rate?
Great question and one I've been working through for the last couple of months. What I've learned from this forum (be sure to check out the post-FIRE posts and Jon Snow's and NinetyFour's journals) is that there's more to preparation for a happy and satisfying FIRE than "just" the financials. Learning that has allowed me to start doing now what will allow me to jump into FIRE with both feet.
That means that, with my budget/investing/savings on track, I'm now turning my attention to:
1) Fitness & health
= main focus for 2015- Jon Snow inspired me on this one. He spent the first six months of his FIRE losing 55lbs and getting fit
- I thought why not get fit & healthy
pre-FIRE? (Note: This isn't always possible for those with awful jobs. I'm lucky that I have the bandwidth to do this now.) => I've lost 30 pounds and found out that I need to switch to a Vegan diet (but need to do this in a way that accommodates the nutritional needs of a budding athlete).
- What has been fun is that I see this part of my FIRE plan - it's part of what I call my "freedom project." Along with my financial work/benchmarks, I now also track getting good vegan nutrition a budget, how to maximize fitness, etc.
2) Figuring out where I want to live post-FIRE
- This is fun because I build my vacations around figuring this out
- I'm seeking a sunny gay-friendly place with access to decent medical care and lots of opportunities to hike
- Shortlist: SoCal, AZ and CO (I'm taking suggestions!)
- I might also end up in Bellingham (WA) or on the Oregon coast (with winter trips to sunnier places)
3) Skills I wish to have in place when I reach FIRE
- Drawing
= starting in 2015- Finally attaining Spanish fluency
= no yet started- Get back to reading in French (used to be fluent in French, now very rusty)
= not yet startedThere's one area that I wish I could build up pre-FIRE, but have had to accept that it probably isn't going to happen. Namely a strong social network outside of work. I'm an introvert with a high people-contact job. The last thing I have energy for is to do even more socializing. My compromise is to invest to the couple of friends I already have as well as my two beloved siblings.
I'd love to hear what your and others' non-financial FIRE preparation includes.