Any Former Workaholics Fired?

[JestJes]

Hi Community!

This is something I have been wondering about. I would probably consider myself a workaholic. Currently I am working two jobs and taking classes toward a MBA. I usually work a double 3 days a week a regular 3 days a week and have one day completely off where I catch up on homework, sleep, laundry, ext. I'm thinking (hoping) once I get a MBA I'll get a job that pays as much as the side hustle and main hustle (roughly 65K-70K)

This is currently working very much in my favor because I am on a debt repayment journey coming to my senses in my late 20s. I have about 15K in student loans left. I now realize how shameful this is because if I didn't spend that last 7 years spending every cent that came through my hands I could have had this paid off in multiples. My next goal after the loans would be  to purchase a home and start saving towards an early retirement... then?

I guess I'm wondering how people define themselves when they are not working. I have always got a huge amount of satisfaction at work whether its helping someone find a new cheese that they love or closing the deal on a big account. I'm a giant Type A personality. Interacting with people and being a source of advice and comfort brings me a lot of joy.

 Are there any books you would recommend for me? I read Your Money of Your Life and the frugality resonated with me but I really don't hate going in to work in the morning so the thought of buying my freedom doesn't really register. If I never had to work again I feel like I would start finding other unpaid work to do like helping out at animal shelters or something like that.

Just wondering really. I have a good 10-15 years before I can be FI so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Thanks so much for reading.
 

[Fishindude]

I was self employed and always worked 60 hour weeks, lots of weekends and evenings as necessary.   My dad was the same way and that was pretty normal stuff, the way we were raised.

I really got tired of all the "business" stuff related to owning a business; dealing with employees and clients, insurance, collecting, billing, legal compliance, etc., etc. but always enjoyed the nuts and bolts work.   So as I was working, I purchased farms knowing that there is always lots of work to be done on a farm.  The goal was to one day just be able to tinker around doing good old fashioned physical work  and misc. projects every day, on my own schedule.   Been doing it 1-1/2 years now and couldn't be happier.   

I'm an avid fisherman and hunter, but there are only so many days / weeks of that to do every year.   Need other fun outdoor projects to keep myself occupied.   Some of my family thinks I'm nuts, but there really isn't anything I'd rather do.   Three or four days loafing at the lake and I start getting bored. 

[JestJes]

   So as I was working, I purchased farms knowing that there is always lots of work to be done on a farm. 

This is a great idea! I have already spoken to my boyfriend about wanting chickens and possibly having a pig every other year. We are in an apartment now but when we can get some land this will be a game changer.

One thing that I fell in love with is SCUBA diving. If you love the natural world its so wonderful to immerse (literally haha) yourself in a completely different world.  The feeling of weightlessness is pretty awesome too.

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking I'll just keep saving and working now and wait for the burn out to really motivate me.

[partgypsy]

someone just retired from my department, and he and his wife have a farm (small one, but still). Even though he will be retired, he will still be busy.

A friend of mine was an engineer for 10, 11 years and while he did enjoy the intellectual demands of the work, he didn't like having to work for the man, and just stupid beueracratic rules, etc. So he saved his money and slowly bought properties so now he makes all his income off rental properties. He's just as busy as before (maybe even more busy) but he enjoys the work, and likes working for himself and can take a day off when he wants, etc.

My motivation to (someday) being financially independent is not so much so I don't work, but that I have security/peace of mind, that if something were to happen where I didn't have a job, or I can't work, I can still pay my bills. The big benefit to me of retiring would be a) not having to go into the office 5 days a week, and b) having flexibility in my 24 hour schedule. I am a long way away from that, but the motivations of why people want to be financially independent are as varied as ways to get there. 

[use2betrix]

I’ve been a workaholic my whole life. I haven’t had a sick day in the last 9 years, typically averaging 60 hr work weeks with maybe a week off a year and the occasional 3 day weekend over holidays. I’ve had countless stints of 70-80 hour work weeks. From December 2017-June 2018 I alternated 72/84 hr work weeks for 6 months (every other Sunday off). My life has always been a habit of routine, and I enjoy the routine.

What did it for me, was taking my first 4 month sabbatical in 2016. I’ve always loved my routine so didn’t know what life not working would be like. At the start, even my parents said that I’d be “back to work in a week or two,” and I didn’t disagree. Turns out, I can actually relax. It took a bit, but my wife and I bought one way tickets to Asia and ended up staying two months. We came back, and rode a motorcycle through Baja for nearly a month, camping on the beach every other night.

It took that sabbatical to fully understand and visualize my life in FIRE. I now can taste that dream, that dream that I never truly knew if I would “enjoy” or just get stir crazy. I have a lot of hobbies I want to do, but I also just want to travel, hike, etc. Our travel was pretty dang basic.. Motorcycle camping.. We did 2 months straight in a tent on an old military trailer pulled behind our 4Runner on another sabbatical through North America/Canada.. Our next long sabbatical (or FIRE if it comes first) will likely involve an airstream, doing similar trips, but just never having to stop or go back to work lol. We don’t own a home, but will then also find somewhere to settle down, we have absolutely no idea where yet. Somewhere north, likely in the mountains..

I know not everyone is able to, but I would really suggest a long sabbatical for a lot of people for a true evaluation of what they may expect in FIRE.

[Freedomin5]

Who ever said being FIREd meant you had to sit on your porch rocking chair twiddling your thumbs for the rest of your life? Being FIRE means that you can now choose what you want to do. If you want to sit and read, great! If you want to head off to Africa to dig wells or join 18 nonprofits, great! Being FIRE simply gives you the opportunity to live life on your own terms.

[Dicey]

I like this way^^ much better than the way I did it. I got cancer in my early twenties. A very rare cancer, with a "propensity to reccur". Nothing like the big C to scare the shit out of you and keep you motivated to FIRE. Happily, it did not "reccur",  and I did get to FIRE, although not especially early, partly because I always stopped to smell the roses along the way. Good for you for pausing long enough to focus on figuring out what's important.