@Imma - agreed, mindset is important.
However, in my case, the health issues almost derailed everything - I was furious and mad at the world!:) Just when I was doing so well FI slid out of my grasp. When I wasn't in pain or depressed I acted out with destructive behaviors which resulted in resignation and debt accumulation to the tune of $16K.
I told myself if I was condemned to days of mysterious pain and no way to ever hold onto my business much less hold a regular job I might as well give up and indulge myself with a gemstone and jewelry collection.
Bad move:) but eventually, I accepted my illness and the consequences and paid off off the debt - no more poor me financial destruction:).
I found MMM looking for help with Mr. R's retirement plans but I was the one who found my tribe and fresh motivation.
It was Sword Guy and a Former Player who helped me realize I needed to set aside emotions and concentrate on the math, it never lies!
They were the catalyst that inspired me to build assets.
Financially, my saving grace in retirement is the pensions I receive. They gave me the freedom to do what I wanted and still build assets if I was careful and optimized the hell out of everything. So the day I "officially" retired I started saving - why not?:).
Who would have thought one could go from barely hoping for $5K in savings to $100K to $200K?+..... It worked!
I am also immensely grateful to my past-self that I held onto a guaranteed, affordable health insurance plan that was part of an annuity benefit. Who would have ever thought this benefit would turn out to become so critical in today's world? I'm on their best plan now, but in the past I struggled to pay for their cheapest plans.
But - due to my age, I didn't want to "just" build assets, when I still had a long list of goals to accomplish. YOLO - Balance.
At that time I had just turned 65 and Mr. R. aged 52.
It was important to me to enjoy life and do a whole series of things while I could, a 3-mo bucket list trip to Europe was just one of them. I made it my mission to check off a long list, one by one, incl things like helping family and friends, car(s), shoring up EFs and elective surgeries... boom - done.
Suddenly, I had even more money to plow into my assets - imagine that, it felt a little weird tbh.
It was satisfying and gave me peace. It took away that feeling of failure I carried with me for having had it all and losing it all.
I will probably never be my definition of rich, but I am finally FI again and secure in retirement.
Life is good, I have a lot to be grateful for, most of all for finding Mr. R. around the time I went back to university at age 50.
He supports all my crazy endeavors and is as steady and pragmatic as they come.
I got lucky:).
I'm definitely not who MMM had in mind when he devised his plan for reaching FI on steroids via a high salary-double income in privileged circumstances.
But hey, here we all are anyway making it all happen despite our differences in circumstances.
Fire isn't a new idea at all. A man or woman of independent means has always been something to aspire to - in every century.