I think this oft-reported feeling of freedom is only present in people with a pretty adversarial relationship with their employer. In my case the financial freedom is just hurting my morale because it's always there, quietly whispering, offering to free me from the pressure to succeed. It says "don't bother to get that report out on time" and "you can probably skip that conference call" and "go ahead and let someone else pick up the slack on this project" and "what are they going to do, fire you?" Far from making my work more enjoyable, it's a constant negative influence on my motivation, pushing me toward mediocrity. Who wants to be mediocre?
Who wants to be mediocre?
I think I do.
I've been struggling with this a lot recently. At 44, I'm no longer an eager young go-getter. When I was in high school or college, I often felt I'd do something amazing with my life, and I had a great sense of expectation. Through my twenties I made many productive contributions to my company and, though not the stuff of Google, they are accomplishments of which I'm still pretty proud.
But now, what I mostly feel is tired. Tired of meetings and paperwork, of course - that's a given in any corporate environment. But also tired of my work. I no longer feel like I'm going to make great leaps in my abilities, and I'm no longer driven to do so, either. I'm tired of going to the same office, sitting in the same gray cube, nine hours a day. I'm tired of writing code. If I was saving lives or improving the human condition, then I might feel differently. But I'm not. I'm one of millions of people - billions around the world - who is doing something that will continue if I'm not there with hardly a perceptible skip.
I also don't feel like I am driven to take on a new career. Right now, my desires are pretty simple. I want to hike. I want to sleep when I'm tired, wake when I'm rested, eat when I'm hungry. I want to spend time with people I love, and people who love me. I want to enjoy the years I have left, whether it be forty, or twenty. Or just one.
What I'm trying to do now is to convince myself I'm okay with this. More, that it is okay to
want this. That this isn't a moral failing. Because right now the thought of living my life like this makes me feel guilty. It's not what my parents or society thinks I should be doing. It's not what I think I should be doing. It's a waste. It's settling for mediocrity; and worse, sloth. Hedonism. Lots of words for it - the only one with positive connotations I can find is leisure. I want to be a man of leisure.
I've got plenty of time to sort this out, though. I'm ten years from FI. So for the next ten years, my goal is to be mediocre. I'm getting the job done, and letting the stress slide off. I don't need a promotion. I don't need a raise. I want to help my coworkers do well, and I want the money, so I'm doing my part. But I'm finding that lots of the work I've always thought was mandatory, is in fact extra credit. And I'm done with extra credit.
Sorry - kindof got off point there. To the original poster, anger at people with whom you are now associating on a purely voluntary basis is irrational. There's something else going on there. What do
you want? What is in your way?