Dear Mustachians,
I feel frustrated. It's taking so damn long to reach FI, even though I'm doing "all the right things."
I'm not comfortable posting exact numbers, but hopefully this is clear enough:
Monthly Salary: x
Monthly Savings: 60% of x
Debt: 0.00 (I've never had debt in my life and don't plan on starting anytime, ever)
Net Worth as of March 15, 2013: 21x (meaning my current stash is currently 21 times as large as my monthly salary)
According to the nifty little early retirement calculator at Networthify (
http://networthify.com/calculator/earlyretirement), I could retire in 9.6 years, at 33 years old.
It feels like an eternity.I know that the logical answer to a faster retirement is to increase my income and my savings rate. I'm doing both things right now. I'm looking for more sources of income (I currently have three) and I'm trying to find ways to increase my savings rate to 65% and beyond.
But how does one deal with the interim? With the rising feelings of impatience, dissatisfaction, restlessness, that come with "waiting for my life to begin", so to speak?
My job is pretty good. It suits my skills and my temperament. It pays relatively well and has good benefits. I have a nice boss and I get along fine with my co-workers. The hours, although not perfect, are better than they used to be. Most days I get to go home on time. I have time to exercise, to read books, and to draw. My family and friends, although living normal consumerist lifestyles, don't nag like other unsupportive family members described on this forum.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hate feeling stuck. I get that I'm in a privileged position compared to a lot of people. I know I'm making steady, definite progress every month. But I can't shake the nagging feeling that I'm going nowhere fast and that I will be in the rat race forever.
It's a terrible sinking feeling. Some days I hate everything and everyone, even though my life is a relatively good one. Sometimes I feel hopeless and totally demotivated. Of course it's an ugly feeling. I don't want to be this way.
Your thoughts and insights are appreciated.