General Discussion > Post-FIRE

*Control Over Your Life* before-and-after FIRE

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Jon_Snow:
Prior to FIRE, the lack of control over how my days unfolded increasingly became unacceptable to me. It felt as if 80% of my life energy went into my career.

Now, while my post-FIRE days often consist of a similar routine, it is a routine 100% of my own creation. This makes ALL the difference.

Greenback Reproduction Specialist:

--- Quote from: Mr. Green on January 09, 2018, 04:52:28 PM ---When I was in my early to mid-20's I put up with a ton of boredom at work because I knew the industry I was in would pay better than anything else I could do without going back to school and training for a completely different field. I spent 40 hour work weeks with no phone, no internet access, trying to look busy, and feeling absolutely miserable.

I can always look back and wonder if it was worth what felt like several years of torture but I already had early retirement in my head when I was coming out of college, so I knew that career was my best shot at complete control of my time when I was young. And here I am 34 and FIRE. I can't really say whether it was worth all that pain because I don't know what my life would have been like had I just given up the ghost. Maybe I'd be a successful business man. Maybe I'd be a bum. You could drive yourself crazy wondering about the lives you didn't live. Knowing that I'm free at 34, I'm okay with what I sacrificed to be where I am today.

I think this is one area that I could question if early retirement might have hamstrung me early on. If I was just a guy thinking about working into my 60's, I'd have for sure dropped those boring jobs like a bad habit and found something I enjoyed more. My wife and I were frugal be nature so I think if we didn't have a big income we'd have still been okay because saving was so ingrained for us. Hell, maybe we'd still be FIRE but instead of planning to live on 40k a year we'd be comfortable getting by on 25k because we're even better at knowing what basics we really can live on, and what is fluff.

One thing I did learn early on is not to let anyone push me around. I always worked hard and felt that if I was doing my best, then I could have my principals and if anyone disagreed with that then I either win because I'm a harder worker, or my best isn't all that great because I'm just not a good fit for that role, in which case I should do something else anyway.

So I guess what I really agreed to early in life is being locked into that high income all the way to FIRE, like a horse with blinders on. In FIRE, I would never agree to a single thing in my life that I chased no matter what. There are simply times when the effort is not worth the reward, no matter how we'd like for the end result to be what we want.

A HUUUUUUUGE thing for me in FIRE is that I thought all that freedom meant I'd have total control over changes we were making and that they would be easy because we were FIRE. We planned to make so many changes in an 18 month span that it took panic attacks and therapy sessions for me to realize that no matter how in control and easy you might think big life changes can be (because you're FIRE), there are emotional elements to these things you can't just put in boxes and move around like a machine. To that end I now try to pay extra attention to the broad strokes of my life, feeling them out, instead of just assuming I'm the master because I have complete control of my time. I think this is something engineers tend to overlook because we're so focused on the efficiency of the mechanical aspects of a task.

Now that I've dealt with my self-created demons I understand change much better and I'm very excited about the additional big life changes that I know will be coming as we start a family, begin international travel, etc.

--- End quote ---

Wow, this sounds exactly like me and not just the bold parts, I could have made a few entire paragraphs bold... I'm also in the engineering field, so it sort of makes sense.

MrThatsDifferent:
Interesting question. Reflecting on it I realize that my personal circumstances and character doesn’t allow me to not have control or to put up with lack of control for too long. Any situation that I’m not happy with, I change. I either quit or I move into a position where I have control. I have a pretty high self-esteem at work, that doesn’t necessarily apply in all parts of my life, but definitely when I work. Still though, you have to show up at work and get things done and there is always someone you have to report to. FIRE means my own schedule and never reporting to anyone again about anything. Can’t. Wait.

Nords:

--- Quote from: Canadian Ben on January 18, 2018, 06:28:33 AM ---I'm in the military, and both those things are the first thing I will do when I leave :D

And grow a beard.

--- End quote ---
My last haircut was 30 April 2002, nearly 16 years ago and 31 days before I retired from active duty.  It was the first time in my life when I could decide how long I wanted my hair to be.

The ponytail has been awesome, but it might take more fortitude to stick with the beard in warm climates.

Lews Therin:
Canada.

I'll shave off the hair and beard when it gets to summer (July 1st) and then regrow it when its back to winter (July 3nd)

I doubt I`d every get to ponytail length, when it hit my shoulder when I was younger, that was the sign that it`s too annoying, followed by a buzz cut. Cue 2-3 year wait till the next one.

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