Three Months In ... an update

[Bolshevik Artizan]

Hi All,

Well, I did it three months ago and wanted to give an update. I always feel I'm cheating as - although we have non-real estate assets of >$1m, my wife is still working. That said, I'm now FIREd. My situation is that I am spending 50% of my time caring for our four-and-a-half year old son whilst trying to launch a new career as a freelance writer supported by our revenue from investments. We've moved to a near-to-rural area in Western Canada from Toronto as part of this change. I am 46 and spouse is 39.

The biggest thing I wanted to report is that you DEFINITELY (in my view) need at least three months to decompress from corporate bullshit. I read an interesting piece in the British media to the effect that "you can get off the wheel, but you are still a hamster" until you change your way of thinking. It's only in the last two weeks that I have started a) working out in earnest - a big goal for me; b) actually reading, writing, thinking and making pitches to editors and c) processing some of the really very bad corporate politics which were going on at my last firm. One thing helping me make the transition is the fact that I know my successor and he is rapidly encountering a lot of the same crap I went through.

I expect it won't be until mid-summer before I can make any clear judgements about where I want to go next. I remember I asked a question of you, my colleagues in mustachianism, in December about decompression time and got a wide range of responses from six months to none to over a year. My take on this, having done it, is that it's at least three months decompression time, and to be honest probably more. I was on the wheel for 23 years, so...

Above, I should report that I am HAPPIER and sleeping better than I have been in years. No, it's not nirvana. No, I don't wake up every single day fresh as a daisy. But as the days and weeks go by, I slowly realise that I may never again have to face people telling me one thing and doing another, ripping me off, over-loading me, etc etc, and I'm becoming a better husband, father and human being because of it.

Will check back again in another three months or so with another update. Oh, and I should say I've got my first two commissions for freelance work under my belt and am pushing for #3 tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!!

BA

[happy]

Thanks for updating, its always nice to hear outcomes. It sounds like you've made some great choices: enjoy!

[Bolshevik Artizan]

Thanks guys. Will write more in a few months. BA

[Jon_Snow]

Much of this feels familiar to me. Good on ya BA. :)

[retiringearly]

Thanks for the info.

I am starting to flirt with the idea of "retiring" from Corporate America.   I am single, never been married, no kids.  I have retirement accounts totaling approx. $600,000, I own my condo with no mortgage (worth approx. $180,000), I have about $250,000 in income producing real estate investments (loans to flippers, apartment complexes), and 4 single family homes as rental properties that are all cash flow positive (I have approx. $200,000 of equity in them, $300,000 left of debt).  I have approximately $100,000 of cash outside of the rest of my investments.

This website is what is making me think about retiring.  My cost of living is low (I have always lived below my means).  I really do not enjoy my job (I never really enjoyed any job I have had even though I have been successful in my career).

I have a lot of thinking to do.

[Bolshevik Artizan]

Much of this feels familiar to me. Good on ya BA. :)

Thanks Jon. BTW which Gulf Island are you on? we are on Bowen...

[Bolshevik Artizan]

Thanks for the info.

I am starting to flirt with the idea of "retiring" from Corporate America.   I am single, never been married, no kids.  I have retirement accounts totaling approx. $600,000, I own my condo with no mortgage (worth approx. $180,000), I have about $250,000 in income producing real estate investments (loans to flippers, apartment complexes), and 4 single family homes as rental properties that are all cash flow positive (I have approx. $200,000 of equity in them, $300,000 left of debt).  I have approximately $100,000 of cash outside of the rest of my investments.

This website is what is making me think about retiring.  My cost of living is low (I have always lived below my means).  I really do not enjoy my job (I never really enjoyed any job I have had even though I have been successful in my career).

I have a lot of thinking to do.

It would sound as though, at a minimum, a break is possible, which might lead to other things...? Each to their own though... BA

[Arktinkerer]

6 months out myself.  Still have some residual stresses.  Part of this is probably due to jumping from being a company man to a lawsuit about family property and having rental property as part of my retirement.  Trying to worry less about the rentals and artificial timelines.  I've got funds so it won't hurt us if it takes a couple extra months to put a property back on the rental market.  i.e. I don't have to bust my rear end to make sure I can have it ready before the end of the month. 

Gradually slowing down, working a few hours every day on moving things forward, taking a day or two off just because I feel like it--or because my muscles aren't up to crawling under a house every day!  Bottom line is you are very right that it takes time to change your mindset from "It has to be done now!" to "This is the direction I'm going in..."

[Bolshevik Artizan]

6 months out myself.  Still have some residual stresses.  Part of this is probably due to jumping from being a company man to a lawsuit about family property and having rental property as part of my retirement.  Trying to worry less about the rentals and artificial timelines.  I've got funds so it won't hurt us if it takes a couple extra months to put a property back on the rental market.  i.e. I don't have to bust my rear end to make sure I can have it ready before the end of the month. 

Gradually slowing down, working a few hours every day on moving things forward, taking a day or two off just because I feel like it--or because my muscles aren't up to crawling under a house every day!  Bottom line is you are very right that it takes time to change your mindset from "It has to be done now!" to "This is the direction I'm going in..."

Amen! The funny thing is that I went in to the corporate world wanting to get out asap and always swore it wouldn't change me, but it's insidious, it eats away at your capacity for rational consideration slowly, over months and years. I still feel I'm surfacing, will be for some time yet...

[soccerluvof4]

Congratulations! April 3rd will be a year for me and I too still have alot of things I am starting to figure out. It took me awhile in the beginning to even start the thought process because i was self-employed shutting down a business and ended up with a few less bucks due to contracts with vendors on equipment etc.. Just now this week we did our final business and personal taxes so that part makes it finally seem it will be over. Having 4 kids at times I have felt some guilt I had to move past about Not working and providing as it was all work based versus financial based as of course I am still supporting them and even more probably emotionally. Anyhow everyday it gets more settling so thats a good thing.

[Mr.Tako]

Sounds like a pretty similar situation to mine.  I'm about 6 months out and I'm not sure I've decompressed yet or not.

At least the old job doesn't eat away at me at night anymore.  Instead of staying awake worrying about work, I can fall asleep thinking about the various projects I'm going to work on.

[Cassie]

It took me a few months to de-stress too.

[Evgenia]

Amen! The funny thing is that I went in to the corporate world wanting to get out asap and always swore it wouldn't change me, but it's insidious, it eats away at your capacity for rational consideration slowly, over months and years. I still feel I'm surfacing, will be for some time yet...

This. Precisely this. I've been blogging about the mind shift, the change in perspective, because that is the one aspect of FIRE I really didn't see coming. I was so focused on the finances, logistics and timing that I failed to consider the mental and social aspects of FIRE *completely*.
https://evgeniagotfi.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/getting-to-know-you/
and
https://evgeniagotfi.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/the-gloom/

I am at nine months FIRE, and have only recently gotten serious -- and felt capable of actually embodying -- better habits: not sitting in front of a screen, doing my hobbies, getting *regular* exercise. It took me a full six to seven months to even really feel capable of starting.

I sincerely wish you the best, and congratulations. The sleep IS amazing, isn't it?!

[Bolshevik Artizan]

This. Precisely this. I've been blogging about the mind shift, the change in perspective, because that is the one aspect of FIRE I really didn't see coming. I was so focused on the finances, logistics and timing that I failed to consider the mental and social aspects of FIRE *completely*.
https://evgeniagotfi.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/getting-to-know-you/
and
https://evgeniagotfi.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/the-gloom/

I am at nine months FIRE, and have only recently gotten serious -- and felt capable of actually embodying -- better habits: not sitting in front of a screen, doing my hobbies, getting *regular* exercise. It took me a full six to seven months to even really feel capable of starting.

I sincerely wish you the best, and congratulations. The sleep IS amazing, isn't it?!
[/quote]

Thanks Evgenia - or perhaps given our on-line names that should be spasi balshoi dorogaya - I will read your blog with interest. And thank you to everyone else who has posted: it's good to know I'm not alone in taking months to get over, or change.

For those who are interested, I've just snagged my fourth freelance job as a journalist, my chosen new work... my wife is stopping me from doing too much right now though, bless her -

BA