I set out to change the course of my life last Feb, and MMM (found shortly thereafter) has been a major contributor of ideas and inspiration along the way. I've finally come to see the full extent to which my future is in my hands, and it's clear that the things I want most will be easily achieved, barring the most extreme disaster. I've done a pretty good job of optimizing finances, and at this point I could slouch my way into FIRE in about three years. But early this spring, I also started seeing signs of burnout, and since then I've struggled to bring down my time commitments (largely for side gigs that supply a good chunk of my investment income and opportunities) to manageable levels.
Over the last week I've been overwhelmed by a new level of confidence WRT eventual success, but also increasingly cognizant of the ways that I've gone out of balance while trying to get there in such a hurry. Fixating on the financial aspects of FIRE to the detriment of fitness and general enjoyment has upped my anxiety levels. I've been eating and drinking too much, not playing around and exercising enough, gained a little weight and am having more dumb fights with DW. I'm always tired from staying up late trying to unwind with Hulu/Facebook/beer. It's time to declare a strategic pause and focus on happiness and health.
After nearly a year and a half to finally feel assured of success on the FIRE path, I'm giving the rest of August to this course correction. I deleted Facebook Mobile so I won't start my day with a dose of ADHD bullshit, or stay awake long after lying down. Rental policies are being revised to reduce in-person visits, and we're lining up paid management in advance for all future buys. I've forced myself to rethink my assumption that biking all the way to work is unsafe due to shoulderless highways - and in fact, after poring over maps today, I may have worked out a back-road solution. I'm going to scout the hard points today and figure out what's passable, but the worst case is 11 miles with only one sketchy spot. I'm clearing the beer out of the fridge so I can get some thinking time in at night, instead of mindlessly killing off the day's stress. I'm gonna do more yoga.
Wish me luck. :)
