Higher net worth = feeling less motivated at work

[G-String]

I've got a good job that pays very well and with a great DB pension. I'm still a few years away from retirement but recently I've been feeling that the higher my net worth becomes, the less motivated I'm feeling at work. Is this normal? Can anyone else relate? Anything I can do to feel more motivated at work?

[ixtap]

Are you FI or will that depend on the pension?

Many people take this opportunity to push for changes at work and focus on the parts of work that interest them most. Write your own job description to the extent possible.

[G-String]

Are you FI or will that depend on the pension?

Many people take this opportunity to push for changes at work and focus on the parts of work that interest them most. Write your own job description to the extent possible.

FI would be much more comfortable and earlier with the pension.

[curious_george]

I am FI and can certainly empathize with these feelings, since I still work.

I sort of view it as a game though, and just work on what I feel like working on. I have no fear of being fired now so it has actually made work more fun for me, because when I do something or go work somewhere it's because I have some intrinsic motivation for doing that thing and not because I feel financially obligated.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty about doing this but...I still get good performance reviews and still get promoted even after being FI, sooo.....maybe I should have been doing this all along. Way less stress when working for sure.

[ender]

I'm far more motivated to do things I think are important, interesting to me, and care much less about possible consequences.

Paradoxically this makes me better at my job.

[Wolfpack Mustachian]

I'm far more motivated to do things I think are important, interesting to me, and care much less about possible consequences.

Paradoxically this makes me better at my job.

Also, it can make you care less about BSing bosses and give them the truth even if they don't want to hear it which can help things overall.

[bmjohnson35]

Whether it's a child getting more and more impatient as Christmas morning approaches or your bladder getting more pushy as you get closer to the bathroom, I think these feelings are normal. Now that I have been retired for 3 years, I can see how I could have handled things differently while I was still working.  I don't know if I could have eliminated those feelings, but I do think I could have reduced them significantly. I don't have an interest in returning to work, but I now understand that I was making things worse unecessarily. 

I would also echo the other feedback provided thus far.

[2Birds1Stone]

I can totally relate.

Hit 4% rule FI on a very lean budget back in January of 2019. Knew it wasn't enough to retire on forever, but it gave me wandrin' fever.

I ended up quitting my job at the end of 2019 and trying to take a year to backpack the world....Covid happened, trip was cut short, still had a blast for 8 months (13 months of not working) and went back to work for 2.5 years at the end of 2020, at higher pay and with a newly found FU$ mindset didn't let the stress get to me like years passed.

Is there a way to take a break or downshift without completely losing the pension?

[cannotWAIT]

Yes, I recently posted about this very thing, although I don't have a deadline like a pension keeping me in the job. That would be a completely different mindset--both harder and easier, because it would be clearer to me that I HAVE to stay in the job until a certain date, but that in itself would make me feel more trapped and resentful. As it is I am definitely FI at my current very frugal spending level but really want more of a cushion. What I have found is that the more variety I'm able to incorporate into my life, the less burdened I feel by my job. I've been taking lots of short trips and also using my accumulated leave to take Wednesdays off, which is surprisingly helpful.

I will also say that I've been feeling like this for about three years now and as a result have mostly been doing only what I feel like doing and insisting on working from home, and have continued to get great reviews. I don't really understand it but I'm not the only person ever to experience this phenomenon so I would encourage you to give it a go.

Whatever you do, you should definitely stick it out for the pension. I so wish I had realized the value of a pension earlier in my career.

[Must_ache]

I will probably retire when I become rule-of-55 eligible in early 2026.
I work as an actuary and the product I am in charge of is doing well, and because of that I have increasing periods of downtime.  Part of me would like to do different actuarial work and I did get an opportunity to be a consultant at home but for 10% less pay, so I declined.  Talking to others on the discussion boards, I shouldn't worry about "coasting" so much and enjoy the downtime.

[Greystache]

When I was in your position, I just became a lot less tolerant of the usual bullshit. Want me to fly to a meeting in Dallas? Hell no, I can take care of the problem with a phone call. Want to go to a 4 hour meeting? Umm no, that can be done with an e-mail. I had been around long enough to know what the limits were and what truly mattered. I also knew exactly what I was worth to the organization. So I still did my job, was highly productive, maybe even more so, because I said no a lot more.

[clarkfan1979]

Are you FI or will that depend on the pension?

Many people take this opportunity to push for changes at work and focus on the parts of work that interest them most. Write your own job description to the extent possible.

I will echo what others have said.

It's typically not about losing motivation at work in general. It's more about one's willingness to tolerate the unpleasant things at work. Now is the time to make minor changes at work regarding your responsibilities. Focus on the things you like and let go of the things you don't like. If the changes are small and over a long period of time, it's not likely to be a big deal. When I say, "no", I try to frame it as, "I would rather work on X". I'm not directly saying, "no". I'm telling my employer that I am saying "yes" to something else.

[parkerk]

Oh god I can relate to this so hard. I'm making bank in my current position, and sticking with it for another year or so will make a huge difference to our stash, and I'm just hating every second of it right now. When I started I was able to go look at all the extra money in my bank account to help spur me on to keep going, but that's not doing it anymore. I'm genuinely not sure how much longer I can hold out before either I say fuck it and quit or the company notices I'm not doing nearly as good a job as I was before and fires me.

I have no advice, just sympathy. And appreciation for the other posters who've provided advice, of course!

[MisterA]

I've been feeling that the higher my net worth becomes, the less motivated I'm feeling at work. Is this normal? Can anyone else relate? Anything I can do to feel more motivated at work?

We get paid to work because it's not an enjoyable pastime, we put up with it because we need the $$$, and we make the best of it. Work interactions and working relationships can help, as can progression and feelings of achievement. But is it any surprise that when you become FI you start to recognise the reality of work, which is that it is relentless and saps the life out of you? It's a 'red pill or blue pill' moment. This is why we FIRE. And to answer your question, no I don't think you can increase motivation to work when FI. Or maybe I just feel this way because I'm old and grumpy?

[Ron Scott]

I've got a good job that pays very well and with a great DB pension. I'm still a few years away from retirement but recently I've been feeling that the higher my net worth becomes, the less motivated I'm feeling at work. Is this normal? Can anyone else relate? Anything I can do to feel more motivated at work?

I think people are different and are motivated by different things in a work environment. So one persons’ response to you might work for them, but not you.

When I was on the job I was motivated by making meaningful accomplishments and having significant input into the company’s direction. I achieved both fairly early in my career. I was FI for many years before I retired and never lost that motivation. My work world was exciting and rewarding to me.

Others are mostly mostly motivated by developing and strengthening relationships on the job and others still in making money and building a strong net worth.

There’s no right or wrong here: Everybody can win. But I do think its hard to change your predilections.

[effigy98]

As soon as I hit FI and paid off house, I started getting constant promotions. People said something changed with my confidence level. I cannot quit because the pay is absurd now and I usually try to focus on stuff I like and delegate the less fun work. Work from home finally gives me the flexibility I wanted when I started learning about FI. Would have never guessed this would happen.

[Ron Scott]

As soon as I hit FI and paid off house, I started getting constant promotions. People said something changed with my confidence level. I cannot quit because the pay is absurd now and I usually try to focus on stuff I like and delegate the less fun work. Work from home finally gives me the flexibility I wanted when I started learning about FI. Would have never guessed this would happen.

This is a wonderful story. The power of FI is often relegated to the means for retirement while it can be so much more.

[baludon]

As soon as I hit FI and paid off house, I started getting constant promotions. People said something changed with my confidence level. I cannot quit because the pay is absurd now and I usually try to focus on stuff I like and delegate the less fun work. Work from home finally gives me the flexibility I wanted when I started learning about FI. Would have never guessed this would happen.

This is a wonderful story. The power of FI is often relegated to the means for retirement while it can be so much more.

On a forum dedicated to achieving FI so that one could retire early, I would think that the power of FI as a means for retirement is the goal and not relegation.

[Ron Scott]

As soon as I hit FI and paid off house, I started getting constant promotions. People said something changed with my confidence level. I cannot quit because the pay is absurd now and I usually try to focus on stuff I like and delegate the less fun work. Work from home finally gives me the flexibility I wanted when I started learning about FI. Would have never guessed this would happen.

This is a wonderful story. The power of FI is often relegated to the means for retirement while it can be so much more.

On a forum dedicated to achieving FI so that one could retire early, I would think that the power of FI as a means for retirement is the goal and not relegation.

Yeah, well a goal is always nice but life happens while you’re working toward it and sometimes things change.

I think “real” FI is both a goal in itself and an achievement worth celebrating. You never quite know where the freedom, flexibility, and life options you get from FI will lead you. But the important thing is you have choices. If you continue working—and actually find meaning and satisfaction in that— it’s different.  Because you chose it you still won the game.

To me that’s a wonderful story.