Originally this was going to be a post about my stash. How big it is and how I got there.
And then I read this post by 1500days.
Especially Phase 3 (What am I running to?) and Phase 4 (Figuring the rest out) spoke to me. Because, to my own surprise it has been those parts of the financial independence journey that have appealed to me the most.
I was drawn to the financial independence community because I was naturally frugal and already obsessed with investing for over 15 years, a natural fit. I thought my main interests would be frugal tips and investing ideas (and I do love reading the trading updates of financial velociraptor) but what attracted me the most, to my own surprise was the psychological journey. I especially enjoyed the experiences of the working world Livafi described.
I should not have been surprised. When you go read a travel blog or a friend will tell you about this epic world journey he has done, there will be a few bits about packing his luggage (how to fit the essentials in a back pack) of arranging passports, a place to sleep and stuff like that. But those things will not be the main content because those were not the main goal of the undertaking! They are side effects, consequences of the big travel undertaking. One does not go on a world journey just so he/she can become a bag packing expert. He/she will probably end up a bag packing expert because of the journey but it is not the point of the whole undertaking. The journey, the experience is the point.
not why we travel
And that (to my surprise and luck) is the same with this whole financial independence community. It is actually not about finance or frugal living. Those things are the practical parts. The ‘how do I get everything I need for a 1 year world trip in a backpack under 10 kg’ part. And yes, it is challenging seems challenging (but actually it is not) and I will devote some posts about it. But a Fi blog should be about the journey. And the journey is life itself. How to live and enjoy it without having to sacrifice 40+ hours a week tied to a desk in an office to pay for it.
Wise words Mr FFsloth. I also liked the post by Mr. 1500 and it got me thinking. Still need to come up with some conclusions…..
Not having to work for 8 months does help with those conclusions … Cars do not help 😉