It’s a rather cool morning in August, even by Alberta standards. After a long, sleepless night with a teething toddler – out the door and into the day we go, deliciously hot home-brewed coffee in hand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
A cool wind blows in our faces as we stare out in silence at the nature preserve behind our home. So peaceful and serene.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Water is quickly flowing through the stream below, around the horseshoe bend, and onwards into the Bow River. Trees are rustling in the gusts of wind around us. It’s green and lush out here after all the rain we’ve had this season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Though it seems far away, the water below is close enough you can still hear the faint splashing it makes as it passes over the rocks. Birds are quickly fluttering their way in and out of the trees, with an occasionally audible chirp.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Clouds are quickly blowing by overhead. It smells fresh, like it rained overnight. The ground’s a little soggy but the wild flowers are blooming all around us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Little Finny sits happily and quietly in her stroller, for a brief and rare moment, as she inhales one of her snacks that constantly flows into her mouth these days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Down in the valley two deer lazily munch on their breakfast greenery and plod slowly through the deep grass. I point them out to Finn, who looks up and squints into the wind, repeating “Deahhh” after me. Not sure if she can actually see them, but I enjoy that she humors me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
This.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Slow moments. Slow days. Very literally stopping to smell the flowers. Not rushing on. Enjoying something so simple yet so satisfying. Warm coffee, a cool morning, a great view and good company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
This is what I find so important and fulfilling. I’ve slowly learned to thoroughly appreciate this pace without forcing the moment by and rushing on to the next. It didn’t come naturally, it took conscious effort to slow myself and my mind down.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
When we talk about Financial Independence, it’s always so heavily focused on the numbers. The money. The wealth. The investing. The savings rates. The budgeting. The life hacks. The daily spending. Becoming impermeable to the steady stream of advertising for the next best thing to empty your pockets for. (If you’re interested in more information on these topics, check out our Master the BIG Stuff Series focusing on saving big money on Housing<\/a>, Transportation<\/a>, Food<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While all things money and numbers are completely and utterly unavoidable when discussing FI\/RE, perhaps we romanticize about the second half of FI\/RE and don’t consider the realities that accompany early retirement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While knowing what to do with your money and when to do it, to optimize your path to financial independence is important. When you arrive, what do you think your life will look like? Perhaps you’re hoping early retirement will solve all of your lifes\u2019 problems? Maybe it will, maybe it won\u2019t. You won’t know until you get there, but there are some things you should to consider.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I’m the half of our family who actively focuses more on the lifestyle of FI than the numbers. I’m also the half who’s had a brief stint and true look into what early retirement might look like.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I’ve been on maternity leave for 18 months now (thank you Government of Canada), and just sent my old boss a note stating I am not returning to work (an exciting and liberating, yet equally terrifying experience.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n With FI, you dream of and lust after this day in the future where you will get to say adios to the ball and chain that is your job. You tell yourself, if only you could get there faster, EVERYTHING in your life would be better, be easier. That all the bad would melt away and you’ll be left floating on cloud nine for the rest of your life without a care in the world. I’ve been there, I’ve had these same daydreams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The whole point of Financial Independence is to provide you the freedom to live a life you love. A life that focuses heavily on your own set of values, so this will look different for everyone. And while it may be hard to hear, even once you’re financially independent, it won\u2019t be rainbows and unicorns all the time. Life won\u2019t magically be wonderful, and will still be FULL of hiccups.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When you find yourself no longer formally employed, you may find that adjusting to the change of pace of life is difficult. Setting your own priorities sounds like the perfect life but it can also be intimidating and scary. It showed me how much self motivation I lacked, and planning my day without wasting it all seemed SO difficult. Remember that being financially independent means you may not have to work, but it still involves choosing how and where to prioritize your effort.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To avoid complacency and boredom you will need to keep challenging yourself and learning, or early retirement will lose its appeal quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The slow days where every decision is driven by you, may take their toll on you in ways you never thought of. A significant slowing of life pace can be difficult to adjust to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It’s important to give yourself the freedom to embrace the discomfort that goes along with such a big adjustment but in the process, learn what kind of structure you will need to feel fulfilled each day. If parenting has taught me anything, it\u2019s that human beings thrive on structure and routine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you think about the traditional idea of retirement, most will retire at 65+ and immediately jump into volunteer work, or apply themselves to practice daily what was once a hobby they loved but barely had time for (typical example – golf).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There really isn\u2019t a HUGE difference between traditional and early retirees except the obvious – age and time. Both groups still have passions and goals, the early retirees simply have more time to achieve their goals and relish their freedom. All people, financially free or not, old or young, strive to feel fulfilled and productive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Whatever your age at retirement, humans thrive on challenge. If you stop striving for your next goal, whatever it may be, you will lose all sense of direction and this in and of itself will lead to a dissatisfying life, completely independent of your financial situation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While I haven’t been working in the formal sense for several months, taking care of a child is a whole lot of informal work. It doesn’t pay well either… but I digress.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I’ve made a ground breaking discovery, at least for me, during my trial at this “early retirement” thing. Enjoying retirement, or any version of life, is all about your attitude and perspective. And this doesn’t apply only to early retirement, it applies to life in general.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Hear me out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I hated my commute and the stress of my job. I would drive to work daydreaming about the exciting moment when I would be DONE with it. When I would have the freedom to do whatever I wanted everyday and live my life completely stress free.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What I didn’t realize is that my perspective on life was clouded, perhaps a little by my job, but primarily by my attitude towards it. A valuable lesson I’ve learned recently is that a negative lens doesn’t instantly lift the day that you’re free from the one thing you think is bringing you down.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As humans, we can always find something to complain about. If right now that thing is your job or your debt, realize that your current perspective and attitude towards life will not magically change overnight even if your current stressor is removed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Without checking in on your attitude and outlook on life, if you don’t have your job to complain about, once you retire early our minds will find another irritant to focus on. Thats just how we humans work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What I discovered in my first few months off work, home and taking care of my beautiful new baby, is that NOT working has it’s downfalls also. It’s not all bliss. It’s definitely not all sunshine and rainbows. Stress still exists, just in different forms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You will still have bad days. There will still be stress. You will still have tasks you dread completing. The biggest game changer I discovered was something that you can work on RIGHT NOW, before you even reach FI to improve your overall experience of life. Assess your attitude.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It may sound cliche, but the saying “Life is what you make it”, is true. If your general perspective on everything is negative, and you find yourself complaining (whether internally or aloud) numerous times a day, then early retirement will likely not be a fix all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I described my morning today in the first couple paragraphs. When you read it, it sounds rather blissful, maybe it sounds exactly like something you’d like to be able to do once you retire yourself. I truly stopped and enjoyed that moment thoroughly. I chose to focus on that beautiful sliver of time and describe it to you. What I didn’t mention is that my feet were cold. Finn finished her snack too quickly and started whining. And my coffee was quickly cooling down, and I hate cold coffee!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Because of the shift in attitude I’ve consciously made and continue to work on daily, I’ll look back on that moment and remember how wonderful it was. Not my cold coffee and feet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Whether you are nearing your early retirement or are just starting out on your FIRE journey, shifting your attitude and perspective is something you can work on today. It can make your life better TODAY, wherever you are in life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I’m not encouraging you to look at life through rose colored glasses, but maybe just make an effort to shift your attention and focus on what is GREAT in your life right now, regardless of where you are in your FI journey.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What are your plans post-FI? What do you think your biggest challenge will be? How do you plan to deal with them? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\r\n If you liked this article and want more content like this, please support this blog by sharing it.\u00a0 Not only does it help spread the FIRE, but it lets me know what content you find beneficial.\u00a0 Writing is NOT my strong suit and it honestly takes me hours to write each post so the more encouragement the better!\u00a0 Engaging in the comments below keeps me motivated.\u00a0 You can also support this blog by subscribing to receive emails anytime a new post is published.\u00a0 Thank you FImily!<\/p>\r\n We believe in stacking up life hacks to keep your enjoyment levels to the max without depleting your bank account.\u00a0 Here are some ways to further educate yourself and save thousands of dollars over your lifetime by making some simple adjustments:<\/p>\r\n It’s a rather cool morning in August, even by Alberta standards. After a long, sleepless night with a teething toddler – out the door and …<\/p>\nLusting After Early Retirement<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Traditional vs. Early Retirement<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Consider Your Attitude – Right Now.<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The Reality of Early Retirement<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Support This Blog<\/h2>\r\n
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