People have asked me this question, but I’ve often had a hard time coming up with a good answer. The question often takes many forms: Why not relax a bit; you’re young? Don’t you want to have a more balanced life? When will you ever be happy? Isn’t what you’re doing enough?
The Fire
The reason that I’ve struggled with these questions is that it feels like work to not try really hard at certain things. The feeling is like trying to hold fire in your chest. The longer you try to keep the fire inside, the hotter and brighter it burns. The light and heat builds up and leads to intense discomfort. Initially, the feeling is a general dissatisfaction and a sense that you’re not on your path or purpose. But as the fire builds up, the feeling turns to depression, uncertainty, and great unhappiness.
By letting out some of the light and heat, the fire continues to burn, and may even burn hotter. But because the byproducts can escape, instead of negative emotions, a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment is realized. You basically become the conduit for the burning flame, and the feeling is incredible. The fire in this metaphor represents ambition, while the escaping energy represents effort towards a very important project. When this effort is married to a sense of purpose, a beautiful thing happens. For myself, these projects involve moving towards my goals and building systems to improve my health and wealth.
Dieting and Exercise
One example of this for me is dieting and exercise. I used to drink a gallon of milk per day, on top of my normal diet in order to gain size and muscle. Because I would carry this jug of milk around work, my co-workers thought that I was a bit crazy. But they understood the desire to get bigger. What was weird for them, was when I started dieting. In the course of 6 months. I lost 7% body fat and around 30 lbs. At first, no-one really noticed.
But soon, I was turning down beer and pizza while at 10% body fat. To most people, I was ridiculously skinny. Because I was already very lean compared to most, this seemed extreme to others. I was so focused however on achieving my dream body, that it didn’t really seem difficult or unusual at all. My passion for this goal, daily habits, and systems I built guided me forward until I achieved my dreams.
The Money Fire
This attitude is also how I’ve approached my personal finances. My young co-worker had just purchased a new car and was chiding me for driving around a 13-year-old junker. I told him that I was working on saving 10k in cash, and so wasn’t too concerned with the car that I drove. His response was, “That’s ridiculous. Why do you need all that money?”
The tables eventually turned however when I ended up using some of that money to purchase a new house to house hack. Now I owned a rapidly appreciating asset, renting out the rooms (and gaining landlord experience), and living even cheaper than I was before allowing me to accelerate my financial journey to retirement.
If This Is You, I’m Sorry. But That’s Great News.
The sad reality is that most people don’t have the burning flame inside them. They are relatively comfortable and secure with how things are in the various aspects of their life. To them, you look obsessed and a little OCD. They move through life vacillating from one mildly interesting thing to the next and tend not to achieve as much. The strive for greatness and the sense that something more is available is very difficult. It can feel lonely and there are times where you are envious of others for just being so chill about life. About money. About health. So, your passion and search, while frustrating, can lead to a much richer life full of opportunity. Continue on your journey, find mentors, and look for others like you so that you can support each other.
If This is Not You.
As stated earlier, I can’t relate as well to your situation. Perhaps you feel lost in general. Perhaps you’re hopeless and feel that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, so to speak. Know this, that no matter where you are in your journey, life can change for you in the blink of an eye. There is no reason to ever lose hope, and as long as you have a dream, you have a chance. You have a gift to give to the world, whatever that may be. And if you’re someone drawn to a website about personal finance and early retirement, you’re likely very smart and capable. That is good news.
I would also encourage you to remember the Latin phrase, memento mori. This means, remember that you will die. Time is short, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be achieved today. Get mad. Stand up for your dream. And expect more out of life.
Summary
So, why work so hard? Because you have big dreams and are excited about making them a reality. Not someday, not whenever *insert excuse here gets resolved. But today. Any great journey is really the summation of many small steps.
5 Minute Quick Tip for Today
Review your goals list, and take any action to move closer. Even if that means scheduling time on your calendar to work on it in more detail, or simply calling a leader to ask for their advice.
