In our last +1, we briefly talked about Vicki Robin and her bestselling classic Your Money or Your Life.
I mentioned the fact that her book was super-popular when it came out 25 years ago and that it’s now become the must-read, go-to book for the growing FIRE movement.
The FIRE movement? Yep.
Ever heard of it?
If you know what I’m talking about, you’re probably like, “YES!! It’s E P I C.”
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re probably like, “FIRE? Uh….”
So…
*straightening the tie I’m not wearing* 🤓
FIRE.
It’s short for “Financial Independence, Retire Early.”
As you could probably deduce from the acronym (you Sherlock Holmes clone, you! lol), the movement is all about creating financial independence and, whether you choose to or not, having the option to retire early.
Frankly, when Alexandra first told me about it, I was like: “Whatever. I have zero desire to ever retire let alone early. Sounds lame.” (Laughing. At me.)
I think a couple months went by.
Then I opened my mind and read the book she got (which is based on a documentary by the same name): Playing with Fire by Scott Rieckens.
It blew my mind.
Then I got a bunch of other books that are a key part of the movement, including A Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins and Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin.
The whole FIRE movement, from my perspective (and theirs), is about a LOT more than just creating financial independence and the optionality to retire early if that’s your thing.
It’s about FREEDOM.
Freedom from the tyranny of compulsive consumption that compels us to continue racing on a hamster wheel of work (that we may or may not love) often JUST to feed the beast that is the nonsense consumption we’ve been conditioned to believe is essential to life.
Continue.
Until we die.
(Hence, the subject of our last +1: Your Money or Your Life.)
So, this whole freedom via financial independence thing is more important than I once thought.
(Because, quite simply, I didn’t think about it much. I just did my thing to serve as profoundly as I could while focusing on Eric Butterworth’s advice to focus on getting my consciousness right and allowing the money to flow in, then I flowed it back out in one somewhat blissfully mindless loop. 😲)
Having said that, I still don’t love the “Retire Early” part of the FIRE movement.
So…
When I was on the Trail the other day I was turning ideas around in my head and thinking about a more philosophically aligned take on the acronym.
Hmmm…
Then it hit me: “Realizing Eudaimonia.”
That’s the ULTIMATE goal of the game we’re playing, right?
(Answer: YES! Hah.)
So… THAT’s why creating FREEDOM via financial independence is so important.
Which is why we’re going to be shining some more light in this direction in the days (and weeks and months and years and decades) ahead.
And, perhaps we’ll rub some sticks together and create some (Financially Independent, Realizing Eudaimonia) FIRE.
Today’s +1.
What’s one TINY little thing you KNOW you could to Optimize your finances just a little bit Today?
It’s time to start gathering some wood for that bonFIRE we’ll be building.
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