Baby step towards FIRE
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2003 5:41 am
I though I would post some tales from the soft side of FIRE. Sorry, caseynshan - it's over 2 paragraphs, but it's really about FIRE.
While getting to FIRE involves a determined savings plan and an understanding of when to actually retire, I believe that the mindset that gets us started towards FIRE is initiated before the concept of independence or retiring early is even thought about. At least that is what happened with me
I mentioned in an earlier post that I didn't start working until my late 30's after finishing up some graduate work and stay at home moming. As with most people starting a new job, I was pretty enthusiastic and put my all into the company. I'm a slow learner, but I finally started to notice that I didn't get rewarded for working extra hours or accomplishing more than someone else. In fact, I once got yelled at for not working more weekends (without pay, of course) while some other guy did work them (he was a contractor and got paid). The real problem, of course, was that the guy running the project couldn't plan ahead at all. So I was getting dinged because the guy running the project couldn't plan. A little glimmer entered my brain - "Does this make sense? What am I getting out of this?"
Time went on. I still routinely worked extra hours until we got a new guy that came in at a fairly high position. He flatly refused to work past 5 o'clock - started that on day 1. He maintained that his family and free time were precious to him, and he just wasn't going to do it. I was impressed. Nobody got mad at him, because he started off that way.
After the umpteenth annual review where my boss didn't even know which projects I was working on and I got the average weensy raise, I decided that, I, too, would work my 8 hours - no more, no less. I think this was the turning point because I was starting to consciously take control of my life. Note that I had yet to think about retiring early or independence.
I can't adequately describe how freeing the decision to work just the 8 hours was. When I made that decision, not only was I taking control of my life, but I was also starting to wean myself away from the corporate mindset. I was investing less emotional self into the corporation, and that, I believe, led to further steps on the road to freedom and FIRE.
Would love to hear other tales of first steps to FIRE.
karma
While getting to FIRE involves a determined savings plan and an understanding of when to actually retire, I believe that the mindset that gets us started towards FIRE is initiated before the concept of independence or retiring early is even thought about. At least that is what happened with me
I mentioned in an earlier post that I didn't start working until my late 30's after finishing up some graduate work and stay at home moming. As with most people starting a new job, I was pretty enthusiastic and put my all into the company. I'm a slow learner, but I finally started to notice that I didn't get rewarded for working extra hours or accomplishing more than someone else. In fact, I once got yelled at for not working more weekends (without pay, of course) while some other guy did work them (he was a contractor and got paid). The real problem, of course, was that the guy running the project couldn't plan ahead at all. So I was getting dinged because the guy running the project couldn't plan. A little glimmer entered my brain - "Does this make sense? What am I getting out of this?"
Time went on. I still routinely worked extra hours until we got a new guy that came in at a fairly high position. He flatly refused to work past 5 o'clock - started that on day 1. He maintained that his family and free time were precious to him, and he just wasn't going to do it. I was impressed. Nobody got mad at him, because he started off that way.
After the umpteenth annual review where my boss didn't even know which projects I was working on and I got the average weensy raise, I decided that, I, too, would work my 8 hours - no more, no less. I think this was the turning point because I was starting to consciously take control of my life. Note that I had yet to think about retiring early or independence.
I can't adequately describe how freeing the decision to work just the 8 hours was. When I made that decision, not only was I taking control of my life, but I was also starting to wean myself away from the corporate mindset. I was investing less emotional self into the corporation, and that, I believe, led to further steps on the road to freedom and FIRE.
Would love to hear other tales of first steps to FIRE.
karma