Back in the day, after being on a 4S path–Save Significantly for Safety and Security path–I realized we had many years of life-spending set aside ready for use.
That realization of future life cost coverage moved me toward the “when” planning stage. When could we leave our careers and use our savings, investing, and deferred spending for ourselves?
Did I Optimize this future timing?
Did I Vision this future timing?
Did I wing-it, this future timing?
Umm, in 2005, I estimated 2012 would be a good time to hit a solid savings amount (now referred to as “FI Number”) and dialed in toward that year. Then the news reports made me get detailed.
There were many news reports that the Mayan calendar was ending in Dec 21, 2012 and this was a possible apocalypse coming. Yes, I’m serious, real news reports. I can’t make this shit up.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna46680935
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna44795748
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20764906
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/will-the-world-end-tomorrow-12928579508
Just to be safe, you know, cautious, and risk-averse, I said we should retire on June 21st so that if the world ends, we have 6 months of freedom.
YES, that’s pretty much how I dialed in our projected retirement date–six months before the possible Mayan-predicting apocalypse.
Either way, apocalypse or not, we would be living a wonderful life of freedom.
THIS IS ALL 100% TRUE.
We did meet our target savings number early, so my wife retired in 2011, and I had such great freedom working from home and banking all my income (while living off our savings at our projected spending rate for a couple of years) that I worked a few more years until work sucked, then I turned in my laptop.
Optimize*… involves refining a process, system, or design to function at its highest possible level of efficiency, output, or performance. *Google definition
We want to design our own process or system that is fully fine-tuned for reaching our (FI) goals.
So many of us think, plan, project, and process so much data all the time. I realize now this doesn’t make our plan exceptionally better. I do think it makes us feel better, like we have some level of control. Which is (very) important to many of us.
But looking back (with a nice, NICE market tailwind), I see that so much of FIRE, and life, for that matter, is feel. In Bali, the crazy scooter riding/driving strategy is “ride with feel.” It is similar to “go with the flow.”
Vision
Vision is good. No, vision is great.
It is important to have a direction, maybe even a target.
But I’m learning that by sinking time, effort and energy into trying to optimize is not where my time needs to go at this point.
Maximize* … to increase something to its highest possible amount, size, or degree. *Google definition.
I want to maximize what is important to me. Things.
I now think (and currently try) to put my energy into what makes me feel better and is better for those around me.
I envision what would be great and lean toward and into that.
This is very much in process. I was careful not to say “a work in process.” I don’t want “work.” I want what I want.
My Point
So much planning is happening. So much “What if this, what if that?” There are actions taken to fine-tune and optimize to get the maximum possible/probable outcome for the calculation at hand.
What I’m saying is that optimizing (everything?) may not be the true answer. Being logical and intentional may be the foundation towards success. Combining logic with a vision and direction, it seems much more likely we will enjoy the path ahead of us. Also, there should not be as much second-guessing our less-than-super-optimal decisions along the way.
Maybe the 80/20 rule of getting 80% of the results with 20% of the effort is a great target (not “goal”). I don’t want a bunch of “goals” and “purpose.” And, that is coming from a 91% targeted (perfection) person. Showing I still have room to grow go–letting go.
Ironic my 250th post comes out on this anniversary date.
*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice. I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be. You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.