7 months ago I wrote about my tendency to start projects with enthusiasm only to lose interest as time passes. Spring and summer are gone and this same topic is still on my mind.
I wanted to create, I wanted to progress, I just didn’t know where to start and what was blocking me.
A Dilemma
I need to dig deeper. It’s not only the personal finance blogger that I didn’t identify with anymore with. My life goal has changed in the course of time. I was doing well on my path to financial independence (FI), but I was still missing something. Something which a thicker bank account and passive income for life wouldn’t have been able to provide.
If I woke up with a €1million 💸💸💸 in my bank account, I would be financially independent. But what then? I would still not be satisfied.
I long for something more. A satisfaction which doesn’t need to be fed with external factors – growing net worth, a new job title, reaching a project milestone, a travel adventure, a new skill acquired. These accomplishments fade very quickly away. After a week or so, they are the new normal.
My New Goal
I aimed for FI because I thought it would give me space and time to play with my passions and find my calling. With time I realized it’s a long way until
So, I decided to redefine my goal. I haven’t nailed it yet, but it is something in the lines of:
My 5-year goal is to design a life I don’t need a vacation from, to feel fulfillment and enthusiasm every day, to let my creativity flow, to be in touch with nature and to be part of a bigger purpose.
It’s not that much to ask for, is it? 😉
My new definition of Success
With my new goal becoming clearer and clearer, I started scanning for a new definition of success and I found this gem:
Success is to like yourself, like what you do and like how you do it.
-Maya Angelou
This resonated with me and I adopted it as my definition of success. Now the old world of goals and accomplishments needs to transform to the much more subjective but authentic world of what I liked (in myself, in my work).
This is a whole other game. A whole other set of tools is needed to crack this one open. Like patience (not my strongest suit) and letting
I need to re-wire my brain, so to say. It’s exciting but also terrifying. Stay with me on this journey 🙂 It’s going to be fun.
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Header photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash
All the other photos by Kate App
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I just found your blog and I can totally relate! It is getting more and more difficult to wait 5+ more years for having the life you want. I am starting to think that a good compromise is to reach half FI, have some passive income and try to find success, in our own terms.
Indeed. Why not have both – growing net worth and a satisfying life?
The 5 years timeline is just an artificial ‘constraint’ that puts a bit of pressure on me, makes me think creatively and keeps me focused.
Hi Kate,
I’m on a similar journey as you, only I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’m starting to come to the same conclusion as you though – reaching FI might be a decent goal, but unless you somehow find a way to enjoy the journey, the goal will be pretty meaningless…
Good job on the blog! I’m looking forward to following your process towards “reaching your new goal” 😉
Hi Nick, good to know you! Welcome to the blogging world.
What I am struggling with is how exactly to measure this new goal. Any ideas? 😉
That’s a tough one! 😉
I’m currently reading a book by a danish “philosopher” called “One life, One time, One person” by Morten Albaek. He’s a little like Simon Sinek (if you know him) 😉
He advocate that the term “work/life balance” is a stupid term, as you are ONE person, whether you are at home or at work. You can’t split your life into work/life, as you only have one life 😉
Since we’re both on a FIRE journey, we already knew this (I guess).
He suggests that we take the ideas from the employee engagement interviews and apply them to our non-working hours. This is an interesting proposition, but who is then our boss in our non-work part of life? I don’t suppose you could put a KPI on your happiness 😛
Food for thought! Let me know, when you figure it out (I’m sure there’ll be a book deal waiting for you, if yo do 😉 )
“Work/life balance” is an oxymoron. It suggests that work and life are two separate ingredients we’re supposed to carefully balance. But if work is not life, then what is it? Death? 😉
My goal is to flip that notion, and infuse my work with aliveness, creativity and energy.
Humanity has evolved beyond basic survival, we better do something meaningful with our time.
Have you read Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux? You might find some inspiration there.