My $3M Net Worth Made Me Realize I’m Living Someone Else’s Life—How Long Until I Get Bored After Quitting My Job?

Early retirement isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Too many ambitious folks who follow the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement may find this out too late (think a few months into their early retirement). Sometimes, people who feel overstressed and burned out from their job don’t need to leave the workforce altogether.

While retirement is certainly an option for those who have a large enough nest egg and enough passive income streams to sustain a lifestyle indefinitely, the financial freedom aspect of FIRE, I believe, opens new doors to pursuits that go well beyond retiring. Indeed, for those who can’t stand sitting around, doing nothing all day, financial independence can allow one to pursue passions, gigs, and even entrepreneurship. Whenever money isn’t a limiting factor, one can feel free to take on endeavors that would have otherwise been deemed as too risky previously.

Indeed, starting your own business or going all-in on a hobby can be too risky a proposition if you depend heavily on your paycheck. And if you’ve got dependents, commitments, and a lavish lifestyle, one may feel a lack of financial freedom despite a hefty salary and respectable retirement portfolio.

FIRE can be as much about financial independence and freedom as retiring early

Even if retirement at 40 years of age isn’t for you (this Reddit user has grown bored of their early retirement), it’s undeniable that a high degree of financial independence (or freedom) at an early age is the dream. Indeed, some folks find fulfillment by choosing to work as baristas after quitting a fast-paced, high-income work environment. Others may gain confidence to start a business or venture into a startup with friends without having to worry about the consequences of having such a high-risk endeavor go belly up.

Indeed, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, especially those who don’t yet have enough capital to be deemed as financially independent. And given startups have a pretty high risk of failure in their first few years (especially in a climate where interest rates remain on the higher end), taking such a leap of faith without a nest egg seems like a recipe for disaster.

Either way, if you’ve achieved “chubby” or “fat” FIRE and don’t have to work another day in your life, you can go after the passion projects you would have otherwise never dared to. At the end of the day, it’s only natural as an ambitious overachiever (someone who’s made $3 million by 40 most definitely is) to be goal-oriented. And just because one’s net worth has surpassed a certain level probably won’t change a whole lot.

What would you do if money weren’t an issue?

For someone, as our 40-year-old Reddit user, who has a lost sense of direction and is well past the finish line, it’s worth exploring a broad range of hobbies and pursuits (perhaps there’s an opportunity to start an AI business?) to discover what they want to do with the rest of their lives now that money isn’t an issue. Indeed, with a $3 million nest egg invested conservatively (a 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds), there’s enough such that the Reddit user doesn’t need to work again.

Whether they opt to give back (volunteer their time to causes they believe in) or create something of their own, FIRE seems to be more about being true to oneself and rediscovering passions more than following a script that someone else supposedly wrote for them. Either way, it’s an exciting time for the Reddit user, and I’m sure many folks would love to be in their shoes despite their sudden loss of direction.

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