How Slow FI Has Influenced My Anxiety

I have wanted to write a post about my anxiety for awhile now, because it is such a big part of my life, but it felt vulnerable and never felt like the right time. Plus, as a personal finance blog, I didn’t want to write about something too non-personal-finance-related. However, if you’re a regular reader of the blog, you know my posts aren’t much about my numbers and are more about the lifestyle that the principles of slow FI (financial independence) allow. And so much of what slow FI is all about is more than just money. Then, I had a bit of an a-ha moment with my anxiety over the holidays that I felt was worth sharing. And I decided it was time. If you’re interested in hearing more about my journey with anxiety and how slow FI has influenced it, I hope you’ll read on.

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Is Slow FI The Ultimate Form Of Quitting?

Before recently, I had always felt one main emotion whenever the subject of quitting came up: shame. Growing up, my parents never wanted me to quit anything. Even though I did quit things, it was always such a big deal. They had to sit me down and ask me my reasons for quitting. Was this really what I wanted? If it was, well, then they were going to make it really hard for me to quit. They made sure I knew that they wouldn’t do it for me, I had to “let down” the person or thing I was quitting myself. Just their attitudes seemed to be saying that quitting was bad. Thus, enter shame. But I was listening to a podcast recently that turned all of this prior thinking on its head.

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The Best Thing You Can Buy With Your Money

If you’ve been reading the blog, you know that I’m still working away in my 9-5, with plans to downshift to part-time work as I gain more financial freedom. Instead of the traditional path to financial independence (FI), where you hustle your way to more income and grind away in your day job until you have 25x your yearly expenses, I’m taking more of a slow FI path so that I can enjoy life along the way. I’ve designed my days in such a way that I really am enjoying the journey, but there’s still room for improvement. It’s still not perfect. The main thing I daydream about in my 9-5 is having more time. More time to do more of the things I love to do, that make me feel alive. Time, my friends, is the thing I’m saving up all my money for.

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Slow FI And The Evolution of Friendships

Lately, with summer having been in full swing and COVID-19 restrictions becoming more and more lax, I have been spending a lot of time with friends. Not surprisingly, I have also been spending more money when it comes to friends. But spending money with friends has been easy because of the joy it brings. Rather than worrying about spending, I’ve found myself reflecting on how far my relationships with my friends have come since I’ve started taking a slow path to financial independence (FI). I’ve noticed how my friendships have changed and evolved. Some friendships have ended, and that has been hard, but for the most part, my friendships have changed for the better since slowing down my journey to FI.

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The Power Of Experimentation

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about experimentation, mostly as it relates to financial independence (FI). So many of those who have reached FI in the past have stated, after the fact, that they weren’t necessarily happier after attaining this milestone. They spent so much time getting to FI that they didn’t think about life after FI. One of the big reasons I decided to take a slow path to FI, in addition to wanting to enjoy more of life along the way, is to take time to figure out what I want to do after I reach FI. This is where the power of experimentation comes in.

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The First Time I Chose Me

Do you remember the first time you went against what society, your friends, your family thought you should do or were telling you to do? Do you remember the first time you chose to do something that you wanted to do, even if it made you feel really uncomfortable? Did it make you feel just a little bit freer?

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How Slow FI Helps Get Me Through Tough Times

I don’t know about you, but I find the news especially hard to take these days. I have pretty good boundaries when it comes to my intake of news, but regardless, things have felt really rough lately. Upon reflection, I think that the principles of Slow FI and my journey to financial independence are the main factors getting me through.

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What Sparks You In Work And Life?

The 4th of July weekend is about to be upon us, and so what better topic for the blog today then to discuss what sparks you in work and in life!

If you’ve read my story, you know that not so long ago, I was on the hamster wheel of work and life, with no clear way off but also no real intention of getting off the wheel. Then, a lot of things collided for me all at once. I took a pay cut for a job that ended up providing me with more time outside of work than I’d ever had in my life, I discovered Slow financial independence (FI), and I discovered my Sparketype, to name a few.

What is a Sparketype, you might be asking? Well, I’m here today to tell you all about it!

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