Fun In the Sun with fire - Part 1

A cEntral Topic of this blog is How we are working towards and sustaining Financial Independence so that we can have, and continue to have, the time freedom and resources to create and sustain the music of The Leavers.

I (John) achieved FIRE within the last few years. Lee is working diligently to get there, and making great progress. Therefore, we’ll share stories and ideas that apply to both pre-FIRE and post-FIRE goals, challenges, insights, decisions, Tips, and Other Key FIRE Ideas in future Posts.

First things first, though….What is FIRE? I am still surprised how many people have not heard this term when I bring it up. Therefore, it is worth repeating.

Fire is an ACRONYM for FINANCIAL Independence, Retire Early.

To us, FIRE is about Creating enough cash flow from your assets so that you can create the time freedom to pursue your interests and long term goals.

Your time freedom comes from never needing to work for a paycheck again, unless that is what you really want to do.

This idea is often referred to FI (Financial Independence), or Financial Freedom, or FIRE.

The “retire early” part of FIRE is usually dismissed as a good reason for achieving or wanting to achieve Financial Independence.

Most people on the path to FIRE (and Most of those who have achieved FIRE) do not want to give up working to simply enable the proverbial “lay on the beach sipping cocktails” lifestyle.

Hey, if that’s your dream, Then nothing wrong with spending all day long on the Chaise Lounge (A great song! Shout out to the band Wet Leg!). Getting the chance to go have some fun in the sun is definitely part of what motivated me to pursue FIRE, too! 

That said, Many people pursue FIRE because they Crave the time freedom to go live their vision of the good life, Many People Pursuing Fire want to Leverage it to pursue long held dreams and accomplish long term goals.

Often, they haven’t given These dreams and Goals adequate time because of Long Work Hours in a demanding career plus other lifestyle responsibilities.

Here is An example of a long term dream goal that I believed I couldn’t puruse while still working in my demanding career.

Going back a few Years, I decided that at some point in the future I would like to do a long distance and leisurely bicycle or walking Tour. origianlly the idea was to ride a bicycle the length of the United States. I pictured this taking a minimum of 3-4 months.

in 2019, Singer/Songwriter Mike Posner walked across the length of the USA. it took him from April 15th until October 18th. He logged an average of 30 miles per day. During this 6-month time frame, he also had to recover from a rattlesnake bite!

(Be careful what you wish for, I guess?)

Well, Here I am, Having Achieved FIRE about 5 years ago, and I still haven’t done this type of “bike or walk” trip yet,

However, I have had the chance to do several long distance road trips that allow me to go visit friends and family. These Trips have been great and I would never Have had the time to do them when I was working full time, unless I radically changed How and What work I did for a Living.

Plus, I Still have the time freedom, and the Health, to do this and other “Gump-like” adventures,

and I will.

In Our opinion, the real reason to pursue FIRE, or FI, or “freedom from needing a paycheck from the man”…or really, whatever you want to call it…  is to gain the time freedom for such things as pursuing a meaningful purpose, Having time to spend with loved ones, to pursue your dream goals, and pursue your passions.

Basically, as Joseph Campbell put it, the Purpose of Achieving FIRE is so You can follow your bliss.

What I have Learned in my own journey is that is only a part of the equation.

Yes, I have the time freedom. Yes, I have also taken care of my Health and hopefully have many years left to puruse my dreams. I have also spent considerable time contemplating, clarifying, and envisioning what a Good Life would be in this Post-Fire existence.

the hardest part of the journey is developing the Psychological Freedom to Live Your Truth.

The best measure of this freedom shows up Mostly in how I spend my time, It also shows up very clearly in relationships.

these are two very important factors for achieving Fun in The Sun with FIRE. And, I expect this will be the same for you, if you decide to embark on a Journey to get on The Highway to Yeah!