Hello everyone, my name is thegoldenpath and I lurked here for a while before joining and am jumping in with a journal. First to give some of my background before moving on to the rest of the journal. I was raised in a family were being frugal was normal, replete with tales of generational woe, so when I did discover FIRE none of it shattered my world. I was always taught to save, do things yourself, and do without as the basic equilibrium states. As I grew through my 20s I worked and saved; occasionally spending down my savings unsuccessfully attending college a few times. When I hit my 30s, the math of low wage jobs, regardless of overtime and having often more than one job, couldn’t sustain itself, necessitating a change in the math. I finally managed to get through a tech school and land a well paying job and just put my head down. Now today I’m in my early 40s with a decent amount of assets saved up, a lack of desire to continue the working path I’ve been on, and a journal to try to help figure things out.
The college misadventures and expensive lessons on the market in my 20s and early 30s basically left me at zero, but somehow I was able to double down on being a salaryman and utilize what I learned from my copious failures and build back fast. After graduating until today, it has been about six years and I’ve managed to get to a decent amount of savings and a house. Now I’ve never been a huge fan of the workplace ever, but after my run I’m burnt out. So currently I am not working in order to work on two major overarching goals as of now: utilize the time off to organize my thoughts and start planning the next leg of the journey.
Short Term
• Workout plan. My work was physically strenuous and I could easily walk miles a day cris crossing a plant. This needs to be replaced.
• Expanded cooking skills. I have a basic cooking list, generally a couple of meals I do well and want to expand my options here.
• Efficiencies. The amount of work I am used to caused inefficient compromises to slowly take hold over the years. While generally aware of them a full accounting and plan to resolve them is needed.
• Nothing. Not literally, but non productive as it were. As said above, the burn out is real. I need to rest my mind and body not only for health purposes, but to ensure that I have a balanced decision making process.
Long Term
• Where to go from here. While there is a thought that I’ve had for years, the homestead in the woods, more thought needs to be involved. Run from with my burnout is a near certainty, and with the homestead being a dream for years, feels like it would be the most likely escape plan to latch onto. Decompression and working out a web of goals should help solidify avenues most likely to bear fruit that will have to be fleshed out in the future once outlines become clearer.
So as you can see, there is a lot of work to be done, and I make no claims saying these are complete lists. I also lack the assets to have a 3% SWR, roughly 9% and a house, but this gives me plenty of time to try things out. I have overcome multiple obstacles in my life so far with far less experience and resources than now, so even if I make all the wrong decisions, I’m not worried.
“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear’s path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune
thegoldenpath's journal
Re: thegoldenpath's journal
Can you explain what you mean by "inefficient compromises that slowly take hold over the years?'thegoldenpath wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 9:38 am• Efficiencies. The amount of work I am used to caused inefficient compromises to slowly take hold over the years. While generally aware of them a full accounting and plan to resolve them is needed.
Sounds like the homestead in the woods is an image that can be unpacked a little. Is it a signifier for more things like...thegoldenpath wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 9:38 am
• Where to go from here. While there is a thought that I’ve had for years, the homestead in the woods, more thought needs to be involved. Run from with my burnout is a near certainty, and with the homestead being a dream for years, feels like it would be the most likely escape plan to latch onto.
Peace and quiet away from people? Time in nature? Little responsibility? Low societal pressure for appearances? Self-sufficiency?
This is good. Not afraid of "failure". I tend to be much more judgmental towards myself and thus fear failure. If you are not afraid of failure, does this mean that it is more difficult to define success?thegoldenpath wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 9:38 amI have overcome multiple obstacles in my life so far with far less experience and resources than now, so even if I make all the wrong decisions, I’m not worried.
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thegoldenpath
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thegoldenpath
Hello jesmine, fellow journal starter (seems we posted initial journals within 24 hours of each other). I haven't figured out how to selectively quote from others posts so I'll just briefly rephrase your question before answering.
Two examples of creeping inefficiency: eating a prepacked food item or even fast food after a long work period even though I have food at home and getting a home repair done by a contractor because I didn't want to spend the time. I know how to cook and I knew how to learn how to fix the home item, I was just burnt out from working too many hours, making the salaryman compromise of I worked hard I deserve a break.
Homestead in the woods is a gigantic concept, and I liked reading your list, it gave me a chuckle. Most of things you listed is a box I check to a certain degree, with responsibility not being something I shirk from just the kind of enforced corporate kind (everyone here is family type). I always say I like quiet, but thats kind of misleading. I've been out in nature a bit, and it isn't quiet, but its different than the noise I have now in a suburb. An 18 wheeler downshifting annoys me, I can fall asleep if a gang of birds is going nuts. I've always enjoyed gardening and a different plot of land enables me to scale that activity. My current location is too near thoroughfares and even though I have removed some trees, it is an exceptionally shady property. The parameters with which I selected this property also matter, it has almost nothing regarding what I want long term, instead fitting well into the easy to unload category; smaller footprint, very close to major arteries, within most job opps in the cities with 15-20 minutes, starter home so price point allows wider range to enter. At this point in my life social pressure is exerting less influence over me, and rising nearness to FI doesn't help me want to tolerate it any more than I already do. This is also a topic that will be fleshed out far more in a further journal entry. My first post is very high level, so it has more holes than a slice of swiss cheese (I also rewrote it more than a few times, call me out if I'm referring to my notes/memory not something I actually posted).
The best way I've found to overcome negative feelings toward failure is to do it a lot! When I got hired at my first technician job, in my mid 30s mind you, I was only half done with my degree. I was in a quasi apprentice role until I finished, being handed over to the chief boiler engineer as he was the one who really pushed for me at the career fair. He was an older gentleman, gruff and dangerously competent, turned into my mentor, still talking years after he retired but his training methods were old school. When a machine breakdown call would go out, I would be informed as to how to get there and "come find him" if I needed a hand. I would frequently have questions, and just as frequently he would have disappeared. So, back to the machine with operators, eventually management standing around watching you poke at a machine you've never seen before with a print two decades obsolete. It gives one a thick skin, and it helped me moving forward, not just for self learning but to help train years later. I'm not quite sure what you mean by defining success. I am a planner by nature, oh the lists I have. Any worthwhile goal generally isn't going to be completed in one fell swoop, so as long as I'm progressing how I think I should the plans working, and if not, then I figure out what I need to do. I don't think of that as "failure", I just haven't finished yet. So I never really "succeed" either because if the plans done, then that means a new plan should be happening. I don't really have an End Goal, I have end goals.
Random thought since I'm here: I have two tree stumps in the yard. I'm thinking about boxing them and putting in flowers/grow something. If I stay in the house, can grow strawberries or something there. If I sell the house, removes ugly stumps, can plant with attention getting flowers. Completed steps: measured stumps and figured dimensions for box, researched if this would destroy the stump (yes, long time but since not rushing with chemicals etc better environmentally), got dismayed by prices for wood. Next steps: bother roommate who is renovating parents large house for scrap material
Two examples of creeping inefficiency: eating a prepacked food item or even fast food after a long work period even though I have food at home and getting a home repair done by a contractor because I didn't want to spend the time. I know how to cook and I knew how to learn how to fix the home item, I was just burnt out from working too many hours, making the salaryman compromise of I worked hard I deserve a break.
Homestead in the woods is a gigantic concept, and I liked reading your list, it gave me a chuckle. Most of things you listed is a box I check to a certain degree, with responsibility not being something I shirk from just the kind of enforced corporate kind (everyone here is family type). I always say I like quiet, but thats kind of misleading. I've been out in nature a bit, and it isn't quiet, but its different than the noise I have now in a suburb. An 18 wheeler downshifting annoys me, I can fall asleep if a gang of birds is going nuts. I've always enjoyed gardening and a different plot of land enables me to scale that activity. My current location is too near thoroughfares and even though I have removed some trees, it is an exceptionally shady property. The parameters with which I selected this property also matter, it has almost nothing regarding what I want long term, instead fitting well into the easy to unload category; smaller footprint, very close to major arteries, within most job opps in the cities with 15-20 minutes, starter home so price point allows wider range to enter. At this point in my life social pressure is exerting less influence over me, and rising nearness to FI doesn't help me want to tolerate it any more than I already do. This is also a topic that will be fleshed out far more in a further journal entry. My first post is very high level, so it has more holes than a slice of swiss cheese (I also rewrote it more than a few times, call me out if I'm referring to my notes/memory not something I actually posted).
The best way I've found to overcome negative feelings toward failure is to do it a lot! When I got hired at my first technician job, in my mid 30s mind you, I was only half done with my degree. I was in a quasi apprentice role until I finished, being handed over to the chief boiler engineer as he was the one who really pushed for me at the career fair. He was an older gentleman, gruff and dangerously competent, turned into my mentor, still talking years after he retired but his training methods were old school. When a machine breakdown call would go out, I would be informed as to how to get there and "come find him" if I needed a hand. I would frequently have questions, and just as frequently he would have disappeared. So, back to the machine with operators, eventually management standing around watching you poke at a machine you've never seen before with a print two decades obsolete. It gives one a thick skin, and it helped me moving forward, not just for self learning but to help train years later. I'm not quite sure what you mean by defining success. I am a planner by nature, oh the lists I have. Any worthwhile goal generally isn't going to be completed in one fell swoop, so as long as I'm progressing how I think I should the plans working, and if not, then I figure out what I need to do. I don't think of that as "failure", I just haven't finished yet. So I never really "succeed" either because if the plans done, then that means a new plan should be happening. I don't really have an End Goal, I have end goals.
Random thought since I'm here: I have two tree stumps in the yard. I'm thinking about boxing them and putting in flowers/grow something. If I stay in the house, can grow strawberries or something there. If I sell the house, removes ugly stumps, can plant with attention getting flowers. Completed steps: measured stumps and figured dimensions for box, researched if this would destroy the stump (yes, long time but since not rushing with chemicals etc better environmentally), got dismayed by prices for wood. Next steps: bother roommate who is renovating parents large house for scrap material
Re: thegoldenpath
Welcome! I just quote the entire post and delete the parts I don't want.thegoldenpath wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 8:31 amI haven't figured out how to selectively quote from others posts so I'll just briefly rephrase your question before answering.