My brain is often bombarded with reflective thoughts (I over-analyze everything), but this is especially true with my birthday. The celebration marks another year gone from my limited time on this earth. Everyone must engage in a little self-assessment on their birthday – pondering where you’ve been and what’s to come. Yet, it’s supposed to be a happy day, full of indulgence and special treatment. Birthdays celebrate the relatively minimal accomplishment of surviving another year. It’s for us to decide whether we put that time to good use.
So, let’s see. I’m now 34 years old, almost halfway done with my thirties. I have a little bit of net worth (as opposed to $0 at the beginning of 2016), but we still have a long ways to go before reaching our goal of semi-retirement. We have three children and a good-enough home. We have one rental property. I have a graduate degree. I really dislike my job, but it pays well and is somewhat flexible. Also, we need it to pay off our debt and build up the assets needed to support us as we strive towards living our dream life.
The debt. No discussion of current status is complete without discussing the way in which our past mistakes continue to haunt us. We did make some good decisions along the way, but fell for the charms of advertising and used credit in an attempt to keep up with those damn Jones’s. Now that the damage has been done, I find thoughts of constantly accruing and compounding interest are always on my mind. I try to channel them as motivation, but other times they are downright depressing.
Our current financial situation often causes me to regret the time wasted in my past. It’s hard not to see “kids” achieving financial independence before the age of 30 and wish we would have done things differently. I fantasize about the increased possibilities for our young family in a different reality, if we had just been more frugal from the beginning. However, there is no point to wallowing in this self-disappointment. The important thing is to understand the reasons underlying my poor decision making in the past. I’ve finally allowed myself to realize that the issue was discomfort with being myself. I wasted time and money searching to find my place in mainstream society. I thought it was the only way to be happy.
I’ve come to realize that I’m incompatible with standard life, most likely it has something to do with the requirement that you adhere to a routine. Each day is ruled by schedules and responsibilities. Maybe I’m immature, but I’ve never felt like a “grown-up.” I like the challenge of new experiences, but quickly become bored. Status and predictability never really impressed. me. In retrospect, besides my family, I get the most joy from being a collector of experiences. I love to think back on the varied, and sometimes surprising, things that make up the past 34 years. I have convinced myself that the best way to make the most of the years that I have left, is by channeling my energy towards financial semi-independence. If we free ourselves from the bonds of debt, build up some assets, and keep our living expenses low . . . then we can escape from full-time employment.
Our plan allows for more engagement with life and the flexibility to shift our focus towards an endless variety of new experiences. But there is a cost, to be paid over the next five years or so. Right now, I always feel busy and constantly struggle with the idea of balance. As I’ve written before, the ability to achieve real balance between full-time employment and actual life is a myth. That type of balance is not the goal. My current difficulties are with the constant hustling to pay off debt as fast as possible, while not feeling like I’m missing out on everything in the present. We come into contact with so many messages every single day. I’ve honed my skills when it comes to tuning out the consumerist commands. There are other messages, about living each day to the fullest and walking away from everything that makes you unhappy. They remind you not to waste your finite time on this earth. It gets difficult to reconcile my desire to escape the trappings of mainstream society with the responsibility to repair our damaged finances.
I don’t have it all figured out just yet, but highly doubt that it’s necessary to have a meticulously planned route to our future. The progress we’ve made so far is encouraging. Also, I take comfort in the fact that paying off debt will only give us more options, even if we change our goals somewhere along the way. Ultimately, my birthday really just is another day. It’s another 24 hour block on the timeline of my life. I’m optimistic for the future, which is why there won’t be any shopping sprees or fancy dinners at a restaurant. Money and assets create opportunity, whereas debt traps you in a corner. We’re building something amazing and I have faith that it will be worth all the extra effort. I just have to make a conscious effort to enjoy the present as well, especially those small moments that last forever as precious memories.
Well, those are my birthday ramblings – now off to go enjoy a hot fudge brownie ice cream sundae 🙂
I know it’s hard not to reflect on the past, but focus on your optimism for the future. We all live and learn. And if it is just five more years until semi retirement, that’s really good! Happy birthday!
The Green Swan recently posted…Stock Investing Is For “Old White Men”
Thanks so much! The next five years will probably fly by, I just hope I remember to take time to enjoy the important things along the way.
Happy Birthday! I’m glad we’re on this journey together out of the mainstream and into FIRE. I feel I’ve been trying to conform for so long and without much success. I finally feel like I’m in the right path.
Claudia @ Two Cup House recently posted…Reading My Way to Business Prowess
You’re so sweet. I’m really thankful for all of my blogging friends – you make this journey much more of a collaborative and fun experience.
Happy birthday! I think making peace with how you handled money previously and figuring out why you handled money in those ways is such a major step. May your ice cream hit the spot!
ZJ Thorne recently posted…Net Worth Week 13
Thank you! My ice cream was delicious 🙂 Life is about learning – our experiences help us make better decisions.
Happy birthday! Belatedly but still…
The fact that you have a rental property already is pretty good — especially as a step toward retirement/semi-retirement.
I guess I get a little reflective on my birthday, but mainly I just focus on doing something particularly juvenile. I find it’s a lot more fun than regrets. Especially given the late starts we’ve gotten because of things (mostly) out of our control.
Abigail @ipickuppennies recently posted…The worry of too much money
To be fair, I didn’t really announce anything about my birthday until the post late last night. But thanks for the birthday wishes 🙂
The rental property is our starter home. We debated on whether to keep it and it has been a financial strain, but should pay off. We have repairs to do – a friend is living there now for a pretty low rent amount. But the mortgage is getting pretty low. Once we get it paid off, fixed up, and rented out for a good price . . . it will be a big help to our income during semi-retirement.
I’ll try to do something juvenile to celebrate this weekend.
This is a beautiful reflection because it’s so real. I get the angst of comparing to super-early retirees, but I love that you’ve recognized what led you astray in the past and have embrace yourself!
Kalie @ Pretend to Be Poor recently posted…Earn More vs. Spend Less Throwdown
Thank you! I know we have come a long way, and a lot of our progress is thanks to honest self-assessment.
Happy belated birthday! Look at us, doing it in our 50s if you want to get depressed. It’s not worth looking back. You either didn’t know what you didn’t know – or you knew, but weren’t ready to take action. I can relate to not wanting to adhere to a routine. I was like that for a long time. Then I learned I actually crave routine! Or at least a framework for routine. But I was never the spontaneous rolling stone that I thought I was.
Mrs Groovy recently posted…Don’t Get Sucked into the “What-If” Game
I really appreciate the birthday wishes 🙂 At least you’re making a change now! Routines can be a good thing, just can’t stand one focused on working full-time.
Happy belated birthday! Sorry to have missed the big day. I feel you with the balancing act struggle. I can get so caught up working hard now that I feel like I just need a huge pause button. I cannot wait to see where this next year takes you on your journey!
Penny @ She Picks Up Pennies recently posted…The Danger of the Single Source
Thank you Penny! It’s going to be a great year for both of us 🙂
Happy birthday fellow July baby!
I too have spent a lot of time focused on the past recently and am trying to look to the future. Always best to look ahead and not dwell on things. (Easier said than done!)
Happy Birthday to you too! July birthdays are the best. Glad to hear I’m not the only one who struggles with looking back while trying to keep my focus on moving forward.