Grateful to not have to do anything for money anymore

[ER Eddie]

I had an experience today that brought home to me how fortunate I am to be FIREd and to no longer have to do anything for the sake of money or for any extrinsic rewards.

I have the awesome gift or privilege of being able to do things simply because I enjoy doing them. I don't have to do anything for money or external rewards (e.g., validation, etc.). I can do what I like simply because I like doing it. And I can do it how I like, because I don't have to please a customer, referral, or authority.

Why the post? I'm just trying to focus myself on my gratitude. I tend to take this for granted, so I want to explicitly post about it, as a way of focusing my attention. Maybe others will resonate, too.

I'm very lucky or fortunate to be in this position. The vast majority of people in the world are not.

 

[travelover]

So true. When the pandemic was raging , there were so many people that had no choice but to go into work - may died as a result. Every night on the news I see refugees suffering and dying. We are a privileged, blessed group.

 

[street]

Grateful, blessed, thankful, indebted and appreciative for being where I'm at today financially.

I know so many and have close friends that will need to work well into the late 60's. Hard working people just didn't have the opportunities in life like I did.

This thread is a great humbling topic and we all are very fortunate to be where we are today.

 

[38Chevy454]

A little gratitude is good for your mental health

 

[ERD50]

Yep, you nailed it.

Now, if I only could find it easier to pay people to do stuff. Sometimes it works out well, other times I wish I did it myself, or even have to undo the crappy job that I paid for.

-ERD50

 

[Markola]

Very nice post. I couldn’t agree more.

 

[whatnot]

Great post!
It certainly puts things in perspective. We should not stress the small stuff. Chasing .1%, interest rate, paying taxes on RMD etc.
We are all very fortunate on this site. Thank you for the reminder.

 

[flintnational]

Great post. We feel the same way and try to remember how fortunate we are.

 

[Nick12]

Yep, you nailed it.

Now, if I only could find it easier to pay people to do stuff. Sometimes it works out well, other times I wish I did it myself, or even have to undo the crappy job that I paid for.

-ERD50

Some retired folks I know that live in the Far East have no problem looking for anyone to do manual labor.

 

[Car-Guy]

From what I read on this site, many of us "should" feel the same way.... I know I do, and I'm enjoying it while I can.

 

[sengsational]

I think we all agree that gratitude is good for one's mental health. What I've kind-of discovered is that gratitude circuits in the brain might be a little bit hackable too. Here's a habit I've tried to foster...the moment I wake up, before the monkey brain gets going too much, I go through some people (mostly family) that I'm glad are part of my life. Maybe a bit of negative visualization (i.e. what if they weren't around), but that's just to get rolling on appreciating them. After this exercise, it seems easier to be appreciative of things all throughout the day. Maybe it's a placebo effect, but I'll take it.

 

[Midpack]

I had an experience today that brought home to me how fortunate I am to be FIREd and to no longer have to do anything for the sake of money or for any extrinsic rewards.

I'm very lucky or fortunate to be in this position. The vast majority of people in the world are not.

+1, good post/perspective. I’m grateful as well, the $ outlook for DW and I is very good if history is no worse than the past 130+ years (no guarantee). I still worry about some geopolitical event derailing our plan, and invest accordingly, but it’s not something I dwell on - I don’t worry about things beyond my control (anymore).

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

I think we all agree that gratitude is good for one's mental health. What I've kind-of discovered is that gratitude circuits in the brain might be a little bit hackable too. Here's a habit I've tried to foster...the moment I wake up, before the monkey brain gets going too much, I go through some people (mostly family) that I'm glad are part of my life. Maybe a bit of negative visualization (i.e. what if they weren't around), but that's just to get rolling on appreciating them. After this exercise, it seems easier to be appreciative of things all throughout the day. Maybe it's a placebo effect, but I'll take it.

You are in good company: This exercise is, if I understood the book correctly, a key practice of Stoicism: https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614/

 

[pacergal]

I practice the Attitude of Gratitude daily.
I am so very thankful for where I am in this stage of my life, with family close by and able to visit regularly.
And thanks to new friends found here, I felt ready to retire and more comfortable with financial decisions than before.

 

[bltkmt]

Very nice post. I couldn’t agree more.

+1 - thanks for the post.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Good post, OP. No matter what I have planned for the day, I make sure I spend the first 30 minutes or so of my day contemplating my fortunate life. I am not a religious person but I am fairly philosophical and I find my morning solitude time as making sure I am grounded/one with the world around me. This practice makes dealing with "challenges" throughout the day a bit easier.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

DH and I bring up being grateful to not have to work with each other very often. We can have a great day just staying home and walking around the neighborhood, chatting with neighbors and taking in the scenery.

 

[scrabbler1]

As my signature line suggests, I am delighted to have my money working for me instead of me working for my money. Every month, a blob of money magically appears in my local bank's checking account to pay my bills. Then I get some added blobs of money appear, some into my checking account and others simply reinvested.

Between that and not having to do the awful commute any more, even as little as 2 days a week, just make me happy every dang day!

 

[friar1610]

This thread has been an excellent reminder not to take freedom from work for granted. And to take some time every day to reflect on how fortunate we are and to be thankful for it. Sometimes, particularly after many years of retirement, it’s easy to slip into the mind-set that this FI life is somehow “normal”.

A big thanks to ER Eddie for raising the topic and to all the others who added their thoughts.

 

[unclemick]

Grateful, blessed, thankful, indebted and appreciative for being where I'm at today financially.

I know so many and have close friends that will need to work well into the late 60's. Hard working people just didn't have the opportunities in life like I did.

This thread is a great humbling topic and we all are very fortunate to be where we are today.

Yes.

heh heh heh - AND I was canned er layed off and 'discovered ER/made the mental shift' while doing temp work.

 

[jollystomper]

I am grateful to be in a position where I can be grateful, regardless of my own circumstances. It is one reason I no longer have "pet peeves of the day". Nothing is guaranteed in life, and when something "bad" happens to me I am still grateful nonetheless. The day will come when I will not be as fit, will not be able to walk a golf course, will not be able to even feed myself... I just hope at those times I am still grateful for just having been able to engage in those things in the past.

 

[Dog]

Yes! I comment on this almost daily to DH. And, I was the one hesitant to retire. I love my new life and am thankful our plan worked out!

 

[Koolau]

Gratitude is the best attitude. I'm trying to purge the word "lucky" from my daily vocabulary and insert the word "blessed." I truly feel blessed to be FIREd and have "enough." YMMV

 

[sengsational]

You are in good company: This exercise is, if I understood the book correctly, a key practice of Stoicism: https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614/

I've read several of Irvine's books, and he has an audio series in the Waking Up app. Also, Dr. Sood uses these kinds of ideas. Lots of overlap in this space. I like to keep reading and studying various sources so I don't "fall off the (gratitude) wagon"

 

[Eagle43]

IAgree.
Hey it's almost the end of the month. So, more pension checks, more dividends, more interest payments, all working for DW and Me.
So, you betcha, I am grateful.