Your purpose/mission after FIRE?

[Markola]

10 months in and I’ve set a goal to determine how severe my newfound allergy to commitments and obligations is. It might be seasonal but right now it feels pretty chronic.

 

[DrRoy]

Travel.

My only remaining purpose/mission is to have as much fun as possible

My purpose now is to see as much of the country and the world as I want to, and to capture it through photography. Last month I hit a major bucket list item with a visit to The Wave in Arizona. It took me 5 years to get the permit.
.

 

[Harlax]

Thank you for all your replies. It really gave me some good insights and advice. I really appreciate it.

It made me realize that being FI doesn't mean that I have to RE. I have always told myself that it was important to RE, escape the rat race, and be free. I just somehow expected that I would be "happily ever after" when achieving FIRE.

But drawing from your experience, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that RE at my age might in fact be too early. I need to go out and make myself useful to the world, before I can retire and feel satisfied without having no major purpose/mission in life.

Thank you!

And for some of the other comments, I can see trolling became your mission after FIRE ;-)

 

[MRG]

^^^^

For me fire meant I could escape someone keeping me up 36 hours because a system didn't work. I choose not to do that and be retired. Perhaps at your age it means only picking jobs you enjoy? To be clear I loved what I did for many years, then it changed.

 

[yakers]

My goal? Breathing. That’s about it, DW & I are 70+, she had lung cancer, I had stage 4 throat cancer, every day is a gift, give all we can, no plan to it.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

It made me realize that being FI doesn't mean that I have to RE. I have always told myself that it was important to RE, escape the rat race, and be free. I just somehow expected that I would be "happily ever after" when achieving FIRE.

But drawing from your experience, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that RE at my age might in fact be too early. I need to go out and make myself useful to the world, before I can retire and feel satisfied without having no major purpose/mission in life.

Do you really need a purpose, or just more socialization and activities? We use hobby / social clubs to replace the socialization we used to get from work and having kids and all their activities that required parental involvement. We usually belong to 3 or 4 different clubs, even though we aren't both always active in them. But clubs are where we've made our post retirement friends, and if any of our friends moved away or we lost touch with them, the clubs are always there with ongoing activities to meet new people. I like clubs over something like volunteer work or classes for socialization, because most of the activities are drop in. After decades of being heavily scheduled between work and kids, it feels nice to have things to do to get out of the house and socialize if I feel like it, or be able to just sit in the backyard and read a mystery novel if I feel like that instead.

 

[Scuba]

My purpose now is to see as much of the country and the world as I want to, and to capture it through photography. Last month I hit a major bucket list item with a visit to The Wave in Arizona. It took me 5 years to get the permit.
.

Beautiful photos!

 

[PageTwo]

It made me realize that being FI doesn't mean that I have to RE. I have always told myself that it was important to RE, escape the rat race, and be free.

Retiring (early) and escaping the rat race are two very different things. It sounds like you keep working but on your own terms... no rat race for you, just creating your own sense of purpose and maybe setting the stage for others to join you along the journey.

 

[Montecfo]

Thank you for all your replies. It really gave me some good insights and advice. I really appreciate it.

It made me realize that being FI doesn't mean that I have to RE. I have always told myself that it was important to RE, escape the rat race, and be free. I just somehow expected that I would be "happily ever after" when achieving FIRE.

But drawing from your experience, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that RE at my age might in fact be too early. I need to go out and make myself useful to the world, before I can retire and feel satisfied without having no major purpose/mission in life.

Thank you!

And for some of the other comments, I can see trolling became your mission after FIRE ;-)

Well I think people can feel they have earned the right to do very little after decades of sometimes intense work for The Man. But as is often said, you need something to retire to. For most of us we do not want that to resemble a job.

But given you have the time, you can strike a blow for big issues you care about. I am thinking world hunger, school choice, mentoring disadvantaged youth, financial counselling/coaching of folks who struggle financially, many others: whatever you feel can allow you to make an impact.

The you can find organizations that allow you to leverage your skills to address those issues.

The challenge is to do things you care about without getting burned out or making it too much like a job, unless of course that is something you want.

But maybe you WANT a job, just in a new profession? So go get qualified as a teacher and take on assignments in inner cities, become an attorney and take on indigent clients, or learn to build or fix up houses for disadvantaged folks.

Lots of opportunities and you may find it is a journey, not a destination.

Congrats and best of luck.

 

[1242Vintage]

In retirement I have been focusing on getting back my lost health and fitness. Was an accomplished bicycle racer in my teens and early 20s, but that ended in a crash that busted up my shoulder and crushed my spirit. Went on to a 30+ year career building things and raising 3 children.

Retired last year and have become a gym rat,
dropped lots of weight and got serious about amateur bicycle racing again. (Disappointing 11th place finish in a mountain bike race last night).

Figure as long I keep the rubber side down, I’ve extended my life span by many years. More time to assist our kids who are launching their careers and to support parents who need a little more TLC as they age.

 

[Gumby]

My purpose in retirement is to enjoy each and every day of it. So far, it's working like a charm.

 

[Tetto]

I enjoy watching paint dry.

 

[Souschef]

After losing my wife of 30 years, I was blessed to find a lady who had also been widowed. She said she wanted to travel, and we did! After 52 trips, 511 days, 41 countries, and 18 cruises, our bucket list is full.
During that same time, we were giving back to others less fortunate.
We worked at a food kitchen for homeless people, and donated to the local Food Share operation.
I flew 110 missions for Angel Flight, carrying patients to distant hospitals.
For fun I volunteered on a tourist railroad, and am restoring a 1941 switch engine.
As far as BTD, I was able to pilot 3 WW2 aircraft, as well as a Korean War MiG-15.

 

[Tetto]

After losing my wife of 30 years, I was blessed to find a lady who had also been widowed. She said she wanted to travel, and we did! After 52 trips, 511 days, 41 countries, and 18 cruises, our bucket list is full.
During that same time, we were giving back to others less fortunate.
We worked at a food kitchen for homeless people, and donated to the local Food Share operation.
I flew 110 missions for Angel Flight, carrying patients to distant hospitals.
For fun I volunteered on a tourist railroad, and am restoring a 1941 switch engine.
As far as BTD, I was able to pilot 3 WW2 aircraft, as well as a Korean War MiG-15.

Wow, you are very inspiring! And flew a MIG-15, way cool. Quite the little aircraft

 

[Speculator]

When I retired at age 50, I thought fishing and skiing would keep me occupied; you are way ahead of me in that regard, having already decided you may need to do something more fulfilling. As it turned out, I finally figured that out, too, after becoming bored after two months of only skiing. So I decided to volunteer for a variety of organizations (Habitat for Humanity, National CASA/GAL, Meals-on-Wheels, The Guide Dog Foundation, etc.) and in addition to learning more about myself, I also discovered a passion I had never been aware of, which led to a very fulfilling second career. I wish you the best in possibly discovering your next Journey!

 

[ER Eddie]

I'm 59, retired for two years now, and unlike the others, I don't foresee a time when I'll ever not want to have some kind of purpose in life. I don't think having purpose is a matter of age; it's a matter of personality, outlook, values, and philosophy.

However, it's also a matter of definition. I suspect many people just equate "purpose" with career and raising a family, and that's as far as their thinking goes.

My conception of "purpose" has changed through the years. In my early years, it was more defined in terms of work and career. By the time I reached 35, it had become redefined internally -- in terms of who I was becoming as a person, my learning and growth. That links to relationships. Later in life, I started to understand that following any of your values is a purpose, and I started to identify my values more explicitly, finding that I had quite a number of them. I understood that even something as simple as appreciating nature can be a part of purpose.

A central theme for me is learning and growth. The learning could be psychological, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, relational, or spiritual. Anything that takes me forward in any of those regards is "on purpose," as far as I'm concerned.

Anything that supports that is also "on purpose." For example, anything I do that supports my physical health is part of that purpose. Anything that supports my mental health is part of that purpose. Anything I do to take care of myself is part of that purpose.

Broadly speaking, my purpose is to have a happy, satisfying, fulfilling life. (When I say "happy," I don't just mean passing pleasures, although those are fine; I'm talking about enduring happiness or contentment). Anything that leads me there is on purpose. In general, that means trying to focus on what I value, what I think matters, and to avoid spending too much time/energy on things that don't.

However, having a happy, enjoyable life also means (especially in retirement) plenty of time for resting, relaxing, farting around, doing nothing in particular, staring out the window, playing games, whatever. All of that is also part of purpose. "All work and no play..."

So just to hammer that point home (because people invariably misunderstand) -- none of my purposes feels like "work" to me ("work" in the sense of drudgery, obligation, duty, something you're doing for external rewards). If something starts to feel like a duty or a chore, I just stop and move on to something else. I've already achieved enough in my life; I don't need to do anything more. I don't need to "prove" anything to anyone or myself. Anything beyond what I've done already is just icing on the cake, and I only pursue it if I enjoy it.

I like the positive psychology concept of using your specific strengths in an area that produces "flow." I do that through writing. Over the past year or so, I've created a blog and then written a book. I enjoy the process of writing, and I am proud of the work I do, although it is small potatoes in the grand scheme. It helps other people and honors what I think is important, and that feels good.

Since retiring, I've found the "frog on a lily pad" image useful. Instead of setting one big goal, I jump from interest to interest, just based on how I feel. I try to carve out small, manageable projects, rather than bite off more than I can chew. As long as it's interesting and enjoyable, I continue. When it starts to get old or boring, or I feel like I've said all I need to say, I hop to the next lily pad.

I could ramble on some more, but that's probably enough.

 

[freedomatlast]

After I RE'd, I stumbled upon a consulting job where I can still enjoy the technical aspects of what I used to do with no managerial responsibility. I can also mentor less experienced people and guide those that ask for advice. I guess there is purpose in this. The extra dollars to blow aren't bad either. When this starts to feel like a job, I will move on to my next purpose, whatever that will be.

 

[FIREarly]

Mow your neighbors' lawns?
Do their dishes by hand?
Clean their houses?
Contribute to their 401k?

Enjoy yourself!
Know that you achieved a great point in your life and, as you go, you'll find things to do!

 

[RobbieB]

Hehe, Yeah Baby!

The watching paint dry was not a troll post. I just varnished another board today and enjoyed watching paint dry again.

If you strive to save the world by all means proceed. I'll keep working on saving the backyard.

 

[papaof2]

Write a book about how you did what you did. Sell it - or give it away - on Amazon: Kindle books can have a price of $0.00 and the reader software (PC, Mac, Android, Apple) is free.

After 30+ years with a major telecom, I retired - only to be called within weeks by another arm of the company and invited back as a contractor in an area I enjoyed (design & testing of the next-generation network). After that, I was an independent software developer for a while (worked with startups in California and Georgia). After I retired yet again, I became an author (a story I posted to an online forum got a lot of "You should make this a book on Amazon" comments). I tried that and that first book sold several thousand copies, being in Amazon's top 2% of sales for a day ;-)

I've added seven more books to that list, the most recent last month. It also had a day in the top 2% in sales. I'm not making enough royalty $$ to change my tax bracket but I amy providing entertainment, escape and perhaps a little learning to other people.

 

[lawman]

I'm 59, retired for two years now, and unlike the others, I don't foresee a time when I'll ever not want to have some kind of purpose in life. I don't think having purpose is a matter of age; it's a matter of personality, outlook, values, and philosophy.

However, it's also a matter of definition. I suspect many people just equate "purpose" with career and raising a family, and that's as far as their thinking goes.

My conception of "purpose" has changed through the years. In my early years, it was more defined in terms of work and career. By the time I reached 35, it had become redefined internally -- in terms of who I was becoming as a person, my learning and growth. That links to relationships. Later in life, I started to understand that following any of your values is a purpose, and I started to identify my values more explicitly, finding that I had quite a number of them. I understood that even something as simple as appreciating nature can be a part of purpose.

A central theme for me is learning and growth. The learning could be psychological, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, relational, or spiritual. Anything that takes me forward in any of those regards is "on purpose," as far as I'm concerned.

Anything that supports that is also "on purpose." For example, anything I do that supports my physical health is part of that purpose. Anything that supports my mental health is part of that purpose. Anything I do to take care of myself is part of that purpose.

Broadly speaking, my purpose is to have a happy, satisfying, fulfilling life. (When I say "happy," I don't just mean passing pleasures, although those are fine; I'm talking about enduring happiness or contentment). Anything that leads me there is on purpose. In general, that means trying to focus on what I value, what I think matters, and to avoid spending too much time/energy on things that don't.

However, having a happy, enjoyable life also means (especially in retirement) plenty of time for resting, relaxing, farting around, doing nothing in particular, staring out the window, playing games, whatever. All of that is also part of purpose. "All work and no play..."

So just to hammer that point home (because people invariably misunderstand) -- none of my purposes feels like "work" to me ("work" in the sense of drudgery, obligation, duty, something you're doing for external rewards). If something starts to feel like a duty or a chore, I just stop and move on to something else. I've already achieved enough in my life; I don't need to do anything more. I don't need to "prove" anything to anyone or myself. Anything beyond what I've done already is just icing on the cake, and I only pursue it if I enjoy it.

I like the positive psychology concept of using your specific strengths in an area that produces "flow." I do that through writing. Over the past year or so, I've created a blog and then written a book. I enjoy the process of writing, and I am proud of the work I do, although it is small potatoes in the grand scheme. It helps other people and honors what I think is important, and that feels good.

Since retiring, I've found the "frog on a lily pad" image useful. Instead of setting one big goal, I jump from interest to interest, just based on how I feel. I try to carve out small, manageable projects, rather than bite off more than I can chew. As long as it's interesting and enjoyable, I continue. When it starts to get old or boring, or I feel like I've said all I need to say, I hop to the next lily pad.

I could ramble on some more, but that's probably enough.

That's good stuff right there! Having retired after 42 years of police work and selling the farm that my wife and I built from scratch we moved to a large metropolitan area to be near the grandboys and it has pretty much been a disaster for me psychologically..I'm working very hard to get better but progress has been slow..You have helped me a little..Thank you for taking the time and trouble..

 

[UKadventurer]

I found an interesting purpose. I’ve been a keen motorcycle rider since I was a wee lad in the UK. My first vehicle was a motorcycle and my current vehicle is a motorcycle. When I travel I rent motorcycles at my destination. I haven’t owned a car since I left the USA in 2007 and moved to Asia. Motorcycles are basics transportation, not a hobby, in much of Asia.

I’ve also been obsessed with safety since I was quite young. I used to read Which? (a British consumer magazine) then Consumer Reports when I moved to the USA (1985-2007).

So I decided to combine my 2 hobbies to help all sentient motorcycle riders (yeah, I’m a Buddhist too). I test motorcycle equipment, mostly the clothes, by drop testing them on actual roads. Not in test labs.

Well, it’s really taken off and motorcycle garment manufacturers are taking notice since I manage to find weak points that lab tests don’t. I’ve been invited to present my findings and conclusions (virtually) at Dainese annual company meeting in June. Some CE/EN certifications might change in the near future because of these findings too.

I could probably turn this into a business, testing and designing as a consultant or a manufacturer but I’ve got no interest in that because it sounds stressful and I’ve got enough money to live a modest life. I retired mid-2020 at age 57. My pensions (UK/USA) will be accessible in 10 years (or 5 if I want SS early). I just want to educate and help people. It’s just good karma.

 

[ER Eddie]

That's good stuff right there! Having retired after 42 years of police work and selling the farm that my wife and I built from scratch we moved to a large metropolitan area to be near the grandboys and it has pretty much been a disaster for me psychologically..I'm working very hard to get better but progress has been slow..You have helped me a little..Thank you for taking the time and trouble..

Thanks, lawman. Sounds like you're dealing with a lot. I'm glad I could help a bit.

 

[kgtest]

Its funny because what I feel my ambition is TO FIRE, will be seperate from the ambitions AFTER FIRE. Like I feel like I want to retire because I want more time to myself, but I fear, that with more time and my personality I will just get involved in other things outside earning an income...HOPEFULLY. BUT... what IS driving me to FIRE is the ability right now to find various avenues of income. That is the "game" side of it for me...and I don't know if I'll ever want to stop playing it.

I have sort of made mental notes that I will:
1. Travel for more extended periods and stay in one place longer with DW and invite kids to come along as it lends itself
2. Spend more time helping my children transition to adults and help with college, wedding, housing plans/costs and career growth and guidance.
3. Which sorta collides with 1 and maybe 2 is to help my own parents transition into their elderly years, taking on more of their estate needs etc so they can wind down and not fuss about the little things like paying bills, investing, etc.
4. Read more. I feel like I have gone 40 years and left so much on the table here
5. Pursue activities that keep me challenged physically. Tennis? Cycling? Beach Volleyball, who knows.
6,7,8 Sleep in. Avoid Zoom Meetings. Be ridden of office politics.
9. Live life, don't let life happen.
10. Continue to plan and invest.

 

[Markola]

I'm 59, retired for two years now, and unlike the others, I don't foresee a time when I'll ever not want to have some kind of purpose in life. I don't think having purpose is a matter of age; it's a matter of personality, outlook, values, and philosophy.

However, it's also a matter of definition. I suspect many people just equate "purpose" with career and raising a family, and that's as far as their thinking goes.

My conception of "purpose" has changed through the years. In my early years, it was more defined in terms of work and career. By the time I reached 35, it had become redefined internally -- in terms of who I was becoming as a person, my learning and growth. That links to relationships. Later in life, I started to understand that following any of your values is a purpose, and I started to identify my values more explicitly, finding that I had quite a number of them. I understood that even something as simple as appreciating nature can be a part of purpose.

A central theme for me is learning and growth. The learning could be psychological, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, relational, or spiritual. Anything that takes me forward in any of those regards is "on purpose," as far as I'm concerned.

Anything that supports that is also "on purpose." For example, anything I do that supports my physical health is part of that purpose. Anything that supports my mental health is part of that purpose. Anything I do to take care of myself is part of that purpose.

Broadly speaking, my purpose is to have a happy, satisfying, fulfilling life. (When I say "happy," I don't just mean passing pleasures, although those are fine; I'm talking about enduring happiness or contentment). Anything that leads me there is on purpose. In general, that means trying to focus on what I value, what I think matters, and to avoid spending too much time/energy on things that don't.

However, having a happy, enjoyable life also means (especially in retirement) plenty of time for resting, relaxing, farting around, doing nothing in particular, staring out the window, playing games, whatever. All of that is also part of purpose. "All work and no play..."

So just to hammer that point home (because people invariably misunderstand) -- none of my purposes feels like "work" to me ("work" in the sense of drudgery, obligation, duty, something you're doing for external rewards). If something starts to feel like a duty or a chore, I just stop and move on to something else. I've already achieved enough in my life; I don't need to do anything more. I don't need to "prove" anything to anyone or myself. Anything beyond what I've done already is just icing on the cake, and I only pursue it if I enjoy it.

I like the positive psychology concept of using your specific strengths in an area that produces "flow." I do that through writing. Over the past year or so, I've created a blog and then written a book. I enjoy the process of writing, and I am proud of the work I do, although it is small potatoes in the grand scheme. It helps other people and honors what I think is important, and that feels good.

Since retiring, I've found the "frog on a lily pad" image useful. Instead of setting one big goal, I jump from interest to interest, just based on how I feel. I try to carve out small, manageable projects, rather than bite off more than I can chew. As long as it's interesting and enjoyable, I continue. When it starts to get old or boring, or I feel like I've said all I need to say, I hop to the next lily pad.

I could ramble on some more, but that's probably enough.

Awesome post. Thanks. It’s been 10 months for me and I’m definitely a frog on a lilly pad, trying this and that but resisting committing to anything, because it’s so much easier to get into things than out of things.

I got very proficient over 28 years in my profession of nonprofit fundraising and got satisfaction from being “an expert.” I find it a bit tough to just leave all that behind and, once recently, I agreed to write a development plan for an organization I sometimes volunteer with. It was enjoyable and satisfying to feel like an expert again. However, it’s clear that they would next like me to volunteer to implement it, which would be doing my old job but without any pay. Instead, I gave them a very fair price for a contract about a month ago and haven’t heard a peep from them since. Fine with me.

You’ve been gone two years. Have you let go your profession fully and, if so, was it difficult?