My wife and I were recently watching Survivor Season 37, David vs. Goliath—an epic battle pitting those who’ve had to overcome outsized adversity throughout their lives against those who had a leg-up from the get-go, seeming to succeed at everything they did.
One of the contestants, Mike White, dropped some beautiful wisdom during his time on Survivor.
He said something along the lines of:
“My time here on Survivor has never been about the pot of gold—it’s always been about the rainbow.”
I love that view: it’s not about where you’re going; it’s about the journey to get there.
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a common theme in the FIRE movement. Too often, people get caught up in their financial independence numbers and “date,” spawning a sort of “death-march” to get to FIRE at all costs. This leads many to suffer burnout and social isolation on their path to financial independence as they look to ramp up their income while slashing their expenses to the bone.
I’m here to say that this is not the way.
What if we focused our time and energy on enjoying the journey rather than the pot of gold at the end?
For some, that might mean making adjustments in their life to prioritize freedom and flexibility now, even if that means higher expenses or a lower income. While this may delay their FIRE date, it might not matter, as they will begin to live many of the benefits of a FI lifestyle today.
That could mean more travel, more time with family, and more time pursuing hobbies. In turn, they could find themselves with stronger social connections, more satisfaction and fulfillment, and greater overall happiness levels.
So my challenge to you is to spend some time thinking about what you could do differently to enjoy the journey?
What changes could you make to your work, your hobbies, your social life, your day-to-day routines, and your mindset to put less of an emphasis on the pot of gold and more on the rainbow?
For me, I decided to take a longer path to FIRE, coasting to financial independence after my daughter was born. Sure, that means it will take longer to reach my FIRE number, but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made, allowing me the time and space to enjoy these moments now while I’ve got them.
Remember that time is your most precious non-renewable resource—how will you spend it?
Here here! I'm currently taking an unexpected week off due to burnout. I was starting to develop an ongoing headache and other ailments. I was definitely neglecting important things in attempt to get to the pot of the gold. But then, when I was fiddling with the wallet burst coast fire calculator, I increased the 7% default interest rate to a more optimistic 9%, and I was stunned to see that I am coastfire! I didn't quite realize the power of a few percentage points. It requires a more optimistic outlook on the future, but the fact that I even might already be coastfire is a wake up call. A wake up call to stop grinding and start living!