Outstanding. Great to hear.Pointedstick wrote: ↑Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:06 pmLife feels so much more vibrant now than it did when my focus was on guarding my gains. It's glorious out there.
Mark
Moderator: Global Moderator
Outstanding. Great to hear.Pointedstick wrote: ↑Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:06 pmLife feels so much more vibrant now than it did when my focus was on guarding my gains. It's glorious out there.
Pointedstick wrote: ↑Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:06 pmPrecisely. I no longer fight my fear to try to remove it. I accept it. I lean into it. And then it ceases to be frightening and I find that my mind is clear.Mark Leavy wrote: ↑Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:11 pmYou continue to intrigue me, PS.
Finish the quote...
I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
I'll be a bit more specific: I have resolved to completely forget about the money in my retirement accounts because I'm not going to use it for another 35 years at least. I have faith that 35 years is enough time to level out the fluctuations and produce that average 7% annual real return. If it's not, that probably means that the whole USA is in the shitter, which means that having a lot of money that will probably make you a target of the have-nots will be of secondary importance compared to owning useful assets and being socially respected and important.
The real action was always in my taxable portfolio, which I had earmarked for ERE before actually achieving it and getting bored silly. I liquidated the portfolio last year and now it's all cash waiting on the sidelines, which I'm periodically dipping into for home improvement projects that raise my quality of life. Mentally leaving my previous fear-based mindset allowed me to follow my instincts that the stock market was toppy. I have zero fear right now. If the market continues its downward slide, I'll get back in at a nice discount, and if I miss the absolute bottom, who cares. If let's say the market recovers on Monday and resumes its previous rise, the worst case scenario is that I can guy back in at the point where I sold, so I won't have lost anything.
But the taxable portfolio is funny money. I don't care about it. I could lose 100% of it with zero consequences. My family's cost of living is still ridiculously low and I have shed my previous fear that I won't be able to get a job or earn income. Since the last time I posted here, I'm now making $600 a month from my KDE hobby.
Life feels so much more vibrant now than it did when my focus was on guarding my gains. It's glorious out there.
So why not head to Vegas?Pointedstick wrote: ↑Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:06 pmBut the taxable portfolio is funny money. I don't care about it. I could lose 100% of it with zero consequences.
So what are you doing these days apart from the KDE hobby and some home renovation projects, that's making life vibrant? And that you couldn't do while in "early retirement"?Pointedstick wrote: ↑Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:06 pmSince the last time I posted here, I'm now making $600 a month from my KDE hobby.
Life feels so much more vibrant now than it did when my focus was on guarding my gains. It's glorious out there.
Self Worth Amounts to MIllions?
Ah ha, I think you nailed it! Self-motivating is refreshing if you can do it, but it can also be hard to do. And, it can be depressing when you suddenly don't have immediate goals in front of you. My job requires me to set my own goals so I'm familiar with that let-down feeling when you get stuck in the goals department. Sounds like PS may have been stuck for a while, but glad he's worked his way out of that now.Tyler wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 2:01 pmThe best way to fight boredom is to do something productive. Granted, trying to suddenly self-motivate is pretty tough after years of atrophy brought on by a lifetime of depending on a parent or boss to give you direction. But with a bit of exercise and a few growing pains it gets a lot easier. I'm a much stronger and more independent person now than I was even a few years ago.