Financial Independence is a Mirror

Financial independence is a mirror, it’s not a door. You may deny the voracity of this statement. You may try to convince yourself otherwise. But bursting through the threshold will not lead to the promise land. The sad truth is that what lies on the other side of financial independence is much the same as what came before. The past is prologue. And your past is strewn with victories and failures. Life building experiences that cannot be wiped away by a reaching a goal post or a milestone.

The tenor of this post may sound negative, but it is not meant to be. If you were a happy person before FI, you will be a happy person post FI. This gives you tremendous power. Build your best life now. Don’t wait until you reach financial independence. It is a false prophet.

So what do I mean when I say that financial independence is a mirror?

Staring longingly at this mirage will neither show you the fruit of your labor nor the dream of what life can be.

It will simply reflect back what you are.

Safe Withdrawal Whatever

I have previously written about how we are kidding ourselves with the safe withdrawal nonsense. If you are aggressive enough to obsess over your own personal target SWR, do you really think you are going to just let it go once you reach financial freedom?

Financial independence is a mirror. Reaching FI will not dissolve your worries about running out of money, it will just reflect them back at you. How many retired people worry about, stress, and wake up at night with fears of not having enough?

All of them.

Enough is a state of mind. If you didn’t feel like you had enough before reaching your magic number, you certainly will not afterward when the income streams begin to dwindle.

Who Me? Work?

You are a workaholic. You maximized the W2 game to the fullest. You climbed the corporate ladder, built a world-class company, or ran that side hustle right into financial independence.

So now you have all the time and luxury to relax. Right?

I think not. Financial independence is a mirror. If you were a workaholic then, that’s exactly the post FI image that will reflect back. You may no longer work for the man. You might change fields, gigs, or number of hours. But it is highly unlikely that you will truly “retire”.

My bet is that you will make plenty of money after your so-called last day at work.

It’s in your bones.

Comfortably Numb

Reaching your number will not bring happiness. It will not bring contentment. Becoming your best self involves building relationships, finding purpose, and enjoying the unexpected pleasures in life. Money never drove this process, and the absence of economic pressure will not get you there any faster.

Financial independence is a mirror, not a door.

If life felt good when you had nothing, it will feel just about the same when you have everything.

Moving Forward

Financial independence is a laudable goal that is part of any responsible adulthood game plan. Having enough money will cushion economic downturns and shield you from making bad decisions based on scarcity.

But it will not make or break your future. Becoming FI will not change who you are nor absolve you from the obnoxious fears that clutter your mind.

It will, however, reflect back on you all that you already are. Finally set free from the all-encompassing worries about having enough, your mind will ponder the deeper more serious questions about existence.

Will you be ready?