Financial Independence: Retire Early

Have you heard about the F.I.R.E. Movement before? Or this is your first time to hear it? You probably have heard about it already but you just failed to recognize it.

To those who don't know,

"The FIRE movement is actually a lifestyle movement with the goal of gaining financial independence and retiring early. The movement became particularly popular among millennials in the 2010s, gaining traction through online communities via information shared in blogs, podcasts, and online discussion forums."

FIRE stands for Financial Independence and Retire Early.

I've read about this concept on Facebook when I saw a post from a Financial Page shared by a Facebook friend. The idea was portrayed through comics or drawings with a little touch of words. And after browsing through the post, I found the movement somehow similar to what I've been doing all these years. However, there are still some differences.

In the comics, it talked about a man who dedicated 5 years of his life acquiring and building his wealth. He had to work day and night, almost 24/7, having double and even triple jobs, just to beat the deadline he set, which is to acquire 5 Million pesos in just 5 years. He had to sacrifice a lot, such as making time and spending it with the important people in his life, his family and friends. He did not have any time to have fun and relax because he was too focused on his goal of Financial Independence. In 5 years, he was able to achieve his financial goal and build the wealth he desires. But when he was already on top, he realized that no one was there with him because the others are still on their way up.

Acquiring Financial Independence is also one of my ultimate goals. I mean, who doesn't have a goal like that? It's probably one of the reasons why we are working so hard in the first place.

We want to be financially free so that we can do the things we love to do without worrying about our finances. We get to have quality time and create memories with the people we love if we have enough money on our pockets. We get to travel the world, and have a glimpse of a luxurious life even just once in a while.

But how do you define Financial Independence?

Is it the same with the comic guy where you should have a specific amount of money in your bank account before you can say that you are already financially independent? Or is it just being able to survive on your daily life but with a little feeling of security and luxury because you have some savings already?

For me, it's a mix of both. Sometimes, I think that I will only achieve Financial Independence when I already reach a certain amount that I can see in my savings account. However, Financial Independence is also not just about the amount of money we have, but also the abundance of time we have to spend with the people we love and for the things we love to do. Being financially independent is being able to have fun and create beautiful memories with your loved ones without breaking your bank.

Retiring early and at a young age is also another goal that most of the Millennials want to achieve. They don't want to work their whole life, crawling up the ladder of success set in the corporate world, until they die. They want to live and have fun because You Only Live Once.

But what does it mean to Retire Early?

Is it where you don't have to work a 9-5 job anymore because you already have the Financial Freedom that the salary you get from your work is no longer needed, and that you can now focus on doing the things you love like pursuing your passion or build your dream business? Or is it being able to not go to work whenever you don't feel like it and it's okay to have a salary deduction?

For me, Retiring Early means that I don't have to be in the dog-eat-dog world anymore where almost all people are too focused on achieving their own kind of success even if they are already stepping down on others. I want to retire early and be free from the Corporate Jungle, and just live my life according to my own terms. How I will do that is what I'm still thinking and planning about.

Financial Independence and Retiring Early is also what I dream of achieving. However, unlike the comic guy, I don't want to spend my life just to build the wealth I need to attain this goal. I don't want to sacrifice the time I can spend with my parents and friends just for this personal and ambitious goal.

After all, money is just a tool that we can use to create memories with the people we love. It's okay to make as much money as we can, but make sure to spend some of them too with your loved ones.