This is not entirely true.
With money, you can feel secure, or you can feel insecure.
Without money, you can also feel secure or insecure.
There is also a potential false sense of security.
Many people are insecure. Cos we have never been taught to feel secure.
Just look within the FIRE community. There are folks with a million or two in their assets and they still don't feel secure enough to FIRE.
Whereas some people may feel $500k is enough to FIRE.
Others may feel $200k is enough.
Remember, FIRE doesn't mean sit around do nothing. This person could go and take some simple fun jobs and earn some pocket money.
With money... You CAN feel secure.
But with money you also CAN feel insecure.
Of course it's easier to feel secure with more money than less money.
But it doesn't mean that it's EASY to feel secure.
Similarly, there are people with less that feel secure.
Doesn't mean they need to FIRE.
But some people are more chill in life. They may be working in a $3k job with a family to feed, but they are comfortable and they aren't worried too much about the future.
I've found that the more I think about, the less secure I feel.
Of course, it's a balance. If I think about everything, then I'll feel insecure about a lot of things.
If I don't think enough, then maybe I'll think that I'm secure when actually I'm not.
So what is security?
The state of being free from danger or threat.
This could be applied to almost ANYTHING.
Crossing the road, financial security, health, home protection, insurance, getting robbed, potential for war, etc.
If you think about everything, you'll never feel secure.
Same as financial security. If you think about everything, you'll never feel secure.
What if the market crashes? What if inflation increases by a lot? What if I fall sick? What if my family...?
Etc etc...
So many scenarios.
When you started out on your early retirement journey, how much did you think you needed?
$500k? $1mil? $2mil?
Have you reached that goal? Have you retired early?
Why not? What has changed?
Inflation? No, that has always been there, you've probably taken that into account when you first started the journey.
Did your lifestyle get more expensive? Maybe but was it by much?
Most likely, as you earned more and saved more, you ended up thinking of EVEN MORE scenarios to be insecure about.
Or you may arbitrarily have increased the margin of safety by 500%. And when you hit that target, you raise it again by 100% again.
Now, of course, I believe that anyone can life anyway they want. If they need more security they SHOULD get as much security as they need to feel secure and not afraid.
I'm just highlighting this to readers.
That maybe it's just a sense of insecurity instead of real insecurity.
Or maybe just inertia of just typing out an email or letter to say that you want to resign. Cos it's easy to just wake up and dress up and just go to work. It's a habit. People like habits and routines.
Thing is, anything mental is harder than physical.
Overcoming mental blocks like insecurity, self esteem, habits, is a lot harder than just going to work and earning more money.
Or... searching for happiness via material things vs overcoming your own mental barriers.
It's easy to watch TV and marketing material, and just listen to them tell you... "You'll be happy just as long as you buy... whatever."
As compared to... some program which says, "You need to look within yourself and find yourself, and when you do, you'll find happiness."
Which is an easier goal to strive for? Whether it works or not... well it's not the problem for the marketer right?
What I'm trying to get with this post is pretty much...
A lot of things happen in the mind.
A sense of security, being secure, self esteem, discipline, etc.
Money, is a different matter. Are they somewhat correlated? Yes, probably, but they aren't absolutely the same.
And with some money, confidence, discipline and a willingness to adapt and change, I think people can take better control of their lives and be happy.
(Since I believe that happiness is the starting point of any goal.)
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