What are you most afraid of? Seriously, think about it! But don’t just think about it, let’s actually talk about your fears.
Usually, when you decide to turn your life around and start a new habit, it is generally hard. It is surely more difficult for some than it is for others.
For those of us just starting to pursue the idea of FIRE or aiming at firing soon, it is quite normal to be scared of what the future holds and in-fact there was a recent reddit thread on what sort of fears you might have while pursuing FIRE
In this article, you will learn about the top 3 fears according to that reddit survey and what experts had to say regarding this.
Getting a terminal disease or dying unexpectedly
Yes, a staggering 52% of the users in this sub-reddit thread said they had a ‘fear of death. You might wonder why it bothers a lot of people so much that they might die before they retire early or reach some degree of financial freedom but this is what Jordan Peterson who is a Clinical Psychologist had to say regarding this: ‘’…you should be more afraid of not living properly’’ He goes on to say that ‘’…if you live your life more thoroughly, make use of the advantages and your talents, then you can combat death by living fully.’’
Divorce
According to a recent article on The Telegraph, the average marriage lasts for 12 years. Incase you are part of those who think that a marriage should last forever, think again buddy. Even though there is some good news, as The Atlantic reports that in the past 10 years, divorce rate has fallen by 18 %, a lot of folks are still scared that they will end up giving away 50% of their assets during divorce settlement.
In fact 21% of the comments under this sub-reddit stated that divorce is their biggest fear. So if you are part of this 21%, then you should check out Louis CK referring to divorce as a liberation tool during one of his standup shows.
Financial crisis
Considering that the whole concept of FIRE has to do with saving enough money so that you can retire early and not have to work again for money, then I think you can understand why about 27% of the responses on this sub-reddit fear inflation just after happily attaining financial independence and quitting their jobs. So if you are out there with a similar mindset, maybe you will be comforted by the words of Warren Buffett and Ray Dalio. Dalio advice to be less aggressive with your investments, while Buffett says that cash is always a bad investment.
I hope this article helps you somehow in overcoming your fears on your FIRE journey. You are not alone as there is a tonne of welcoming communities to help with more questions on FIRE – Reddit and Blogs.
Check out the links to the recommended sub-reddits and blogs below and don’t forget to comment what fears you have while preparing to retire early after gaining your financial freedom. Share this content if you enjoyed and don’t forget to subscribe for more.
