Focus is good. You can direct all your energy and attention to the one thing that matters. Everything else is secondary. Could that be bad?
I do think it can be bad, it can be the root of all evil.
Imagine, you only focus on your savings rate. You will do all that it takes to crank up this number. Always higher, always more. This leads to a net worth that always has to go up.
Imagine that your savings rate or net worth stays flat. Or DRAMA, ticks down a few months in a row. Will that make you feel bad? I guess it will. And it should not. Life is more than a number.
When I am gone, will people remember me because of my silver ass savings rate? Or me hitting FI and living of investing? I do hope there are other things.
I prefer big time to be a super dad and granddad that passed on a great life philosophy, that raised smart and polite kids, independent. A friend that was there for his friends and had fun. None of this is measured in the SR nor via the amberindex nor via my passive income.
And yet, those are the only 3 things that I measure. Does that mean I do it all wrong?
I do understand how these 3 measures will contribute to my end goal, so, it is good to keep an eye on them.
How about fun? How do you measure that? And being a good dad, what is the best formula for this? No clue… Has anyone an idea?
Or maybe, we should not measure at all, enjoy it all and trust the system…!
amber tree leaves 
I suffer from a severe case of too much focus. Once I get going with a particular goal in mind I tend to go overboard a bit. It’s a personality trait that can be good and bad at the same time. It’s good to stop every once in a while, breath, and realize that life is good and not a byproduct of what goals you have in mind.
Sometimes I have the feeling that you are much wiser than I am 🙂
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So true. Financial Independence in not our end station. It will for sure help us making even more fun choices in our life, but life is now. One should not wait until freedom. You should claim it. Happy eastern ATL =)
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Could not agree more. The focus should be one being happy and for that a balance is needed. If you only focus is building the stash and living frugal you will not be happy. This for me was the big thing I learned from the FIRE community.
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Indeed, life is more than investing and a number. Happiness is the ultimate goal. Yet, for me, both are heavily connected. I need the peace of mind knowing that financially wise I’m safe before I could work less to spend more time with kids, family or friends.
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Yes, I agree. Looking back,being a good dad is a long term commitment. You will never know the final results until your children become adults. You can measure some of your successes along the way. Their grades at school, the quality friends that they pick, problems with authority or lack of are all good indicators. (My children are in their 30’s)
Having fun is different for each of us. My large collection of pictures and videos reminds me of all the fun that I have had so far. There are lots of ways to have fun without spending money.
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I like to focus on the end goal. When I am at the shops and looking to buy something I don’t really need, sometimes (not all the time, I will decide to put it back. I have the money sure, but it doesn’t help future me retire any faster!
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I’m with Team CF, sometimes I focus too hard and failed to see the big picture. It’s important to be able to focus at the right time and still see the big picture.
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indeed, focus and big picture need to go hand in hand.
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I don’t think you can measure everything and it may be wrong to try and force it. How do you measure being a great parent? It is hard. I also believe that focusing solely on savings rate and reaching FI is not the best answer either. FI is a part of the larger picture. If your goals are to reach FI and be an awesome parent and your focused too much on your savings rate, you will neglect the other. Life is about balance and figuring out the best way to go about achieving your goals!
Bert
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Today somebody said to me, balance is key, the most important word in every aspect of life.
Just focus on today with tomorrow in mind and explain me later.
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great quote!
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What I like about aiming for FIRE and working with the numbers that come associated with it, I have more fun than before. I feel more in control and have got rid of over consumption. The last feels as a relief.
But sometimes I get over focussed as well, like with anything else in life…
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Looking at the numbers gives indeed a feeling of being in control. Now that I understand my numbers and have a minimalist dashboard, I can focus on other areas that will lead to the ultimate goal: Happiness
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