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| Ocean City (MD) at sunrise |
Aesop: “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”
It has been awhile since I wrote a blog post about thanking things (and people) I’m grateful for. Practicing gratitude is one of those things that’s really hard to find these days in this hyper-consumption world of buying things and taking exotic vacations just to impress others you don’t really have a deep connection with.
I see less and less happy people these days as many of them won’t ever be happy unless they’re emulating their favorite social media influencer who’s always going on exotic, international trips, or buying expensive stuff constantly, to show off. I hear many Gen Z young adults are taking more anti-depressants than the past generations.
Social media has ruined so many lives, I’m afraid. Only the rich and famous celebrities used to do these fancy things (international travel, driving in exotic sports cars, etc), but these days, way too many social media influencers are doing them. It almost can feel like this type of lifestyle is normal even for the average Joe.
This is just not the case. You have to dig deeper to see how these influencers are able to do these things. Many of them getting sponsored by someone or some company to sell their products. The fact that many young adults are constantly getting bombarded by these influencers is just not healthy for their mental wellbeing…
Personally, I consider doing any of these useless things a fool’s errand. What good is living for others, to gauge how others judge you, or what it’s like to get that one more like on your social media post after spending an exorbitant amount of money on a vacation?
Live your way, be true to yourself, don’t try to live for others, and do not care what others think about you. Life is way too short.
One of the best ways that has helped me tremendously in my journey of FIRE (financial independence retire early) and life in general, is the importance of practicing gratitude for the things (and people) that I have, right here and right now. This is living for the now, not wanting something that you may never actually get in the future.
By learning to appreciate the now, you are forcing yourself to realize that there are good things in your life. Don’t let life pass you by as you wait for a better future that may or may not come. Enjoy the now, have a dog’s mentality, of loving the moment!
When a dog has a good moment, he shows it. He is just happy running around carelessly, playing, or just hiking with his pet parent. Dog that eats is a happy dog. He is, at that moment, in the moment: Blissfully unaware of life’s problems and just being happy at eating whatever he is eating. Do what dogs do, and things will work out…
With the new year (2025) upon us, here are things & people I’m grateful for:
What good is living if you don’t have anyone to share your life with??? All the traveling my wife and I do, the awesome restaurants we eat at, and all the little happy moments wouldn’t mean anything if I was doing it by myself.
It’s always better to share this life with a loved one…
I’m so grateful for my wife who has put up with my sometimes over-the-top, spontaneous, and life-altering lifestyle changes that I seem to bring up every decade or so. In my thirties, it was selling everything to move to Hawaii, only to return to the east coast two and a half years later.
In my late forties, it was doing the same after retiring early. These life altering changes are never easy for anybody, and I asked my wife to come along with me few times already. You have to say that I’m definitely not living a boring or normal lifestyle…
Throughout these crazy changes that altered the way we live, especially now that we no longer have a permanent home, living nomadic lives traveling 8 months out of the year, I’m just thankful my wife has been by my side. I’m definitely not normal in that I eschewed the so called normal life by not having kids, calling quits to my job, selling everything, retiring early, and to travel.
Not normal, not easy for anyone. For that, I’m grateful for my wife and her becoming more Buddha-like in her mental state of being, and in learning to appreciate the moment, and in accepting who I am, sometimes begrudgingly, but definitely getting better at enjoying the ride together right now…
I’m also grateful for my parents. To be able to spend the time with my parents (so much more compared to when we worked) is a blessing. I love traveling with them, sharing delicious foods, playing RummiKub game, and just watching television together is something I do not take for granted.
It is truly one of life’s greatest joys to be able to share moments with your loved ones…
Not a day goes by when I’m not thankful of our early retirement. To be able to wake up whenever, to enjoy that first cup of morning coffee without needing to hurry up, or take an afternoon nap, is something I will never get tired of.
Every time we visit a place on a weekday, I’m reminded of how lucky we are. We’re so thankful we don’t have to work. We’re so thankful we don’t have to deal with so many entitled, obnoxious people I see these days.
Spending a day doing anything or nothing at all, is truly one of the best perks of early retirement. Some people say retirement can be boring, but I disagree. It’s what YOU make of it. If you spend your day being productive (exercising, learning new things, creating content, etc.), and if you spend your day doing things you want to, then who cares?
I‘ll live my life my way, thank you very much!
- The financial system (stock, bond markets) of the United States
I’m so grateful for the fact that I’m living here in the greatest country on the face of the earth.
Were it not for the stable stock/bond markets, I would not have been able to retire early. The concepts of the FIRE (financial independence retire early) movement truly worked for us. By learning to live with less, investing diligently towards our retirement, we have decoded the mysteries of living and thriving in a capitalist society.
I’m ever grateful to my parents who decided to move here to the United States, instead of to some other country. America is truly the land of opportunity where an immigrant from South Korea can live and thrive here if he works hard and learns the financial system.
We are living examples of that…
I have always loved to travel and this is one of the things I’m grateful for these days. Thanks to our early retirement, I have time on my hands to visit a place as I choose. No more taking a week long or sometimes 2 week long vacations.
I can take a 10 week vacation to do a cross country road trip to the California coast or visit the American South for 8 weeks. These would not have been possible while we both worked.
Traveling has absolutely broadened my perspective and my horizons. Traveling has been and will always be one of the most fun things in my life. For that, I am really thankful…
In conclusion:
Practicing gratitude is one of those things that seems trivial and unimportant, but it is, one of the most important things you can do to help yourself. It’s so easy to want things you don’t have right this moment.
However, when you’re chasing that elusive thing(whatever it is), you may miss what’s right in front of you. There are so many great things about life that doesn’t cost anything. Things like enjoying nature, learning, creating, exercising, are totally free, and they will make you feel better.
By learning to live with less, practicing minimalism, we’ve been able to retire early to live the way we do today. I can’t stress enough how important it is to appreciate the little things in your life is to your mental health. Don’t always want things. You may wait a long time to get everything you think you need.
Appreciate life now, as many things that matter do not cost a thing. Remember, most of us only have roughly 80 or so summers to enjoy our lives (life expectancy for US males is roughly 80 years). Make good use of it and don’t waste it on things you currently don’t have.
Enjoy the now, enjoy things you do have, and learn to be grateful.
Thank you for reading and good luck in your journey of FIRE (financial independence retire early)!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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