Two Steps From Crazy

I suspect that at any given time I am about two steps from crazy.  Thus I have found it beneficial to fashion my own leash to allow only one more step.  You think that I am speaking with tongue in cheek, but I am not.  The skills, abilities, and drive that have brought me to a successful career and financial independence have a dark side.  Optimization comes at a price.  When shooting for the moon there tend to be very few shades of gray.

I find the road to financial independence to be very similar.  Although we like to create fancy terms to discuss the different tiers of FI, it really is an all or none proposition.  All or none propositions lead to a success/failure dichotomy.

So we all drive persistently, unceasingly towards success.

Treadmills Galore

Of course you know of the hedonic treadmill.  I have also introduced the stoic and achievement treadmills.   We are great at setting goals, and then knocking them down with even greater audacious goals the minute the whiff of success reaches our noses.  At some point the process loses all joy and meaning, and just becomes a race to the top.

Our treadmills make us crazy.  They create stress and tension when our initial journey was meant to be more peaceful and thoughtful.  Success begets success.  We double down instead of pull back.  Human nature turns each mountain top to a future stepping stone.

We have lost the ability to sit comfortably in our accomplishments.

Two steps from crazy.

Social Media/FOMO

Whether it be debating politics or marketing your content, social media creates a similar unending relentless path towards crazy.  If the news cycle is 24/7 then the social cycle is 25/8.  There is always some interaction to miss, always some chance to push your content further.

So we get the twitch.  We check our cell phones when our spouse is in the bathroom, first thing in the morning, in between sips of water in the middle of the night.  Our hands reflexively go to our pockets even when we have no need for the digital world living in our pockets.

Two steps from crazy, or at least one click from the home button.

Make a Leash

If I am two steps from crazy, I find the solution is to create a leash that only allows one more step.  Think of this as sort of a limit order you would place on a stock.  I try to create a series of if/than statements that automatically induce action to remedy the situation.  Trigger events.

The point is to break the inevitability of treadmills by pre-specifying your limit orders.

• Maybe I will stop marketing my blog on social media no matter how successful if it kills the joy of writing.
• Or I will forego the one more year syndrome if it gets in the way of supporting my children’s needs.
• I will silence twitter or take it off my phone if it disrupts dinner.

The details have been left vague on purpose.  But the triggers can be as specific or as broad as needed to reach one’s ultimate goals.

Final Thoughts

I think we are all two steps from crazy.  And I’m okay with that.  You need a little craziness to be successful and financially independent in today’s world.

Just be sure not to fall over into the abyss.  Set limits.  Fashion a leash that leaves a little leeway.

Have extra room for one more step.

But not two.