Financial Independence and The Courage To Rewrite Our Narrative

Changing Our Narrative

This last weekend I had the distinct privilege of attending CampFI Southwest in Joshua Tree, California. As per usual, I was blown away by the quality of people who consistently show up to these types of events. I met a business owner who struggled to overcome 3.7 million dollars of debt to eventually sell his business and become a startup coach. A young women whose courageous husband convinced her to not pursue another job after being fired in 2012, and traveled the world with him for the next four years until he developed an unexpected cancer and died. And a couple who left their high powered jobs in the mid forties to hit the road and explore our planet.

While financial independence was certainly a powerful tool for each of these individuals, it is the courage to rewrite their personal narratives that sticks with me as I contemplate this wonderful weekend.

Reflect. Revise. Rewrite.

Our Stories

By far, the most important stories told about our lives are the ones we tell ourselves. In the best of situations, we see ourselves as the protagonist. This allows us to act with the best of intentions and motivations. When we look at our lives through this lens, making good decisions becomes much easier.

What would the hero of our story do?

Like most of us, the participants of CampFI Southwest all struggled with their own internal narratives at some point during their adult lives. Our businessman had to come to terms with his self created vision of himself as a founder and startup entrepreneur, and reconcile this with his glaring debt and unhappiness at work.

Our courageous young widower had to struggle with the loss of a corporate job and a choice imposed by her husband to travel the world. And then reconcile that new found narrative with the sudden and unexpected loss of her beloved.

And our high powered couple had to reevaluate the story of the successful business people they had become, and search for purpose and meaning outside the careers that had defined them over so many years, but were no longer fulfilling their needs.

The Courage To Rewrite

Major change in life is often inspired by conflict. We reach a crux such that we can no longer continue down the path that we have crafted for ourselves.

Said another way, we stop identifying with our own personal narrative. This is difficult, off-putting, and scary. It leaves us off balance and anxious. How ever can we remain the protagonist when our life story is no longer recognizable?

This is exactly the scenario that I oft heard repeated at CampFI this weekend. The narrative no longer fit, and an important decision had to be made.

Continue on in life sticking to a reality that was no longer nourishing, or have the courage to change the narrative.

The amazing people I met this weekend en mass decided to rewrite their narratives. The in debt founder became the out of debt business coach. The out of work employee became the world traveler, and now she is rewriting once again after the tragic death of her spouse.

The couple has ditched the office and now roams the world freely unencumbered by someone else’s time frame. Unhindered by someone else’s schedule.

The courage to rewrite the narrative. It is what sets us apart. I believe it is one of the key ingredients to both success and happiness.

Financial Independence

So what the heck does this have to do with financial independence?

Quite a lot, in my opinion.

Many of us pursue financial independence because we have come to that impasse in the road. We can no longer move forward, yet we are afraid to set off in a new direction. We are afraid to rewrite our narrative.

So it is enticing to decide that financial freedom is our new narrative. Our new destination. This feels good and certain. Almost comforting. Yet, it is a tad misleading.

Financial independence is many things, but a destination it is not. As JD Roth noted (a speaker at CampFI Southwest) it is a side effect. Others have called it a superpower. I’ve even called it a Plan B.

But undoubtedly, what it really is is a tool. An open book. A blank page to start rewriting our narrative.

Final Thoughts

We should tell ourselves the story about our life that makes it magical. When our previous narrative no longer fits, we should rewrite it and have the courage to accept that our identities shift over the decades. Often many times.

Don’t get stuck in a rut. Don’t be so afraid of losing our identity that we miss the opportunity to reflect, revise, and rewrite.

Recognize financial independence not as a destination but as a golden quill, a brand new blank page, and a double caffeinated coffee to start our morning.

And get (re)writing!