2744: [Part 1] The Five Types of People You’ll Meet on Your Way to FI by FIRECracker of Millennial Revolution

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[00:01:20] This is Optimal Finance Daily, episode 2744. The five types of people you'll meet on your way

[00:01:26] to fi part one by firecracker of millennial revolution.com. And I'm your host and personal

[00:01:34] finance enthusiast Diana Mariam. I have a bit of a longer post, so I'll read the first half today

[00:01:40] and then finish the rest for you tomorrow. So with that, let's dive into part one and start

[00:01:46] optimizing your life. The five types of people you'll meet on your way to fi part one by

[00:01:56] firecracker of millennial revolution.com. I write a lot about our travels around the world,

[00:02:03] but the most memorable moment actually happened back in North America in New York City. That's

[00:02:08] when I got to sign our children's novel, thus realizing my lifelong dream of becoming a

[00:02:13] published author. If you've ever tried to publish a book, you'll know the gut-wrenching highs and

[00:02:19] lows of becoming an author. One second you're invincible, and the next you're down on your knees

[00:02:25] gasping for air. The highest of the highs came from that moment, that glorious moment when I

[00:02:31] could finally scribble my own name on a copy of my own book, something I'll remember as long as

[00:02:37] I live. So naturally, I was ecstatic to share that moment with my first writing partner,

[00:02:43] a friend who I've known since first year university, a friend who'd been our cheerleader

[00:02:48] from the beginning. I imagined after I told her there'd be lots of hugging and crying,

[00:02:53] followed by buckets and buckets of celebratory boos. But that didn't happen, because as soon as

[00:02:59] the words New York book signing left my mouth, it got so quiet I could hear my heart drop in my chest.

[00:03:07] She muttered something about needing to run an errand while avoiding my eyes,

[00:03:11] and practically shoved me out the door. I haven't seen or spoken to her since.

[00:03:16] Every time I try to get in touch, she seems to be busy or conveniently unavailable. So after two

[00:03:22] years, I gave up. But as unpleasant as that experience was, I did manage to learn one painful

[00:03:29] fact. Most people don't want you to succeed. How do I know this? Because we experienced the exact

[00:03:36] same thing when we retired early. And it wasn't just us. Check out the comments on any news article

[00:03:42] about a celebrity, a successful entrepreneur, or a fireperson, and you'll see that the amount

[00:03:47] of vitriol could fill an entire library. And recently, one of our readers experienced this

[00:03:53] as well. He had finally come out of the fi closet and told his friends he was working towards early

[00:03:59] retirement. The amount of backlash hit him like a ton of bricks. And that's why he says he's so

[00:04:05] happy to be going to Chautauqua UK this year. He wants to build his village and be surrounded

[00:04:11] by like-minded people who will encourage rather than tear him down. So to all the revolutionaries

[00:04:17] out there, those of you who are working towards fire and having a hard time with jealous haters,

[00:04:22] let me tell you this. There are five types of people we met on our ways of financial independence.

[00:04:29] Number one, the frenemy. The frenemy pats you on the back with one hand while secretly gut

[00:04:35] punching you with the other. That's why when you tell them you're retiring early, in one breath,

[00:04:40] they'll say, good for you, and then immediately follow it up, feel free to ask me for a job

[00:04:45] reference anytime you run out of money. Or 40 grand a year to travel the world is amazing. I wish

[00:04:51] I could get used to eating beans and craft dinners so I could do it too, but I can't. I have standards.

[00:04:58] The frenemy is an expert at backhanded comments delivered so dripping in sarcasm,

[00:05:03] you have to be careful not to slip on it on your way out the door. Number two, the whiner.

[00:05:10] The whiner thinks they're hardworking and certainly will make a big show of working hard.

[00:05:15] I work so much overtime this weekend, but yet can't seem to actually accomplish anything.

[00:05:21] And in their heads, this is evidence of a cosmic injustice that despite all their hard work,

[00:05:27] they're held back from greatness and will spend hours presenting evidence of said injustice to you

[00:05:33] if you let them. Their boss is a tool. The system's unfair. Rich people are keeping them down somehow.

[00:05:41] But every time I go over and endure one of their epic p***** fests, I take a look around

[00:05:46] their swanky condo that I know they bought in a hormone-soaked bidding war filled with luxury bags

[00:05:52] they can't afford, and all I do is just smile and nod. Uh-huh, sure buddy. It's always someone else's

[00:05:59] fault. Fortunately, these people don't stick around for long. When they realize that you succeeded by

[00:06:05] working hard and critically not handing your hard-earned money over to some bank or idiot

[00:06:11] retailer, that makes them look bad, and they quickly conclude that you're one of those rich

[00:06:16] b***** keeping them down. I mean, what choice do they have? Actually learn new ideas and do stuff

[00:06:23] differently? Nah, they'd rather just stay stuck in their familiar rut while making up excuses about

[00:06:29] why life is unfair. Number three, the hypocrite. But there are starving people in Africa,

[00:06:36] so how dare you succeed? The hypocrite thinks you got lucky and don't truly deserve your success.

[00:06:43] Don't take it personally though. They think everyone who succeeds is somehow lucky and

[00:06:47] doesn't truly deserve their success. They say things like, yeah but you were born into privilege.

[00:06:53] Excuse me? I grew up in poverty and c***** in a hole. Yeah, but you had great parents. My mom

[00:06:59] beat the hell out of me every day for no reason. Yeah, but your brain is wired to like work hard

[00:07:04] and stuff. And what? The hypocrite fundamentally believes that being wealthy is inherently evil.

[00:07:12] After all, how can someone be rich knowing there are so many poor people in the world?

[00:07:17] However, when asked whether they're doing anything to help those people themselves,

[00:07:21] they'll reply, no, I don't have any money, followed by immediately going to their parents

[00:07:26] for a handout. So the hypocrite gets to simultaneously demonize the rich while offloading

[00:07:32] responsibility for solving the world's problems onto the rich while excusing themselves from

[00:07:37] having to do a d***** thing themselves. Number four, hear that on tomorrow's episode.

[00:07:47] You just listened to part one of the post titled, The Five Types of People You'll Meet

[00:07:52] on Your Way to Fi by Firecracker of millennial-revolution.com and I'll be right back with

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[00:09:59] As someone who talks about money every day, I've certainly met my fair share of naysayers

[00:10:03] as described in this article. I do find it disappointing when others see my story as a

[00:10:09] reason to feel bad about their own financial situation or to justify why they can't do better

[00:10:14] financially. They see that they don't have the same exact circumstances, income, preferences,

[00:10:21] and skills as I do. And their conclusion is that this must mean financial freedom is out of reach.

[00:10:27] What I wish people knew is that the specific details of my story are irrelevant because

[00:10:33] they aren't repeatable. What is replicable are the basic rules of money. I spent less than I

[00:10:40] earned, I got creative and resourceful about getting my needs met, I questioned my relationship

[00:10:45] with consumerism, I had a very simple investment strategy, and I didn't outsource my financial

[00:10:52] literacy. I've come to understand that talking to people about money or financial success

[00:10:57] can be agitating for people, even if one's intention in sharing is to be helpful.

[00:11:03] So it's best to keep it brief and read the room. Those that find it interesting will ask questions.

[00:11:10] But we're just halfway through the article. So for now, have a happy rest of your day and a great

[00:11:15] start to your weekend. And I'll see you tomorrow where we'll finish up this post and where your

[00:11:19] optimal life awaits.