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Friends. Leggings are not pants. That is all.
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Additional Posts in FIRE Financial Independence Retire Early
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To me, it sounds like you are rich, but not financially independent.
The rich are often constantly chasing the next financial milestone, sometimes at the expense of what truly matters in life. FI knows when to prioritize what truly matters.
Understanding this distinction can help you make the right choice.
I took another job recently with a 50k pay cut (250k vs 300k) due to work life balance. Glad I did it.
You only see it clearly once you are out of the muck but what I realized is that my lifestyle hasn’t really changed. I may end up with 5 million in retirement instead of 8 million due prioritizing life. But I doubt it’s going to make a difference in my retirement lifestyle.
But, I am a lot more happier. Closer to my family and myself. A lot more time to enjoy this earth and the people on it.
Wow I'm 42 too, this really puts things into perspective.
Subject Expert
You admit you’ve reached FI, and you intend to work a long time, so this isn’t about money at all.
You view your job and paycheck as a status symbol, and a reward mechanism for being a high achiever. But you say it’s also very stressful.
Can you find a different job with high status and challenges that currently give your life meaning , but with less stress?
You also should find more meaning, passion, interests in life outside of work if possible.
You don’t need to be paid so you can do anything. You just need to find it.
Mentor
I'll make the counter argument, for the sake of argument. If you end up increasing the social life to the point where you want to marry and have kids, your financial priorities might change. Do something that will give you the opportunity to pivot back to what you are doing now, if you someday have the need. Families are expensive, and what you thought was good enough for you may not be with many mouths to feed. Good luck!
If you’ve already reached FI and don’t plan to retire, prioritize health and relationships. Take some time off to relax and reassess your overall goals.
As STM1 says, you don’t realize it when you’re in the thick of it, but once you take a step back, I hope you’ll see differently.
I’m done climbing the corporate stepstool but still on my journey to FI. I’m still able to find contentment along the way and will always prioritizing my health and family first even if it means I’m not getting big raises or bonuses anymore. My quiet quitting approach might come with a layoff risk but I’m close enough to LeanFI that I’m ok with that
I had an honest conversation with myself about what’s actually a necessary expense. Turns out I live a simple life and don’t need much. Did just fine with 1/2 the paycheck
Have you thought about taking a leave of absence to take a step back and then about what might make you happier?