320 | How Many Days a Month Do You Experience Stress Related to Work?

The nature of work has drastically changed over the last year. Has its impact on you been negative or positive? And does that impact your choices on the path to financial independence? As a result of these changes, how we do work is something we can now question and work to make it align with how we want our weeks and months to look like. The concept of a Red X month is something first introduced to us by Vincent Pugliese and one that has been sacred to the Barrett Family. Brad puts a big red X through the month of August each year so they can spend the month doing whatever they want. The ability to do that is a benefit of FI. In order to spend more time with family, this summer, the show will move from its standard two shows a week format, to just once a week. What is your why? Brad says the words “enough” and “balance” pop into his head. We are driven to get to the point of financial independence but it can sometimes be difficult to find balance or understand when it’s enough. Success isn’t how much money you have in your bank account or how high your savings rate is. It’s having balance and living a life by design. Jonathan is reminded of a phrase, “What got you here, won’t get you there.” All of the work that goes into earning more, spending less, and optimizing the difference puts you at risk of losing sight of your why. At some point, you need to wind it down and step away. The one-more-year syndrome where you worry you might not have enough comes from a scarcity mindset. It can be easier and less scary to keep doing what you are doing. The hard work is psychological and needs to be contemplated years before leaving work. You can start doing the work ahead of time by starting small and experimenting. Jonathan doesn’t know that he would be good at vacations. He’s always thinking about something related to this community or Talent Stacker. He realizes that comes at the cost of missing out on spending quality time with his family and his life may be out of balance. He thinks Brad is probably better at handling the contentment side of things. Many of us feel like if we aren’t actively trying to advance that we are failing. When you are in a position of strength and know what you value and where you can provide value, you can design a work life that works for you. A lot of employers are looking at how they can save money with less physical real estate. You have the chance to be a squeaky wheel and present your employer with a work proposal and provides them with an ROI they are looking for. Work is not always going to be stress-free. Where does it cross the line from reasonable to toxic? Brad thinks he feels stressed more than he should for his overall level of stress, but that it’s because he is out of balance. He suspects it’s due to a feeling of only being half there and a constant feeling of guilt. Life isn’t perfect and neither are we. We need to have some self-compassion, realize our issues, and try to get a little bit better every day. If you conduct a root cause analysis on your stress, you can figure out a way to solve it. Jonathan says that his pharmacy job was a former source of stress because it didn’t meet his needs for autonomy, mastery, purpose, identity, and connection. Having FU money enabled him to leave it behind to pursue ChooseFI instead. Knowing what your options are is one way of dealing with a toxic work situation. You can start by testing small and doing things to make your life a little bit better. You don’t need anyone else’s stamp of approval anymore. It’s not necessary to go into debt to start a business and there’s never been a better time to start learning for free. Balance has characteristics that are identifiable. It feels like you are in control of your time and you are able to allocate it where you want. If you have autonomy, mastery, purpose, identity, and connection, you should be able to control your time. Resources Mentioned In Today’s Conversation ChooseFI Episode 211 How to Negotiate Your Salary Without Burning Bridges | Financial Mechanic ChooseFI Episode 168 Make Time Sign up for the free 5-day challenge If You Want To Support ChooseFI: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI’s 3-card credit card strategy.  Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence.