Hey everyone, I’ve been on this forum off and on throughout my Fastlane journey. TMF was one of the most impactful books I've read, Unscripted reinforced the thinking I'd gained from Harry Browne's How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, and Choose Hard, Live Easy reminded me that my hard choices were worth it, but also reminding me of the times where I've done unnecessarily hard things (which probably held me back).
I need your help because I'm at a point I didn’t anticipate: I achieved my goals, but instead of clarity about what comes next I’m left questioning which game I should even be playing.
I've been building websites for ~30 years, although for 20 of those I was oblivious to the fact that they could become meaningful assets. Eventually I found affiliate marketing and started making money online, built and sold some small websites, worked for myself and gradually stair-stepped my income higher. Most of my income since then has come from my web agency. Alongside some other online income, I've been able to invest aggressively and get out of the Slowlane despite never fully making the CENTS model work for me.
Last year I crossed my FIRE number, which was my obsession for about 10 years. I’m early 40s, have a family home, no debt and a financial position that means our normal lifestyle can theoretically be funded without ever working a day again.
The problem is that I never really built the (e-)mythical machine, and part of me feels like I've "failed" because of that... I have unfinished business.
For years my operating system involved making money, investing it, becoming financially independent and never being trapped by work or financial circumstances again. I've tolerated businesses and clients I didn’t enjoy because I knew exactly why I was doing it. Now that the scarcity is gone, so is a lot of my motivation. My day to day is in a similar place to @WJK described in this reply.
Sure my web agency is a profitable business, and it can be systemised further, but most days I feel that managing people and building assets for other people is not the game I want to play for the next decade. Many might say it makes sense to keep running my existing business, but on the other hand I want to try something new and explore the business models that may be a better fit for my personality.
I still get excited about business ideas.... strategy, researching markets, building websites, creating products and solving problems all excite me. It's my relationship with the grind that has changed. I don't want 60-hour weeks, sales calls during family dinner time, urgent messages while travelling, a huge team or status. I don't want to sacrifice my physical or mental health or being present for my family just to add a zero to my bank account... Yet I still want to see what I'm capable of. I don't want FIRE to become an excuse to live a small life.
I'd love to build something with substantial profit and enormous time leverage. I want the challenge of "cracking the code" and building an actual asset rather than continually selling expertise or the promise of future performance for our clients.
I'm trying to learn how to be motivated once money, security and freedom are solved for. Shifting the goal posts just for the sake of it isn't the answer. Buying expensive stuff for validation isn't the answer. Starting another company purely because I'm uncomfortable without a mountain to climb could recreate the life I spent years trying to escape. This last one scares me... do I start that new thing, or do I hold off on that urge to try something new and let the work addiction subside first?
For now I'm deliberately simplifying, reducing projects and commitments, and making my existing business less dependent on me. Longer term I want to find my infinite game... If that's a business, it's one serious business that I enjoy owning and could happily run for 10+ years if not much longer.
If you've reached your "end game", I'd like to learn:
I need your help because I'm at a point I didn’t anticipate: I achieved my goals, but instead of clarity about what comes next I’m left questioning which game I should even be playing.
I've been building websites for ~30 years, although for 20 of those I was oblivious to the fact that they could become meaningful assets. Eventually I found affiliate marketing and started making money online, built and sold some small websites, worked for myself and gradually stair-stepped my income higher. Most of my income since then has come from my web agency. Alongside some other online income, I've been able to invest aggressively and get out of the Slowlane despite never fully making the CENTS model work for me.
Last year I crossed my FIRE number, which was my obsession for about 10 years. I’m early 40s, have a family home, no debt and a financial position that means our normal lifestyle can theoretically be funded without ever working a day again.
The problem is that I never really built the (e-)mythical machine, and part of me feels like I've "failed" because of that... I have unfinished business.
For years my operating system involved making money, investing it, becoming financially independent and never being trapped by work or financial circumstances again. I've tolerated businesses and clients I didn’t enjoy because I knew exactly why I was doing it. Now that the scarcity is gone, so is a lot of my motivation. My day to day is in a similar place to @WJK described in this reply.
Sure my web agency is a profitable business, and it can be systemised further, but most days I feel that managing people and building assets for other people is not the game I want to play for the next decade. Many might say it makes sense to keep running my existing business, but on the other hand I want to try something new and explore the business models that may be a better fit for my personality.
I still get excited about business ideas.... strategy, researching markets, building websites, creating products and solving problems all excite me. It's my relationship with the grind that has changed. I don't want 60-hour weeks, sales calls during family dinner time, urgent messages while travelling, a huge team or status. I don't want to sacrifice my physical or mental health or being present for my family just to add a zero to my bank account... Yet I still want to see what I'm capable of. I don't want FIRE to become an excuse to live a small life.
I'd love to build something with substantial profit and enormous time leverage. I want the challenge of "cracking the code" and building an actual asset rather than continually selling expertise or the promise of future performance for our clients.
I'm trying to learn how to be motivated once money, security and freedom are solved for. Shifting the goal posts just for the sake of it isn't the answer. Buying expensive stuff for validation isn't the answer. Starting another company purely because I'm uncomfortable without a mountain to climb could recreate the life I spent years trying to escape. This last one scares me... do I start that new thing, or do I hold off on that urge to try something new and let the work addiction subside first?
For now I'm deliberately simplifying, reducing projects and commitments, and making my existing business less dependent on me. Longer term I want to find my infinite game... If that's a business, it's one serious business that I enjoy owning and could happily run for 10+ years if not much longer.
If you've reached your "end game", I'd like to learn:
- What replaced financial necessity as your motivation once you had enough?
- Did you deliberately stop for a while, or did you keep building?
- How did you distinguish genuine entrepreneurial drive from simply being uncomfortable without a mountain to climb?
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