A friend about 10 years younger to me was asking me how does it feel to be financially free..he was planning to quit his job. I explained how his attitude to life has to be a slightly different and he will have to chart a different route…when he popped the question..’How do you feel’. I am not they typical 100 hour week person who gave up everything one day to just stay at home. However here is what I have seen people tell me..so here is MY summary of what it feels like:

1. The awesome relief that you can choose whom to meet: In life you have a list of people that you have to meet – some whom must, some you are delighted to meet or talk to, friends, people with whom you share hobbies,….and suddenly now you have a choice. Just imagine what it does to your mood 24 hours a day!
2. You care less about what other people think: Well for me this never mattered, but for retirees it means you can decide what time you get up, what car you drive, what clothes you wear,….sure some business owners pretend that they can do that, but at the end of the day they cannot. They are answerable to their customers, investors, employees, vendors – oops its tough man.
3. You can speak about the truth: One of the young entrepreneurs asked me to run through his business plan. I could tell him so bluntly as to why he was running out of cash, I was surprised at my bluntness and accuracy. He smartly raised MORE money at a lesser valuation instead of sticking on to a high horse!
4. Your health improves: Assuming you use your new found time to join a gym or take up an active sport your health surely improves.
5. You can experiment with diet: Move on to a healthier diet, experiment with different types of food, cooking methods, eating habits – earlier you were trapped in a office – home – routine and did not find time to do all this.
6. You can decide to spend time with relatives, class mates, hobby groups – without a feeling of guilt or force.
7. You can experiment more and be less afraid to fail: Corporate world is not a great place to fail. If you succeed the corporate takes the credit, but if you fail, you are thrashed. Not a great place where you want to experiment. Even in work like training, the type of work I do now is vastly different from the bank / mutual funds training that I used to do say 3 years ago.
8. You stand up for what is right: When one girl quit her job because her boss ill-treated a colleague I realized how being free allowed you to stand up to bullies and do what is right. Sure some bullies will continue to do what they are good at, but you can stand up much stronger. This girl had a strong financial support and she said ‘no more bullying’ – inspirational stuff.
9. You get calmer: people do not piss me off anymore. Whether it is their bullshitting or whatever you tend to relax because of the confidence of being able to say “Gee..I must leave I have to feed the cats”.Imagine doing this @ 4 pm when you are having coffee with a bull shitter!!
10. Enjoy! You no longer have a job to lose…You get stressed only when you have a cheese that belongs to somebody else and can be moved. When you have an abundant supply of milk – go and make your own cheese.
11. You stop lying: Imagine getting up every morning and meeting a bunch of people you do not like and telling them “Hey Good to see you this morning” .
12. You are more willing to experiment with your time as you have chosen to reduce the stake !!
13. At least I am learning new things…and enjoying that – in my case it is Veda Recital.