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Life and Motivation
The Extrinsic Element of Intrinsic Motivation (AKA Failing at Retirement Twice)
A lesson learned in early retirement to go beyond the self. Revealing a missing void for some people, especially the altruistic.
Intrinsic
adjective
Belonging to the real nature of a thing; not dependent on external circumstances; essential; inherent.
I’ve shared in the past how I failed at early retirement after just seven weeks, but this is a follow-up story that I’ve never told anyone.
Today I’ve got an interesting take on motivation and personal growth. We’re going deep into the soul.
After hitting FIRE and “semi-retiring” to work at multiple simultaneous startups for fun, I took seven months off in 2022. It was part two of my FIRE journey to
- A) validate whether the earlier seven-week phase in 2021 was a fluke, and
- B) focus on my personal dreams and hobbies in a serious way.
I’d spent 1.5 years helping the dreams and aspirations of random startup founders/CEOs, but none of that was relevant to my own dreams whatsoever. So I figured at least half a year would be enough time to experiment and refocus.
And boy did I lay down the personal gauntlet. I wrote prolifically — finished a bunch of horror short stories, drafted a novel outline, and kept up this blog. I read 2–3 books per week of all genres. Gymed and cooked every day. Kept up my various hobbies (street magic tricks). I even went on a 30+ day transatlantic cruise with my parents to visit over a dozen islands and Spanish/Portuguese cities. I visited Alaska, the Middle East, and parts of Canada for the first time. Most importantly, I spent valuable time with my friends and loved ones.
Life was good. I was happy, knowing that I didn’t need any form of external validation to affect my well-being. Not needing ties to a prestigious company or a fancy-sounding job title. And don’t get me wrong, I was busier than ever juggling all my random hobbies and adventures on the road.
