Using CoastFIRE to find Purpose

At 18 years old we are told to choose a path. Either a job, apprenticeship or degree. The odds at that age of knowing your direction is slim. I got it wrong, chances are many of you have as well. With CoastFIRE we get a second opportunity.

By choosing CoastFIRE we can make a change. At 30 or 35 I am and you are way more understanding of who we are and what we want out of life. We can take time to go back to school, learn new skills or prioritize our careers in new ways. Often those on the FIRE path will retire in their late 30s or early 40s, to me at least that seems awful. To retire without pursuing a purpose is a waste of a life.

To retire so early, what will you do with the rest of your life, do you not have goals and dreams, or even want to avail your time to something. We all must believe in a thing after all.

CoastFIRE gives you the chance to reset, to find purpose and explore possible careers that give you meaning. As Viktor Frankl writes in Man's Search for Meaning "Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any "how". Viktor Frankl argues that those who had purpose were the ones who survived WW2 and the hardest troubles of their life.

Purpose is an important part of anyones life. We must find our vision, whatever that is. With CoastFIRE we can ignore the financial implications of this, we can pursue something based on our vision and not based on how we will afford retirement or a life worth living.

For me mI have a few things that I am going to take the next couple years exploring and writing about. My interesting in gardening, and garden design, bicycles, baking, and woodworking. I see teaching as maybe the ultimate CoastFIRE job. Teaching gives you 3 months of vacation, a liveable wage, pension, and healthcare. I think as long as I can pay for my lifestyle which is pretty relaxed at the moment we are all good. I can explore all of these opportunities. I want to try creating a YouTube channel and learn to sew bags, since I've always loved bags. To write more and create longer form content. My belief is that one will stand out eventually. There is a chance though that maybe multiple incomes is the best path forward.

For example, working parttime in a bike shop while creating a YouTube and selling bags. Maybe a career is not the most optimal but instead you find new challenges and structures to keep your mind active and to pursue your vision. For me, my vision is not 100% clear so I plan to explore everything that interests me until I find the one that sticks.