Amazing.. I couldn't have said this better. The last 10 months or so with family and my homeschooled kids in Chennai has shown me that I don't need to be in any race. It's a simple choice to make, but a difficult one and most would not make it. I'm glad I made it. Great to see you live life on your own terms.
Relocated to Coimbatore, India after decades of working in US. I am pursuing slow living in my hometown and exploring hobbies. Great to see ppl in the same boat.
Thanks for sharing. I feel like having a second kid was a breakthrough for me, where the pressure to get a biggerhousebiggercarmoremoney became unbearable, so I recalculated our FIRE numbers and instantly found so much more breathing room. The small house and 9yo cars are fine if it means we can be financially independent sooner in five years instead of 15. For some reason that was the first time that freedom as a function of desires and expectations clicked for me. Sure, vacations at the Four Seasons sound nice, but do they sound nicer than bowing out of the workforce entirely? No.
I took the VEP (voluntary exit) in 2025 when Google Search offered it; family and personal reasons. I thought I'd be back once things settled, but here I am, definitely not looking at the chase. And yes, that shift you described (freedom as a function of desires and expectations) is exactly it. Enjoy the kiddos and the time with them. Better than any 5-star vacation... or perhaps if you can afford it do it with the kiddos and make it a 6-star vacation lol
I was recently laid off from a long career in market research/consumer insights. After three weeks, my brain and body are resetting, and I learned I don’t want to go back to traditional work. Thank you for sharing your perspective on how to make it work.
My husband and I were debating whether to sell our paid off, very well running 2016 Subaru or upgrade.......we couldn't think of a clear reason to beyond 'we would like airplay'! So, we are sticking with it - nice to read this and think we made the right decision. Despite no airplay.
Haha - "Adventures in asytemtric betting". A sure fire hit! It is funny how you can start to justify the upgrade - we bought this car specifically so we could drive it for a long time. And now we are reaping that benefit, all my friends upgrading to bigger fancier cars starts to turn your eye and make you justify a large loan!
Very aligned with this philosophy. Been leaning into going to the community centres for $5 swims, hitting up the local library, and taking the bus if I need to go somewhere - despite working in big tech. You really don't need fancy things to live a comfortable and fulfilling life.
You should be striving to have as much "Good want" as you can - earn more money, use it better, make a massive impact on the world, live!
The real problem with being an employee is it really funnels you into "Bad wants" - there just simply aren't many things you can buy as an employee that increase your leverage against reality.
But striving to "want less" is a philosophy antithetical to life - it shrinks away. Strive to want more, but want things worth wanting.
What a great post. The phase “peace of mind compounds too” is really true. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Thank you. That one took me a while to realize, let alone write. Appreciate you pulling it out.
Amazing.. I couldn't have said this better. The last 10 months or so with family and my homeschooled kids in Chennai has shown me that I don't need to be in any race. It's a simple choice to make, but a difficult one and most would not make it. I'm glad I made it. Great to see you live life on your own terms.
Friend, great to hear you're doing well post-G. 10 months with family in Chennai sounds like exactly the point. Simple but not easy, agreed.
Relocated to Coimbatore, India after decades of working in US. I am pursuing slow living in my hometown and exploring hobbies. Great to see ppl in the same boat.
Thanks for sharing. I feel like having a second kid was a breakthrough for me, where the pressure to get a biggerhousebiggercarmoremoney became unbearable, so I recalculated our FIRE numbers and instantly found so much more breathing room. The small house and 9yo cars are fine if it means we can be financially independent sooner in five years instead of 15. For some reason that was the first time that freedom as a function of desires and expectations clicked for me. Sure, vacations at the Four Seasons sound nice, but do they sound nicer than bowing out of the workforce entirely? No.
PS. I had no idea you left Google.
I took the VEP (voluntary exit) in 2025 when Google Search offered it; family and personal reasons. I thought I'd be back once things settled, but here I am, definitely not looking at the chase. And yes, that shift you described (freedom as a function of desires and expectations) is exactly it. Enjoy the kiddos and the time with them. Better than any 5-star vacation... or perhaps if you can afford it do it with the kiddos and make it a 6-star vacation lol
My papa taught me well. “It’s not really about how much you save, rather, it is how much you don’t spend.”
I was recently laid off from a long career in market research/consumer insights. After three weeks, my brain and body are resetting, and I learned I don’t want to go back to traditional work. Thank you for sharing your perspective on how to make it work.
I want to like this a HUNDRED times. Incredible how rare this advice is.
My husband and I were debating whether to sell our paid off, very well running 2016 Subaru or upgrade.......we couldn't think of a clear reason to beyond 'we would like airplay'! So, we are sticking with it - nice to read this and think we made the right decision. Despite no airplay.
A paid-off 2016 Subaru that runs well is the most asymmetric bet on this thread. And who needs AirPlay? You two can start your own in-car podcast.
Haha - "Adventures in asytemtric betting". A sure fire hit! It is funny how you can start to justify the upgrade - we bought this car specifically so we could drive it for a long time. And now we are reaping that benefit, all my friends upgrading to bigger fancier cars starts to turn your eye and make you justify a large loan!
Very aligned with this philosophy. Been leaning into going to the community centres for $5 swims, hitting up the local library, and taking the bus if I need to go somewhere - despite working in big tech. You really don't need fancy things to live a comfortable and fulfilling life.
This is all true.
But a lot of women never even get to decide about lifestyle creep.
They don’t have the visibility to see it.
Or the access to question it.
So the life expands.
And they’re living inside it
without ever seeing how it’s built.
Good want, bad want.
You should be striving to have as much "Good want" as you can - earn more money, use it better, make a massive impact on the world, live!
The real problem with being an employee is it really funnels you into "Bad wants" - there just simply aren't many things you can buy as an employee that increase your leverage against reality.
But striving to "want less" is a philosophy antithetical to life - it shrinks away. Strive to want more, but want things worth wanting.