This weekend I have two really cool events that I will be attending. On Sunday morning, my daughter is playing in the State Cup finals for soccer. Since achieving financial independence last year I have gone to every practice and game that she plays and been able to put in some extra time to help her train. It has been a true joy to see her blossom as a soccer player and confident individual. She ignites when she gets on that field. On Sunday afternoon, my son is playing in a Local Tour Championship for golf. He has matured into a composed, confident, golfer and he is probably one of the best players in the state for his age. I get to caddie for him during most of his tournaments and now that I have time I get to work with him a few days of the week to help him get better.
I hope we get to celebrate two wins this weekend but if not I will be ready to appreciate their hard work, provide the big picture view to my kids, and turn these losses into learning opportunities.
Why am I telling you this about my kids? I believe all of the parents at these games and tournaments work hard for their kids but I know many parents will be thinking about work and turning to work emails by Sunday evening. That is a reality of life if you work and I respect these parents for multi-tasking as I did for a long time. Some of them do an excellent job of compartmentalizing their role as a parent and their work. However, there is only so much time for anyone and it becomes easier to prioritize the things you find important in your life, like your kids and the things that are important to them, after you have achieved your financial independence and created a more flexible schedule for yourself.
If you write down the things in life most important to you then you should also write down how many opportunities you have to focus on these things. For me, when I quit work last year I felt that I had five years to spend with my kids while they still wanted to spend a lot of time with me. If broken down into weekly opportunities, I had 260 weeks, or 260 opportunities, to make a difference in their lives while they are still young and before cars, friends, and boyfriends/girlfriends start to take over. It has almost been a year since I achieved financial independence and I am down to 208 more opportunities. However, I took advantage of last year’s opportunities to be a strong influence on, and friend to, my children. It was much easier to focus on my kids because I had the time and flexibility that financial independence provides you.
Everyone has their own reasons to work hard and achieve financial independence (if that is what you are striving for) and I wanted to write a short post telling everyone that the sacrifices you make to achieve financial security sooner are worth it because once you get there you gain the incredible power to be able to prioritize and focus on what is most important in your life. So keep striving and working towards achieving that financial independence.
Enjoy the weekend everyone, appreciate the moment, but keep executing on your goals.
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