Episode description

In this episode: balancing deprivation and happiness, making adjustments, everything is negotiable, the evolution of alignment, adjusted awareness, and intentionality in community.

Five years ago, Scott and Taylor Rieckens publicly began their path to FI by creating the fantastic documentary "Playing With FIRE." The documentary depicts their life as they start out and navigate the early stages of their FI journey, which is often the period of time when we act our most frugal, cut as many expenses as possible, and in turn save as much as we possibly can! While this kind of lifestyle is a great jumping off point early in the FI journey, oftentimes people find this lifestyle to be limiting and ultimately detrimental to their own happiness. Now that Scott and Taylor are significantly further down the path compared to the last time we heard from them, we decided to have them return to the show to discuss the adjustments they have made in their lifestyle in order to live in a manner that fully aligns with their idea of a happy life! Remember, FI isn't suppose to limit your ability to be happy, rather it exists to enhance your life and help you find fulfillment as progress down the road less traveled.

Scott and Taylor Rieckens:

• Website: playingwithfire.com
• Documentary: Playing With FIRE
• Book: Playing With FIRE

Timestamps:

• 1:59 - Introduction
• 2:38 - What Makes You The Most Happy?
• 8:41 - The Evolution of Alignment and Adjusted Awareness
• 18:30 - The Craziest 36 Months
• 23:13 - Revisiting What's Important After Evolution
• 35:05 - Balancing Deprivation and Happiness
• 37:58 - Making Adjustments
• 43:03 - Decisions Are Based On The Information You Have
• 49:57 - Wonderful Evolutions and Learning Together
• 51:23 - Everything is Negotiable
• 57:02 - Everybody is the Star of Their Own Movie / Intentionality in Community
• 66:34 - Conclusion

Resources Mentioned In Today’s Episode:

• Playing With FIRE | Documentary | Scott Rieckens | ChooseFI Ep 37
• "The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work" by Shawn Achor
• The Tim Ferris Show
• The Great Man Within
• "Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts" by Annie Duke

More Helpful Links and Resources:

• Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy
• Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence
• Track your personal finances with Personal Capital
• Keep learning or start a new side hustle with one of our educational courses
• Slash your cell phone bill without sacrificing service with Mint Mobile