The Tahoe Rim Trail. A hike of 165 miles around the picturesque Lake Tahoe.
It was an epic trip with plenty to prepare beforehand:
- Negotiating with the boss for a 2 week vacation
- Getting our wilderness permits approved
- Dehydrating all our meals, mailing resupplies, and prepping our packs
- Physically training with day hikes and weight lifting
A week before our trip, we watched as all of our preparation and excitement went up in literal flames. The Caldor Fire ripped through the area. Everyday at work, we helplessly scanned the live fire watch maps and cameras.
The fire kept creeping further and further north.
A few days before our trip, the TRT was officially closed as people prepared to evacuate. Eventually, 347 square miles would burn.
I couldn’t help but be pissed. I felt robbed of my once-in-a-lifetime experience hiking next to plague-ridden chipmunks and pristine alpine lakes in Desolation Wilderness. We busted our asses and used all of our vacation time to watch it all burn? Seriously, f*ck this.
A “fuck this” event (FTE) is a traumatic or frustrating experience that finally makes you realize that the life you’re living isn’t the life you dreamed.
MJ Demarco, Unscripted: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of entrepreneurship
The night before our flight, we scraped together a back-up plan. By some miracle we were granted a permit in Yosemite for a backcountry hike on the High Sierra Camp Loop.
It was a gorgeous 5 days spent with chipmunks, waterfalls, and, yes, even a few alpine lakes.
But it ended up being a transformative experience for a completely unexpected reason.
An incredible nerd, I decided that I couldn’t absorb the natural beauty Muir described without listening to an audiobook on personal finance. While I climbed the 3,000 ft over 8 miles to Volgesang, I listened to the classic Rich Dad Poor Dad.
As a freelance animator, I had been trying to solve a basic problem for 2 years.
I can only sustainably work 50-60 hours a week. The market will only allow my day rate to go so high. Starting a studio would make me responsible for the people I employed. And god forbid I ever relinquish control of my life again to a boss.
At 30, I felt I had hit an income ceiling and a career dead end.
“By working faithfully 8 hours a day, you may eventually get to be the boss and work 12 hours a day.”
robert frost
In his book, Robert Kiyosaki offered the solution: the rich don’t work for money. A concept so simple yet revolutionary. How could I not have seen it before?
I had heard of passive income, but didn’t think it was a realistic solution. My inner voice of doubt kept shouting “You know nothing about real estate. You don’t have the personality for a Youtube channel. Businesses take capital to start up, and the owners have to work incredibly long hours.”
As I continued to breathe in the mountain air and drink the Kiyosaki kool aid, I recognized my reality. I had been trying in vain to outwork the rat race.
Suddenly, it became clear to me that if I wanted to go on more once-in-a-lifetime hikes, I’d have to figure out a way to have my money work for me. I’d need to divorce my time from my income.
You will never know true freedom until you achieve financial freedom.
Robert T. Kiyosaki, Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant
So here I am. Starting on a path to financial independence. I want to share what I learn and the mistakes I make, so that others can tackle their own money goals faster.
Come along for the journey and help me build a community of people who are done with the 9 to 5 grind. Done with bosses permitting you to take accrued vacation. Done with all of the “f*ck this” moments.
I don’t know if I’ll end up with millionaire status, in financial ruin, or somewhere in between.
But I do know I’ll be hiking along the way.
Mark says
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.