Latest news with #BigMagic
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
A millennial who retired early says she 'got bored' 6 months in and shares her top takeaway from hitting FIRE
Early retirement was everything Rose Han wanted — until it wasn't. "I thought FIRE was the goal for a really long time," she told Business Insider, referring to the financial independence, retire early movement. "And, at 32, I basically achieved a version of FIRE — living in my camper van and having freedom — and it was fun for like the first six months." But less than a year into early retirement, "I found that I got bored and didn't feel all that fulfilled." Han's financial independence journey began with a lot of debt: about $100,000 worth of student loans and credit cards. It forced her to increase her income, rein in her spending, and save aggressively, habits that she maintained after becoming debt-free and helped her achieve a seven-figure net worth. Only after quitting her Wall Street job did she realize she was chasing the wrong thing all along. "The question shouldn't be: How can I retire early and finally live my life? The question should be: How can I build a life I don't want to retire from?" she said. At least for her, she'd rather spend her time working on something that lights her up than sit around doing nothing. "It might sound a little idealistic, but I really think that it's possible. It just takes maybe a different way of thinking and some effort." Building a life you don't want to retire from The way Han sees it, there are two main paths to building a life that you don't want to retire from. "The ideal would be: What you love to do is what also makes you money, so you never have to retire, and it never feels like work," she said. "That's one possibility, and that's a sweet spot that I have more or less found, where the work that I do is what I love." Han runs a financial literacy business that began as a passion project. She hosted free personal finance meet-ups and started a YouTube channel to share her own experience with money, which evolved into a profitable business with multiple revenue streams: online courses, brand deals, affiliate links, book sales, and AdSense for YouTube. "It doesn't feel like work, and it makes you money. That's the whole package," said Han. The second main path — establishing a reliable income stream that will pay the bills while pursuing your passion on the side — may be more practical. "Elizabeth Gilbert talked about this in her book 'Big Magic.' She decided waitressing would be the thing that pays the bills so that writing would not need to have that pressure, and she could maintain her passion for writing," said Han. With this path, "you have a cash cow and you also have your passions. They don't have to be the same thing. It's like being the lawyer who has a rock band on the weekends." If, over time, your rock band starts making enough money to sustain your lifestyle, that's when you could decide whether to quit your corporate job and pursue music full-time. "I don't think you should just starve and pursue your passion. You also need to think about your cash cow," she added. "If you can make both one and the same, great. But if not, there are other ways to do it." Changing her mindset from accumulating money to accumulating experiences For years, Han poured much of her energy into making money and investing aggressively, but her single-minded pursuit of FIRE came at the cost of connection and deeper life experiences. "The overall emphasis on money and the accumulation of money has just gotten out of hand, because capitalism has gotten out of hand," she said. "It's taken us away from what really, really matters, which is time with our loved ones and relationships." Once she hit a $1 million net worth, one of her first thoughts was, "OK, well, now why don't I get to $10 million?" she said, a mindset she has since started to question. How much is enough, and at what point do you stop chasing more to enjoy what you already have? "I feel like that's one outdated piece of advice: Overemphasis on accumulating money and dollars versus accumulating moments and core memories that you can never replace," she said. She's not the only one waking up to this idea. She pointed to the "great resignation" of 2021 and 2022: "People were quitting their jobs because they were realizing, 'Oh, being away from home and working for somebody else who doesn't even really value me is not worth it anymore. I'd rather just have less money, but actually be able to do what I want with my time.'" For Han, her happiest moments have come since moving to the same city as her boyfriend. "The moments where we're just camping in our camper van, making a little fire, and my dog's running around the campsite, and it's just the three of us," she said. "Super simple moments that cost very little. That's what I live for."
Economic Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
When 'Eat, Pray, Love' author Elizabeth Gilbert drew the line between being 'childlike' and 'childish'. Why it could change your life?
Elizabeth Gilbert's conversation with Marie Forleo in an old podcast spotlighted the powerful distinction between childlike wonder and childish entitlement. According to Gilbert, being childlike fuels creativity and resilience, while being childish breeds frustration and blame. It's not every day that a bestselling author reframes something as fundamental as your relationship with wonder. But in a quietly powerful moment on The Marie Forleo Podcast back in 2015, Elizabeth Gilbert—yes, the Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame—did just that. She wasn't selling a book, planning another world trip, or decoding spirituality this time. Instead, she was decoding you. Or more precisely, the part of you that still believes in magic—but often gets confused about how to use it in the real world. 'You have to be childlike in the pursuit of your life, but you cannot be childish,' Gilbert said, with the kind of clarity that stays with you. Her voice didn't preach, but it pressed gently—like someone holding up a mirror and asking you to really look. Being childlike , she explained, is about wide-eyed wonder. It's a return to awe, curiosity, and the ability to greet each moment as if it's the first of its kind. In contrast, being childish is what happens when entitlement kicks in: 'I didn't get what I wanted, so I quit.' It's a tantrum dressed up as adult disappointment. At a time when burnout is chronic and cynicism trendy, Gilbert's insight is a gentle rebellion. 'I believe you can be childlike and mature at the same time,' she said, inviting us all to carry a backpack filled with both wonder and wisdom. Gilbert's reminder couldn't be timelier. In an age of productivity hacks and personal branding, we often forget the original joy of learning, trying, failing, and laughing through it all. Life, after all, isn't a performance—it's a practice. And maturity, Gilbert suggests, doesn't have to mean losing your sense of wonder. It means anchoring it in responsibility. 'You can embody both childlike wonder and mature responsibility simultaneously,' she said. That line alone is worth framing on a wall—or better yet, carrying in your heart. So often, the narrative of adulthood is synonymous with loss—loss of spontaneity, loss of playfulness, loss of belief in the unseen. But Gilbert argues for a reunion. That your ability to marvel is not childish. In fact, it's one of the most profound tools for resilience, reinvention, and even healing. Let's not forget who's speaking here. Elizabeth Gilbert isn't merely a memoirist. Her life and work—spanning from fiction and essays to the deeply personal Big Magic —have consistently nudged readers toward self-discovery without shame or fluff. She's traveled the world, challenged societal norms, and stood vulnerable in front of millions of readers. Her words don't just sound good—they come from a life tested by grief, growth, and global adoration. When she talks about 'being ready to be amazed,' it's not just romantic rhetoric. It's a daily discipline. A conscious uncynical stance in a complicated world. Gilbert's insight begs a question worth asking yourself every morning: Am I approaching this day with childlike wonder or childish resistance? Are you letting awe lead you through your creative blocks, your life transitions, your hardest conversations? Or are you throwing tantrums about what you didn't get, whom the world didn't give you, and why things aren't fair? In an age when personal growth often sounds like a self-help algorithm, Elizabeth Gilbert gives us something beautifully analog: a human reminder that we don't have to choose between growing up and staying enchanted. We can do both. And maybe, just maybe, that's where the real magic begins.
