I’m not a financial expert. I’ve never worked in banking, finance, or investing. I’m just an armchair advisor trying to keep money from becoming a constant worry. This is an open letter to people chasing financial independence. I hope you find ways to be happy now, instead of waiting for some perfect personal finance cure.
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That line in the Declaration of Independence implies happiness is something we must chase. But really, happiness is largely chemistry. Financial independence alone won’t make you happy. It’s dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins that do—at least for a while.
If you want to raise those chemicals, focus on strong, empathetic relationships. Make exercise—cycling, running, whatever you enjoy—part of your routine. Keep your mood steady by avoiding long fasts, but don’t overeat.
One biochemical link to financial independence is dopamine—the anticipation chemical. Having something with a reward at the end keeps us motivated. Planning a Disney cruise a year away or aiming for financial independence in 5, 10, or 20 years can give you something exciting to look forward to. But once you reach FI or retire early, the dopamine rush fades and you’ll need new goals—travel, bucket-list adventures, fitness challenges like running a marathon or swimming across a lake. The point is you’ll need fresh aims after reaching that rung on the ladder.
The good news is dopamine can sustain long-term goals. Paying off a mortgage, earning a degree, raising kids—those things take time and give your brain something to pursue. Financial independence is another kind of long-term goal, but it doesn’t have to be your only one.
Put your phone down for a minute. Can you resist touching it for two minutes? Stretch it to five. Notice anything? Social media has rewired our brains for constant immediacy. Go back to that line in the intro: does clinging to your phone like a pacifier help you meet your real needs? Often it pulls us away from actual communities and families, dressed up as “smart” tech.
Maybe we should invest more energy in the communities around us—work, home, our kids’ schools, and churches if that’s part of your life. Financial independence doesn’t depend on being on Facebook or Twitter, but those platforms can distract you from basic, meaningful needs.
Plenty of people who never achieve financial independence are as happy as lottery winners. And plenty of wealthy people who seem to have everything have still been miserable. Don’t think Financial Independence is a magic ticket to happiness.
Not everyone fits the nine-to-five or the hierarchical, command-and-control workplace model. A few companies get team-based work right, and there employees thrive. For most of us, though, work is a grind. Pursuing financial independence won’t automatically make work fun, but it can improve your outlook by giving you something meaningful to work toward. Bad bosses, long commutes, long hours, and no raises add up—and getting your finances in order can remove one source of stress, making the rest easier to tolerate. That’s been my experience: reaching FI made it easier to deal with nonsense and to push back when things got ridiculous. You can take risks knowing the worst case might be finding a new job—maybe one that pays less, but that’s okay if your finances are in shape.
Ignore the trendy books promising happiness hacks. Figure out your “why” first—so your “how” makes sense. If you’re spinning your wheels without purpose, you’ll run out of dopamine fast. Useful “whys” existed long before the FIRE movement: raising a family, building a business, serving a community, mastering a craft, and so on. Once you find a why, remember happiness isn’t something you can completely control with actions—it’s largely brain chemistry. Some people are naturally more cheerful; that’s partly genetics.
Human history hasn’t revolved around constant cheerfulness. Different temperaments helped communities survive—some bring optimism, others caution. Financial independence is a recent concept in the long span of humanity, so it deserves perspective.
You can, however, tilt your natural happiness toward the higher side by acknowledging the role of brain chemistry and doing things that trigger good feelings today: build relationships, move your body, get enough sleep, eat reasonably, and connect with community.
If you think you might be depressed, seek professional help. There’s a worrying rise in youth suicide linked to lack of resources and reluctance to treat root causes. There are solutions if we try to find them.
Life is making friends, exploring your surroundings or the wider world, learning, and sometimes getting hurt. It includes drudgery and moments of pure joy. Financial independence won’t cure an unhappy life, nor will it necessarily make a happy life much happier. It’s just another goal—useful, but not magical.
There are good reasons to pursue FI. A clear example of how financial freedom can lead to a meaningful “why” is Bill Gates—see the Netflix series Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates. If FI helps you reach a deeper purpose, go for it. Just don’t expect it to be the happiness panacea many believe it to be.