Reinventing Yourself Isn’t Easy

Lifestyle

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Last week, I wrote about my latest gig – Being a Food Delivery Driver. It’s a good short-term gig. I have too much idle time right now and I want to be a bit more productive. I was getting a bit tired of watching movies and playing video games in the middle of the day. It was too much idleness. Delivering lunches is an easy way to earn some extra income. One reader commented that driving for a couple of hours per day isn’t really the best use of my time. He said I should leverage my skillset to generate more income. I should develop a product or freelance instead of doing a gig job.

That’s great advice. You should leverage your strengths to optimize your income. Why do something anyone can do? The income won’t be that high. I’m trying to raise $30,000 to build a beach cabin. It’ll take me 3 years of delivering lunches to make that much. However, money isn’t the main issue. I already made more than $30,000 when I took some profit on Nvidia stocks last week. I could quit driving if money is really my goal. Why am I still delivering food then?

Life Always Changes

Mrs. RB40 also doesn’t understand why I’m delivering food. She’s worried that I’d get into an accident. Truthfully, I didn’t really get it either. But something is driving me to drive. (Ha, a dad joke!) I’ve been thinking while driving and I understand now. It’s part of the process of reinventing myself.

Life has been great since I quit my engineering career 11 years ago. I love being a stay-at-home dad and blogging is a lot of fun. However, things don’t stay the same forever. Life always changes. My son is getting older. He is more independent every year. In 6 years, he’ll finish high school and go off to college. Blogging is also on the wane. Most blogs are losing momentum. Traffic is down and other media platforms are taking over. It isn’t as fun when things are slowing down. In a few years, blogging will be a relic like cable TV.

I need to reinvent myself.

Reinventing Yourself

Reinventing yourself isn’t easy, but we all have to do it sooner or later. The last time I did this was 12 years ago. Engineering wasn’t the right fit for me anymore. I was stressed out and my health deteriorated. I knew I had to get out. Fortunately, I started blogging and gained some traction. Once we saved up 30x our annual expenses, I quit my engineering career and became a SAHD/blogger.

This time is a bit different. I’m not stressed out and I don’t have the next act lined up. I don’t really know what to do next. The good thing is there is no pressure. We’ll be fine financially no matter what I do next. That is as long as I don’t have a midlife crisis and blow it. (If this is a midlife crisis, it’s a pretty mild one. It’s firmly in the safe zone.) I’m also a lot older than last time. I’ll be 56 when RB40Jr goes off to college. At that point, it might be the right time to retire and travel full-time.

For now, I want to try different things. I’ll deliver lunches for a while and see how it goes. I might get some ideas while I’m out and about. It’s better than watching TV at home. When I get tired of delivering food, I’ll try applying to be an extra in a movie. After that, I’ll try something else and see what happens. Who knows? Something interesting might turn up. That’s my process for reinvention. I’m not good at analyzing everything and planning the next move. For me, it’s better to just take action and see where life goes.

Wrap up

Alright, that’s why I’m delivering lunches for $24/hour (before the mileage deduction.) It’s just a step in the right direction. I need to shake off the lethargy and gain a little momentum. Hopefully, I’ll get some ideas soon. But there is no pressure either. I have 6 years before RB40Jr goes off to college. Our finances are good so I have the luxury to try the non-optimal route. That’s the benefit of FIRE.

What do you think? How do you go about reinventing yourself?

*Passive income is the key to early retirement. These days, I’m investing in multifamily properties with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the United States. Go check them out!

image credit – Hush Naidoo Jade Photography

Joe started Retire by 40 in 2010 to figure out how to retire early. After 16 years of investing and saving, he achieved financial independence and retired at 38.

Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the USA so check them out!

Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.