As Maslow’s pyramid shows, once you’re healthy, safe and warm, then friendships and self-esteem come next. Self-esteem is boosted by doing challenging work and feeling valued. These are two very powerful motivations on the way to fulfilling all your needs.

For me, FI is just a state where you will have more options. In business terms, more options to be more selective about your work, your clients, your partners, your working hours etc. And of course, how you want to split your life between work and non-work activities. Having options is underrated and probably the most intangible asset of FI. Earnings and net worth are just pointless without defining what they represent to each one of us.

Owning big assets is not the end game for everyone, nor is taking big risks. Some people can be happy with less as long as it buys them what they want. Others may be multi-millionaires owning big assets. But the former may have something they latter won’t have. Enough.

One can rightfully think, “better is the enemy of the good”. But it’s important to distinguish what are we are after here? Are we after lifestyle? earnings? comfort? wellbeing? Fulfilment? Security?

I have noticed that people value lifestyle and earnings more because these are tangible and measurable and have a straight up impact on life. Fullfilment is hard to measure and changes all the time. One should not expect a life of constant fulfilment or walk in the park. For one thing, it can be boring.

That said most people unfortunately, struggle to find their true purpose in life. Some childhood dreams, (to be the best footballer player or a rock star) die later on in life. Some take a deep breath and change career mid-way through and others dive into midlife crisis. FI seems a goal for the affluent generation who are blessed with high salaries and small assets to play around with. That is a game in its own right and to a meaningful to a lot of people. Whether that’s a mission for life… I am not sure.

The thing is most folks who were miserable before reaching FI will be just as miserable afterwards (albeit possibly miserable about different things). Happiness, contentment, fulfilment, and all that good stuff comes from within rather than an arbitrary cash flow or net worth number.

So to me the financial good habits or discipline instilled by pursuing financial independence are a good thing, something most people would be better off were they to apply them to their own finances.

The sexy marketing bit to help sell that message, the seeking early retirement part, is in many cases a bit of a fools errand. The seekers could make changes and choose to be happier/less stressed/more balanced today but instead defer it until some arbitrary point in the future.

You’re right that we can’t bottle time. We also don’t know how much we get. The day after reaching FI we could be abducted by aliens or hit by a bus. If we didn’t enjoy the getting there part, then we’re doing it wrong.