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FI Community Events, Book on Leadership, Calendar Audit

Brad
Posted by Brad Barrett

FI Community Events

There are four FI Community events I wanted to make sure you were aware of:

  • The EconoMe conference is March 17-19 at the University of Cincinnati. I’m attending and will be hosting a session plus two breakout rooms, which should be a lot of fun.  Diania Merriam was kind enough to offer our community 10% off if you use the coupon code "CHOOSEFI" at checkout.
  • There are still seven more Camp FI weekend events in 2023, and the locations are spread nicely around the country.  I’m hoping to attend the mid-Atlantic event over Memorial Day weekend, as I have so many fond memories from the many Camp FI weekends I’ve attended over the years.
  • If you’re looking for something exotic, Amy Minkley is organizing a FI Freedom Retreat in late September in Bali, Indonesia!
  • As always, be sure to check if there’s a ChooseFI Local group close to you, and try to attend the next event. We’re seeing increased activity across the local groups, so make it a point to get involved.

Important Book on Leadership

I’m a lifelong soccer player and fan, and Abby Wambach is one of my all-time favorite players.  She was an inspirational leader on the field, a truly world-class player and someone who could dominate a match at will.

Abby wrote a book on leadership called ‘WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game’ that Brené Brown said "is on my top five must-read leadership books."

It’s a powerful book that I couldn’t put down (finished in about 45 minutes!). This "call to the Wolfpack" particularly stuck out to me:

"Be grateful
But do not JUST be grateful.
Be grateful AND brave.
Be grateful AND ambitious.
Be grateful AND righteous.
Be grateful AND persistent.
Be grateful AND loud.
Be grateful for what you have AND demand what you deserve."

Calendar Audit

I saw this great post on Twitter from Josh Spector with 10 quick questions to ask yourself about your calendar that will help boost productivity and free up time.

Three of my favorites:

  • "Are there things on your calendar that could be replaced with an email?"
  • "Look at your recurring commitments.  What would happen if you did them half as often or for half as long?"
  • "What thing on your calendar are you most looking forward to?  How can you schedule more of that?"

ChooseFI Community Taking Action This Week

  • Leslie said, "My 1% better was taking my family of 6 to Disney World using your step-by-step guide. We used Southwest miles/companion pass for airfare, the Marriott card to stay for free in an off-site hotel, and the Capital One card to get credit towards our Disney World tickets. This is a trip I've been dreaming of for a few years and never would've been able to make it happen without your help! We have also used similar strategies (thanks to ChooseFI) in past years to take our family to Hawaii and Destin, Florida."
  • Emily said, "Reaching out to share a win-in-progress. I recently completed the Talent Stacker Salesforce 5-Day challenge and just enrolled in the Talent Stacker Salesforce Career Development program. I am following the program to complete my admin certification by Spring and land my first salesforce job by Summer. My current job just doesn't give me the work-life balance I want for my family long-term, and frankly I don't get paid enough for the level of stress my job demands. I truly believe that this career shift will give us the financial and emotional freedom for a more fulfilling life! As someone who struggles with change and uncertainty, making a pivot in my career is definitely nerve-wracking but the path this change has put us on aligns with our long-term goals and I'm trusting the process! Thank you for all the information ChooseFI has gathered on Salesforce and Talent Stacker, none of this was even on my radar 6 months ago, and look at me now!"
  • Casimir said, "My 1% better this week was snow blowing my neighbor's driveway. Took only a few extra minutes for me, saved them quite a bit more time and effort. Building stronger relationships will enhance my quality of life."
  • Austyn said, "One thing I have done to make my life 1% better was dropping from 1.0 FTE to .9 FTE. Even though it's a pay cut, my health benefits don't change since I'm still considered "full time". I will have a 3-day weekend every other week. This will allow better work life balance, and I can take some more trips without using Paid Time Off to conserve more for longer vacations. Slowly making some changes to enjoying more of the present!
  • Travis said, "My 1% improvement this week was to try meditation in earnest. I meditated daily for 7 days in a row so far, which is the longest streak I have achieved. Thanks for the mindful FIRE resources this week!"
  • Joe said, "I finally got around to looking into my library's resources and downloaded the Libby app. I put a hold on and was able to download "Four Thousand Weeks" so I was able to participate in the book club podcast. I look forward to using Libby and all the resources the library has to offer!"
  • Elly said, "My 1% (or more?) improvement this week is inspired by the Batch Lady. I saw her mentioned in a BBC news article on how to save money on groceries and went to her website where I found there is a 10-part free tutorial on batch cooking, as well as lots of tips and inspirations. I've been trying to get into batch cooking and freezing for a long time and this has given me the kick-start I needed. I'm actually excited about it rather than seeing it as a necessity!"

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