STOP WORKING: HOW TO DO IT AND LIVE HAPPILY! - LOVE-E-PSYCHOLOGY

Stop working: how to do it and live (finally) happy!

Do you think that quitting work is a dream destined to come true only in retirement age and, therefore, when it is too late to enjoy life? This is not quite the case, or at least, not for everyone. For some years now, the Fire movement ("Financial Independence And Early Retirement") has taken hold, better known in Italian as the "movement for" financial independence and early retirement ", which brings together an increasing number of people who, after years of work, have decided to change their lives, resigning and dedicating themselves only to their passions. It seems impossible? Let's find out together how to be able to stop working and live (finally) happy!

Before reading, watch this video and find out what are the activities that you should dedicate yourself to, but that you never have time to do!

Work as a form of slavery from which to free oneself

If we reflect deeply on our relationship with work, the following question arises: “do we work to live or do we live to work?”. The border is very blurred and it is easy to cross it, giving up psycho-physical health and personal well-being. Often, in fact, we "settle" for a certain occupation only to earn money which, more often than not, is not even enough to make us live in a dignified way, neglecting a small detail, that is, to be truly happy, we only have to do what makes us feel good. Trivial as it may seem, happiness must be our only priority and money is not always the best or the only way to achieve it.

This is the reflection that, after 15 years of service, prompted Francesco Narmenni, a native of Trentino Alto Adige, to say goodbye to his job as a computer programmer, to start a new life, away from stress, incompetent colleagues and opportunistic leaders. Together with his wife, a former university researcher, Narmenni developed a plan to be able to survive even without working. This does not imply that this family (husband and wife also have two children) lives constantly on vacation: the two have simply said enough to a job intended as the 8 - or more - canonical hours spent struggling with a task destined to become, in the years, more and more alienating and repetitive. Francesco, for example, has embarked on the path of writing, publishing more than one book, including the bestseller "Stop working", and has opened a YouTube channel where he talks about his life and explains how to succeed in this undertaking.

Why stop working?

There are several reasons that can lead us to take this rather drastic decision.Dissatisfaction, frustration, burnout, for example, are all valid reasons to stop working and start taking care of yourself and your mental health seriously. Without considering the sacrifices and sacrifices that all of us are called to make every day in the name of a job we are not even always proud of. There comes a time, then, when one must ask oneself whether it is worth continuing or whether the time has come to review one's priorities and radically change one's life, for example, by submitting a resignation.

Here are some books to read if you want to quit working and that you can buy on Amazon:
> "Stop working"
> "Rich only by saving"
> "The trap of happiness. How to stop tormenting and start living"
> "Living on a pension: a practical guide to living on an income, quitting work and achieving financial freedom"
> "Stop working at 50"

Quitting work: what are the benefits?

Not that there was a real need to specify this, but it is clear that stopping work brings a number of significant benefits. In addition to being good for the mood, which will be more serene and relaxed, by saying goodbye to the world of work, you can go back to being the master of your time. Life is one and the time at our disposal, unfortunately, is limited, so it shouldn't be wasted. It is no exaggeration to argue that time is the most precious asset we possess. Usually, every week we spend 40 hours working and, if we exclude the moments in which we sleep and the time spent traveling home-work, work-home, we don't have much left to dedicate ourselves to what really interests us. By choosing early retirement or a softer form of work, we will no longer have to wait for compulsory holidays to do what we like. Furthermore, our private life, no longer in precarious balance due to oppressive work commitments, would also benefit from it. In short, we can say that quitting work is an alternative solution to give meaning to our stay in this world.

How much money does it take to stop working and how to do it

Sure, living without work sounds great, but how and when can you do it? The Fire movement illustrated a mathematical operation with which to understand whether or not it is possible to stop working. First of all, annual expenses must be monitored. Only if the net worth is 25 times the amount spent in a year, then you can resign and live on an income, otherwise it is better to continue working, setting aside the money necessary to achieve the goal. But let's see in more detail the main advice that Francesco Narmenni has dispensed over the years to anyone who wants to follow his example.

Save money

Withdrawing from your contract to permanently get away from the world of work is certainly not a decision to be taken with a light heart, much less within everyone's reach. It is not necessary to be rich in a family to succeed, but it is essential to know how to save. Not all, in fact, are able to spend money sparingly, but if we want to stop working before retirement, we need to learn how to do it and also as soon as possible! Narmenni, in fact, suggests calculating your savings rate, taking into account your salary and the amount of money set aside over time, to get an idea of how much money you and possibly your family need to support yourself. The secret to being able to save over the years is to "detoxify" from unbridled consumerism, drastically reducing one's needs to the essentials, renouncing superfluous and luxurious material goods and constantly monitoring one's expenses.

Invest

Even if you are not an expert in finance, let yourself be advised by someone you trust and who knows more about the subject than you to understand what and how to invest. Some investments, such as gold, brick or works of art, can prove to be valuable in the long term, allowing you to live on an income. With the savings, for example, you can buy a second home to rent and, by doing so, you will always have a "monthly income with which to support yourself even without a job."

Self-production

As also illustrated in Narmenni's book, in addition to saving and investing, you can afford to stop working only if you are able to give up all your comforts and start dedicating yourself to the self-production of basic necessities. Bread, pasta, vegetables, you will no longer have to spend a cent to buy these foods because you will be the one who produces them.

Energy self-sufficiency

By the same principle of self-production, energy independence must also be achieved. You can think, for example, of going back in time and heating your home with the wood you got yourself in the woods, saving on bills, or using candles as much as possible to light up the rooms.

Cut your rental costs

If you do not have your own home, but you live in rent, cut your expenses further by opting for a home away from urban centers, where costs are usually prohibitive.

Professional alternatives

As we also reiterated at the beginning, quitting work does not mean spending days dedicated to doing nothing. If you have the opportunity to live on an income, dedicating yourself exclusively to your passions, better for you, otherwise find professional alternatives that are adequately remunerative, without keeping you busy for eight hours every day. For example, opt for more flexible jobs with freelance contracts.

Tags: In Shape Love-E-Psychology Properly