FISH | Financial Independence Seeking Happiness: stress

8 Downshifting Learning's

Contender 0 downshifting, financial independence, health, stress, Work 08:43

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4o-XIEq2mUcen4QQNrYIALjp9GUKXB7jff0bBIqjKjGTAc4RCiBiTPS7TDJyIpJD8e6l5kceYw5J9E-Y5WC0t56jbGIVS3mUuxsJOUJs1w_B85fnpDiJ2IM34iap_cLGcbgje0W1fufO/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4o-XIEq2mUcen4QQNrYIALjp9GUKXB7jff0bBIqjKjGTAc4RCiBiTPS7TDJyIpJD8e6l5kceYw5J9E-Y5WC0t56jbGIVS3mUuxsJOUJs1w_B85fnpDiJ2IM34iap_cLGcbgje0W1fufO/s280/DSC_0066.JPG" width="280"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer to nature in the garden</td></tr>
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<b>THE.PReSeNT: </b>"Hey Contender you have been out of the ring a while, you must be rusty. Time to ship your a*** off to the scrapheap."<br>
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<b>THE.FuTuRe: </b>"Look at you rotting away, doing nothing, easy life, lazy life, go back to your hidie hole, looser" <b> </b><br>
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<b>So we have downshifted and stopped working so what have we learnt about the change in lifestyle so far? </b><b><b>Below are 8 major changes and considerations due to the change from 
Town to Country, Jobs to Idleness. <br><br>Following this are 15 points /</b> questions one can ask before taking the downshifting plunge. </b><br>
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Ah life! Bright lights, sensuous smells, searing pains, sadness, elation.<br>
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Here the TRiBe is in South of France and we have been through most of these emotions already. These emotions have been amplified with the big change in lifestyle we have just made.<br>
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Perhaps we should have just gone with the flow, kept the stimulation of the city and work? - Not on your nelly, our new life suits us so far! <br>
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After massive changes to lifestyle in such a short period of time, doubts inevitably enter your mind.<br>
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Have we done the right thing? Have we affected our children, friends and family too much? What is our meaning in life?<br>
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Unfortunately these negative thoughts arise, driven by past habits. Speed, productivity, getting things done, appointments, meetings, schedules, deadlines, playdates...were the norm. Hectic and exhausting. These hangovers from our past life still linger and nag in our subconscious.<br>
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So how mentally and socially do we need to adapt and change to downshift?<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. On living together FULL TIME</span><br>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br>
<b>Key Learning: Go solo, do things in smaller groups within family and keep some personal space </b><br>
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Being on top of each other full time is a new challenge. Thankfully we have a big garden, a spare room / study, and a walking path by the house. All places where we can take time out on our own.<br>
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Winter is more difficult. The countryside does not have all the indoor distractions available on your doorstep like a city.<br>
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We still have a cinema but no entertainment centres full of laser quest, ten pin bowling, toddlers soft play areas etc. The outdoor swimming pools are closed and the carting tracks hibernate. Town centre shops take a several <strike>months</strike> weeks off.<br>
<br>
So being at home with two young kids in the dark, wet and cold poses its own challenges. We have to find simple ways to entertain ourselves and friends. Isn't that what real living is about?<br>
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Distracting the kids can be too easy in the modern world - <strike>idiot box</strike> TV and <strike>kill machines</strike> Video games do them no good. Thankfully we do not have a TV set or a tablet computer avoiding the easy access the kids desire. Setting up and cleaning up a messy play session, such as painting and cooking is worth the effort as the little ones are so excited and proud with their doodles, flour cakes and paint prints.<br>
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We have bought desks for their rooms. They are covered in pens, paper, glue, glitter, stickers which keep them amused for hours. They can then build something in Lego or with the wooden Kapla blocks.<br>
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Time Out is needed for us Adults as well. Mr C spends time chopping wood, gardening, reading, a bit of blogging and investing. while Mrs.C has taken up knitting (can you believe it), gardening, swimming for miles and putting her linguistic and law skills to good use.<br>
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Together we cook, garden, walk and talk (we still do!). We watch the occasional film, discuss books and politics and like to entertain our new friends.<br>
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Time will tell if we strike the right balance between personal needs, those of husband and wife, father and mother, friend and relation. <br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. On Health </span><br>
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<b>Key Learning: Review your health and your diet, do you need fewer stimulants and calories, do you need to exercise more and dedicate a specific time to exercise?</b><br>
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Idling and re-charging our batteries have become very important for us. It has taken us aback how much the hectic life of London and corporate work took its toll on our health. Stress and pollution needs to be purged from our systems, the go-and-do- quick habit needs to be vanquished. This will all take time to remedy.<br>
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Admittedly we have always been a bit health conscious, from using <b>colloidal silver</b>, <b>oxygen treatment</b>, relaxation techniques and some good meals. Unfortunately we never tackled the real big health issue of overwork which drove bad habits resulting in stress, exhaustion, lack of exercise and supplemental snacking. <br>
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We were stressed out, caffeined out nutters - jumping from one activity to another seeing how productive we could be. I hope we did not come across that way! No wonder a two week vacation never really 'fixed us', leaving us relaxed and genial.<br>
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Now we are focusing on slow un-processed food. Less meat and lots of fresh vegetables, salads. Less alcohol...and more gardening, walking and swimming. <br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. On Finding a Home </span><br>
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<b>Key Learning: Renting is a good approach in a completely new place. It gives you time to find the right place and not make a snap decision which could be the wrong choice financially or for example too isolated / far from amenities than you were used to having.</b><br>
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Bugger, this finding the "perfect" home is a bit of a pain. We really should consider the 80:20 rule if 80% of our needs are catered for, the other 20% is not worth the hassle. This is damn difficult when you have a picture in you mind.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AbUZsiaK0m58lQElK4m89uN2acFRQ43P4Cav6PjIo5KRM16HD1wkCa1ydE87rfDHTRvY0ebu9rR2-stKRIEzrayuKoxUAr2it11h_wKIKCr3oVEYduEpTAvELTIUBqnHgdGjJDCJeMyI/s1600/DSC_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AbUZsiaK0m58lQElK4m89uN2acFRQ43P4Cav6PjIo5KRM16HD1wkCa1ydE87rfDHTRvY0ebu9rR2-stKRIEzrayuKoxUAr2it11h_wKIKCr3oVEYduEpTAvELTIUBqnHgdGjJDCJeMyI/s280/DSC_0141.JPG" width="280"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gascony countryside by our house</td></tr>
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All we want is blue skies as far as the eye can see over green fields, snow capped mountains and......  a little plot of land with a modest building. It would be nice if it looked like a Constable painting.<br>
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REALITY CHECK time - TOO much house in the wrong location / costing too much / too far from civilisation and friends = unhappiness to THE.TRIBE.<br>
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A house is a consumer good which many people treat it as a status symbol. At the same time is it somewhere where you will spend a considerable amount of time. It needs to be a good size, comfortable and easy on the eye. A cosy home.<br>
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At the same time we will not settle for a messy ugly place surrounded by sculptured concrete as is not conducive to a positive mental state. We are animals at heart and our hearts lighten up when we are surrounded by the chaos of  nature.<br>

8 Downshifting Learning's

Getting closer to nature in the garden THE.PReSeNT: "Hey Contender you have been out of the ring a while, you must be rusty. Time ...

Finally There (Guest post)

Contender 4 financial freedom, guest post, Happiness, stress, Work 15:48

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1WCkyaKCq3EEOWSB75XeTWgC5EaOABURk0j-Zue04TvSAFsmn6m3pqM58tx-UL8tbyyhfbikXy7UPPnVLOG1E6ohiuAPxyqkGm-A_rd-MR9pGdA3cPm5QLu9gSxG6GKzp5nZwm-9gg2p/s1600/Mountains.PNG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1WCkyaKCq3EEOWSB75XeTWgC5EaOABURk0j-Zue04TvSAFsmn6m3pqM58tx-UL8tbyyhfbikXy7UPPnVLOG1E6ohiuAPxyqkGm-A_rd-MR9pGdA3cPm5QLu9gSxG6GKzp5nZwm-9gg2p/s280/Mountains.PNG" width="280" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>The Pyrénées, "un réservoir de beauté", by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/feyte/11624814914/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Pierre-Paul Feyte</a></u></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mrs C's New Life</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This evening whilst I was sawing some wood for our evening fire and at the 
same time looking at the sunset on the French Pyrenees, it suddenly happened. 
This is it, my dream of a Good Life, finally there!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The majestic mountains, all 
pink and blue in the sunset, the cold crisp evening air after a beautiful warm 
spring day. It was not much really, just chopping a big oak branch we cut off a 
tree a few days ago that needed to be cut into smaller chunks to fit in the 
fire place.  </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But that was it, with hands firmly gripping the oak branch, all 
covered in lichen and a beautiful bottle green</span>  and grey colour, I was finally closer to Nature – far closer than I had ever been in the last 20? 25 years?<br />
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Tonight, when I was closing the shutters of my kids’ bedrooms and putting them to bed, I saw our French friend Paul-Alexandre, who is a very busy corporate executive, come and pick up his 12-month old child from the child-minder at 7 pm. It made me realise that I could not live that busy corporate life anymore. I am not saying any more ever never never, but right now, this is not for me. <br />
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<b>No more</b> power suits from lovely Italian labels that make a lovely thin waist and a terrible dent in the wallet and Harvey Nicks newsletter with more lovely dresses to get. Just a cotton skirt or a pair of dark blue jeans. No more high heels (and the back pain that goes with it) and no more carrying a so-called book bag to hide a pair of sports shoes for when running from meeting to meeting becomes impossible to manage in Louboutins. Just a really comfortable pair of dark green Hunters bought years ago when still dreaming the dream. <br />
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<b>No more</b> macho bosses, even the female bosses are macho in the City. Just lovely neighbours who invite us to parties and to watch the 6 nations at home or share home-made cakes and biscuits. No more tossing and turning every night whilst worrying about work where I had to negotiate 300-page long commercial contracts and be an impossibly hard negotiator (the Iron Lady was the lovely nickname clients gave me).<br />
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<b>Just </b>getting enough sleep so that we can go for a walk to town (6 km back and return), take the girls swimming and spend 2 hours gardening without feeling tired.<br />
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I could go on and on with the list of “<b>no more's</b>” and “<b>just's</b>”. Now I am appreciating those long years of effort, saving every penny and planning every step we made. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thinking, Planning, Money.....</span><br />
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The effort of our monthly financial reviews and planning have finally paid off....even if at the time I had to be dragged screaming to each financial review for our little tribe. I found that these reviews could sap what was left of my limited post work energy and..... <br />
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It is true that I have never enjoyed talking or even thinking about money, other than seeing is as a both a way to control people and a mean to travel to far away places. Two sides of the same coin, if you excuse the pun, which interested me but I never wanted to spend more time arranging my finances than was strictly necessary. <br />
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I was a passive saver and stayed away from debt. Also I have always liked to manage my pension funds and investments by choosing funds and monitoring their performance myself. But that’s just because I have always seen myself as a feminist and never wanted to have to rely on a man for financial support. Hence I wanted to do “all” by myself, studies, career, travelling, and investing my savings. It is also down to not wanting any man to control my destiny, whether a boyfriend or a financial advisor.  <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Changing to an Early Financial Independence Mindset</span><br />
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I was set on the normal path, work util retirement in my 60's. I was happy with the returns on my savings and investments were generating. I could leave them on autopilot until later in life. I was a “don’t touch if not broken” type of woman.But I was seeking a "way-out" out of the rat race, feeling it was not going to make me happy and that the sacrifices required to obtain the top managerial role would not be worth the results.<br />
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But change we did as a couple when we started putting our heads together to look at our finances. After all these years of planning for financial independence and creative freedom for our family these efforts are paying off. I did resent the monthly financial reviews a bit Mr C says "a lot") but they were to be done. How could we get to our dream if we sleep-walked all our life and not got our house in order?<br />
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And here we are in the south west of France! We work in our vegetable patch together every sunny day (i.e. almost every day). The girls are playing in the field full of daisies (paquerettes) and we all go for cycle rides on paths with views over the Pyrenees mountains. <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mrs C</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Welcome New Readers!</b> Please take a look around.<a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html" target="_blank">Click here</a><b> </b>to find out more about <b>THE.TriBe</b> and the blog is or perhaps browse the <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.com/p/all-posts-get-in-ring.html" target="_blank"><u>all posts list</u></a>, Please feel free to play with the <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.com/p/muff-tools-and-check-lists.html" target="_blank">planning tools and checklists</a>. If you like this post please spare a few seconds to share it >></span>

Finally There (Guest post)

The Pyrénées, "un réservoir de beauté", by Pierre-Paul Feyte Mrs C's New Life This evening whilst I was sawing some w...

Fighting Fear - Part 2

Contender 0 Black Swan, community, Critical Thinking, fear, financial independence, Freedom, health, stress, survival 14:51

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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmc1_nBDd9JFeBRs31GT_XCS8KniWcJRWk_QN8nIuj0WREcsqxBvURpOR_ucI5SMkxRCPRTs2RoZvNhn0M9epqrLxFObct4MxCvNlcNY_mirxr2Josc14Uj-Z5H-0__pwN4wGuwHjjos0/s1600/FeaR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmc1_nBDd9JFeBRs31GT_XCS8KniWcJRWk_QN8nIuj0WREcsqxBvURpOR_ucI5SMkxRCPRTs2RoZvNhn0M9epqrLxFObct4MxCvNlcNY_mirxr2Josc14Uj-Z5H-0__pwN4wGuwHjjos0/s1600/FeaR.jpg"></a>THE.PasT</b>: <i>"</i><i><b>FeaR</b></i><i>! I gave <b>THE.CoNTeNDeR</b> a few cure balls in THE.PasT for you. I told him what to do and where to do it. Since then he has gone off the rails a bit. He is not with the system. His choice to stop working - how dare he! </i><br>
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<i><i>He needs a bit of re-educating don't you think? I need to re-introduce him to </i><b>THE.FuTuRe</b>. He has lots of ideas on how to mess things up, surprise and misdirect this misfit.</i><br>
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<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>THE.FeaR</b>: <i>"He sure can't cross <b>THE.FuTuRe</b>. It is about time <b>THE.CoNTeNDeR</b> realised this and feels <b>THE.FeaR</b>. He needs reminding of what is on the road in front of him. I will rough him up a bit, I like doing that, I am just the man for the job! "</i></div>
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<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>This is the follow up post post to</b><a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.fr/2013/10/feeling-fear-part-1.html"><b> </b>Feeling Fear - Part 1</a><b> which covered FeaR's rampage in THE.CoNTeNDeRs past. Now it is is all about THE.CoNTeNDeRS top 3 FEAR's in THE.FuTuRe and 
what the TRiBe is doing about them on our road to <i>financial independence</i>
 and hopefully a contented life.</b></div>
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<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fear 1 - fear of lack of purpose </b></span><br>
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What is the point in gaining very early retirement? Just look at Jacob from ERE (Early Retirement Extreme) he went back to work for a challenge, not because he needed the money. Our TRiBE want to be useful to society not just sit in the sun in the French countryside - how sad.<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41z1VU67aAL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX385_SY500_CR,0,0,385,500_SH20_OU02_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41z1VU67aAL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX385_SY500_CR,0,0,385,500_SH20_OU02_.jpg" width="153"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Praise-Slow-Worldwide-Movement-Challenging/dp/0752864149/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381995073&sr=1-1&keywords=in+praise+of+slow" target="_blank">Go Slow</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First off sometimes some idleness /
a sabbatical / being bored / having time for reflection and to think is a REALLY GOOD THING.<br>
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We are still de-toxing from the city, its noise, bright lights, pollution and overall speed of everyday life. Time is a great healer and in the last four weeks we needed the time to slow down. </div>
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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We only used to get 5 weeks
holiday a year. Typically this would be split into one two week
holiday preferably abroad followed by two one week holidays somewhere in
the UK. Our spare five days were taken as odd days off. NONE of these
holidays was long enough to completely recuperate / switch off / relax. Is that the point on only allowing five weeks holiday a year?<br>
<br>
What really speaks volumes is that in the UK if you are ill whilst on holiday you can
actually claim the time back from work. Perhaps it has become so common
for people to get ill in the first week off as the body
tries to let down the stress defences the government had to do do something about it?</div>
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br>
In the CoNTeNDeRs opinion we
should all have the ability to have 3 months + off each and every
year. Time to reflect, think, re-charge our batteries and de-stress ourselves.<br>
<br>
Will this ever be allowed - all that time to actually think deeply about want is going on around us. It is 
well documented how the mainstream media and education system is dumbing
 us down. Forbid us free time to think and read as adults in case we don't get with the system right? Would literacy 
rates jump and the system change because the public at large would demand it?<br>
<br>
Fortunately for the TRiBe we have time no what are we going to do with it.  Here are some current activities:<br>
<ul>
<li>Thinking and reading time is still be very important for us</li>
<li>This blog and the tools associated with it can be very time consuming and very enjoyable. </li>
<li>The children are getting lots of attention. We are able to be idle outside walking and playing with them in the garden, fields, hedgerows and local play dates and groups.</li>
<li>We are making lots of new friends. Such a diverse group all working hard to get ahead in their own little ways. The number of people with practical skills around us has multiplied ten fold. although they have similar problems with making ends meet they seem un-stressed and have time to talk. Going <i>slow</i>.</li>
<li>We are looking for somewhere to call home. Something ours to do with as we wish. We are finding that the housing market here is expensive as the area is highly desirable due to the local picturesque town and its facilities. </li>
</ul>
<b>FeaR</b>: "<i>Ah but <b>CoNTeNDeR </b>you will soon be bored! What a waste of your training, your conditioning, you are a corporate greyhound - fast, nimble and loyal. Don't waste it! If you stay out of the workforce too long and you will be toast. Won't it be a shame <b>R.I.P CoNTeNDeR </b>that guy who really didn't do much.</i>"<br>
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<b>CoNTeNDeR</b>: "<i>What a lack of imagination old bloke! Yes we have skills to be put to use but on other pursuits. Corporate skills are transferable don't you know. Look at this blog would it ever have existed if it it was not for my work?"  </i><br>
<br>
So should this <b>FeaR </b>- a lack of purpose put us off? We have been given the gift of time to find our real passion, our contribution to society, we must not waste it. It may take some time to land on our feet but we believe it will happen.<br>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div data-canvas-width="517.7965686054229" data-font-name="g_font_90_0" dir="ltr" style="left: 156px; top: 836px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: scale(1.13598, 1);">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little - death that <br>brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass <br>over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the <br>inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. <br>Only I will remain." - Frank Herbert</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>THE.FeaR wins this round with a clip around the ear - what are you doing CoNTeNDeR </b></b><br>
<b>FeaR 1 TRiBe 0</b> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><b>Fear 2 - fear of lack of income / high</b> inflation destroying our savings</b></span> </div>
<div lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br>
<span class="style">“The outcome (of all of this) will be more
 debt, more printed money, and more misery for the masses.  Remember 
that US debt was $10 trillion in 2008 when the crisis began and now it’s
 $17 trillion.  And the Fed’s balance sheet was $900 billion in 2008 -- 
it’s now at $3.6 trillion....</span><span class="style_2" style="line-height: 22px;">On top of that, 
personal credit (in the form of) car loans and student loans is growing 
exponentially.  Every year now the US debt is going up by at least $1 
trillion.  In addition to that the Fed is expanding its balance sheet by
 another $1 trillion each year.  This means that the US government is 
currently printing $2 trillion per year. " - </span><a href="http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2013/10/9_Governments_Will_Start_Panicking_As_Chaos_%26_Crisis_Accelerates.html" target="_blank">Egon von Greyerz - KWN Oct 2013</a><br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://atomictoasters.com/wp-content/gallery/random-information/1trillion.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://atomictoasters.com/wp-content/gallery/random-information/1trillion.png" width="280"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://atomictoasters.com/2012/04/trillion/" target="_blank">AtomicToasters</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Incredible debt numbers are being talked about almost daily. Whether it be company, personal or government the numbers are hard to comprehend as the above graphic tries to portray.<br>
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What is debt? Just paper promises, electrons on a computer. The problem is that governments and central banks are very good at creating it (currency) and paying for it by typing some numbers into a computer. The result is more inflation in everyday goods. Here is a video on the process from Mike Maloney:<br>
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In the past money used to be tied to a hard asset such as a tradeable commodity. What we do know is that paper money has been <a href="http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/hanke-krus-hyperinflation-table-may-2013.pdf" target="_blank">destroyed several times in the past</a> due to the abuse of the ruling class.<br>
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In the current era debt has generally been serviced and living standards have risen but <a href="http://srsroccoreport.com/guest-post-bad-advice-why-the-future-will-be-like-the-past/guest-post-bad-advice-why-the-future-will-be-like-the-past/" target="_blank">what if THE.FuTuRe is not like THE.PAST</a> what if the can cannot be kicked any further any longer? What may hold its real value in <b>THE.FuTuRe</b>?<br>
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Fighting Fear - Part 2

THE.PasT : " FeaR ! I gave THE.CoNTeNDeR a few cure balls in THE.PasT for you. I told him what to do and where to do it. Since then h...

Feeling Fear - Part 1

Contender 0 Black Swan, community, Critical Thinking, fear, financial independence, Freedom, health, stress, survival 08:16

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<b>THE.FuTuRe</b>: <i>"Hey
</i><i><b>FeaR</b></i><i>! Get over here we need to talk. Contender
is getting ahead of himself he needs to feel THE.FeaR! Spar with him
for a few rounds – probe his weaknesses. Get under his skin and
into his psyche"</i>
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<b>THE.FeaR</b>: <i>"Anything
for an old buddy of mine. Doubt – I'm your guy, Hesitation – got
it covered, Hope – destroyed, Confidence – history bring it on!"</i></div>
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<b>In this post we are going to have a look at how FeaR has impacted THE.CoNTeNDeR in THE.PAST, what has been done about him and what he has learnt.</b> <b> </b><br>
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<b>As for THE.FuTuRe? What are</b> <b>the top 3 FeaR's the TRiBe has for financial independence and  downshifting and hopefully leading a contented life and what are we doing about them now - all to come in part two.</b><br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE.CoNTeNDeR's Introduction to FeaR</span></div>
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I penned a post in April called <a href="http://getintheringwithme.blogspot.fr/2013/04/10-happiness-guidelines.html">10 Happiness Guidelines</a> in the post I covered the premise of learn from <b>THE.PaST</b> enjoying
<b>THE.NOW</b> but planning for <b>THE.FuTuRe</b>. All three have been followed by <b>THE.FeaR</b> starting at a young age.</div>
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Being Welsh I come from a
Protestant work ethic background. You must sow the seeds of success today (advertised as hard work
until 65...) and then you can reap the rewards (retirement / scrap heap) in the future. Make sure you save enough though and to get a state pension you must work for at least 25 years.<br>
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In the
west we have given ample bread (government funded backstops) and circuses
(TV and media) to keep
us happy, entertained, docile, conformist and obedient. </div>
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All is sweet as long as we go with the system right? Don't think about any real world problems out there work hard for your pension and watch TV!<br>
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Was this FeaR talking? Work hard or else. Shut up learn to get with the system. We have everything in hand. So CoNTeDeR got on with the system and buckled down for the long haul...OR ELSE! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Feeling <b>THE.FeaR</b> - not so nice </span></div>
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<b>THE.CoNTeNDeR</b> is a little older and a tiny bit wiser and now realises that one cannot live in <b>FeaR</b> of
<b>THE.FuTuRe.</b> He will always be there.<br>
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In the past <b>THE.CoNTeNDeR</b> hunkered down and <b>let FeaR </b>into his life. Mainly driven by too much News and Newspapers! This had some very bad consequences physical stress and mentally holding <b>CoNTeNDeR </b>back :</div>
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<b>Stress</b> - <b>FeaR</b>'s were allowed to sit there festering. In particular - 'I must buy a house or I will be left behind, I must work really hard or I will never get a promotion, I must look good and buy designer labels or I will never find a wife'.<br>
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This a nagging voice in the background contributed to unhappiness that was being remedied by a high consumption lifestyle of partying and holidays. Admittedly this is not all bad...why was I dong it though. Everyone around me was as well. It must be normal. Keep with the system. Keep with the system.<br>
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The partying kept me docile in a semi happy / drunken state preventing me from really getting on with life - fighting the <b>FeaR</b>'s the main problem was work.<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://filmnerds.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/superman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="161" src="http://filmnerds.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/superman3.jpg" width="280"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://filmnerds.com/2012/01/13/the-great-scenes-clark-kent-vs-superman-from-superman-iii/" target="_blank">Click here for source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Overwork, under appreciation, no rapid career progress caused insomnia, weight gain. THE.CoNTeNDeR was one of these people:<br>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #3f3f3f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;">“There are thousands 
and thousands of people out there leading lives of quiet, screaming desperation, 
where they work long, hard hours at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things 
they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.”</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; display: inline !important; float: none; font: 12px/16px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: -4px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0.3em 0px 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: -4px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">— 
Nigel Marsh</i></blockquote>
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The cure to this? Tackling the problem straight on. Accepting that the situation was my own doing. Knowing that I could do something about it. Building up the guts to do something about it. Working out a plan to get out of the wage slavery, be financially free, be different.<br>
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<b>Please
 Read on for more impacts of feeling THE.FeaR in THE.PaST </b></div>
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Feeling Fear - Part 1

THE.FuTuRe : "Hey FeaR ! Get over here we need to talk. Contender is getting ahead of himself he needs to feel THE.FeaR! Spar with hi...