Learning is the great equalizer if you weren’t born with a silver spoon: A path to FIRE (financial independence retire early)
 |
| Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, PA |
Albert Einstein: “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”
The above quote from Albert Einstein is one of my absolute favorite quotes of all time. It underscores the importance of needing to learn constantly to adapt and survive. Humans, just like animals and plants, must learn constantly to adapt to their environments. In this age of technology where industries and technologies are evolving constantly, it’s even more important now, to learn and adapt.
In this post, I’d like to discuss my thoughts on learning and education to achieve your goal of financial independence and retiring early.
I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. My family was poor growing up in Seoul, South Korea and we were poor when we immigrated to the United States in 1981. In South Korea, we lived in a tiny one room rental with a small kitchen for a family of four. It didn’t have any appliances: No refrigerator, no stove, no microwave, you get the idea...
It didn’t even have a bathroom attached to the room. About 15-20 people living in the same complex shared a common outhouse where we did our business. ***Outhouse is exactly what you think it is, as in old western movies...No flushing toilet or sink or shower!
I was 9 years old when we immigrated to the US. I was absolutely thrilled to be going to the land of Hershey chocolates, Spams, Kraft cheeses, and latest technologies. To a young kid who didn’t use any appliances or flushing toilets, America was a true land of opportunity and a fantasyland.
I remember watching my first movie in the US, which was ‘Empire Strikes Back’. I couldn’t believe what I was watching! In Korea, I was watching anime (hand drawn animation) and I thought that was pretty cool. Empire Strikes Back was something else! It was like experiencing Disney World for the first time, where everything is truly ‘magical!’
When I was put into school, I dreaded going there due to the language barrier. I knew maybe like five words coming over to America. I faked stomach aches to not go to school (sorry Mom!). It wasn’t until I met my first great teacher in 5th grade, that I got interested in school. Learning became fun. My teacher would have me write down 5 to 10 words each day on vocabulary cards for me to memorize. She would then quiz me the next day.
She also gave me chores to complete. She would ask me to go to other teachers to pick up supplies or reports, for example. I learned real fast that year, thanks to my 5th grade teacher. She was extremely patient, making sure I understood things she was teaching. She instilled in me the love of learning because she made it fun and easy to understand!
This love of learning carried over to my adulthood. I realized at an early age that for me succeed, I would have to learn / educate myself to have a chance at success. I knew my family couldn’t hire a tutor or send me to a prep academy to make it into a good high school, then to a good college. I knew I had to figure it out my way without the usual advantages my friends had.
That figuring out process resulted in love of reading. I read often, from manga (comic books), classics in literature (Aesop’s Fable, Greek Mythology), biographies, to self help books. I also learned to play the guitar and the piano through self-teaching.
By enjoying learning, it became easier to pick up new things. From learning about the greatest literature ever written to learning about finances, both require having interest to learn. With that interest comes knowledge! Without interest, we do not learn...
For someone who wasn’t born with a silver spoon, I believe the interest to learn is the great equalizer. That success can be financial independence and retiring early, or it could be whatever you want it to be!
I was never an A student throughout my grade school then to high school. There was a time in my 10th grade when I didn’t think I could go to college. Due to our family’s financial situation, I thought I would have to work to help out...This hopelessness didn’t help with my studies in school. I was not motivated to learn at that time.
Luckily, I understood the need to complete my studies because frankly I wasn’t very skilled at using tools. My dad was a licensed plumber, and he tried to teach me, but I wasn’t interested.
I figured out my strength lies in learning something and using my brain, and not my brawn. I was never blessed with extraordinary athleticism nor super strong body. I knew I was better suited to using my brain.
It’s important to figure out your strengths and weaknesses. If I’m not talented enough to play basketball at a professional level, then I should have a backup plan! We’re all good at something. It’s important to figure that out so you can apply that advantage to achieving your success.
Life is hard if you don’t have money, connections, or financial support from family. But even with all these inherent disadvantages, I’m a living proof that anyone can be successful. As long as you educate yourself, to want to learn something that pays you well, and to want to learn important things like finance, then you’ll also be in a position to succeed!
Conclusion:
- Figure out what you’re good at, then apply it. If you’re good at learning a skill to be a carpenter or a plumber, then pursue that. On the other hand, if you’re good at learning from books, then you should pursue that.
- Learning is the single most important thing we do as human beings. Wanting to gain knowledge and showing interest, is how you get good at something. Leverage that learning to turn that into a skill that pays you well, whether that’s physical skill (carpenter, plumber, oil worker, athlete) or intellectual skill (computer programmer, accountant, financial planner).
- Pay your dues, work hard at your field until you become financially independent. What you do after that is up to you! You can retire then learn something new, or you can finally do the things you always wanted to do.
Please check out our YouTube channel ‘Wandering Money Pig’ showcasing our travels and our Pomeranian dog! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kl9f4W9sfNG5h1l-x6nHw
