Many of us would love for our life story to be movie worthy.

Nobody wants their journey to be:

He was born. At work, he pressed a green button every ten seconds. He died.

Boring!

I’d much rather hear a story about someone living their dream. A person who found a way to follow their passions. Somebody who took a non-conventional path and came out on top. A story about an underdog that won.

You know, something that could be featured in a blockbuster movie.

The Challenge

Joe at Retire by 40 wrote a post asking “Why is FIRE such a compelling story?”

For those that don’t know, FIRE stands for Financial Independence and Retiring Early. Joe’s post compared his FIRE journey to Star Wars. I’ve linked to it at the bottom of this post.

Retiring, or being financially independent, is a lifestyle that most people associate only with celebrities or senior citizens. It’s easy to understand why the story of “regular people” who’ve achieved it is compelling.

I’ll compare my FIRE journey to a “slightly different” Hollywood blockbuster, The Lion King.

Below I’ll walk through the 12 stages of the hero’s journey from the book “The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers” by Christopher Vogler. I’ll compare my experiences on the path to FIRE to Simba, the hero of the film.

Preface – The Set Up:

The Lion King:

Everything is wonderful in the pride lands. Nature’s natural order is in place with a Lion, Mufasa as king.

FIRE Journey:

Teenage Jason had a dream. He wanted to live in the mountains and spend his time living a life of adventure. Playing outside every day was a given in his future adult life. He looked up to the “ski bums” who had forsaken money and used their life to chase their passions.

He was bright and did well enough in school despite lacking interest in most of the subjects being taught. Languages (both English and foreign) were his worst subjects. They required writing, a pursuit that Jason had no interest in. He preferred to study more quantitative classes like math and physics instead.

1. The Ordinary world:

The hero is just a normal regular person (or lion) living a typical life.

The Lion King:

King Mufasa welcomes his son Simba into the world. Simba’s an ordinary child that loves to play and have adventures.

FIRE Journey:

When Jason graduated from high school, he followed the normal and only logical path he saw in front of him: a four year university.

Despite his lack of motivation in high school, he was practical and responsible. Knowing that he needed to make money to get by – and ski – kept him on track. He chose to enter his university’s business program because he thought it would be a good fit for his analytical skills.

In his first accounting class, the professor asked each of the students to “raise your hand if you want a job upon graduation.” To those with their hands raised, the professor suggested majoring in accounting. Jason did.

His favorite subjects in school were those related to investing, philosophy, and oddly enough, personal income tax. He thought figuring out how to maximize hypothetical investment returns and use the rules to pay less taxes was a fun game.

2. Call to adventure:

Life changes forcing the hero’s journey in a different direction.

The Lion King:

Simba’s Uncle Scar wants the throne. He sets up a trap for Simba to be trampled in a stampede. Mufasa comes to his son’s rescue. Unfortunately he perishes when he becomes stuck on a cliff edge and Scar refuses to rescue him.

FIRE Journey:

The professor was right. Upon graduating, Jason landed a job at a top firm. He begins spending a majority of his time in a cubicle. He was a good employee. His earnings increased quickly with experience and job changes.

He married a wiser and even more successful businesswoman. When they combined forces, they had a very healthy income. They were able to both save for the future and live well in the present. They spent freely on anything that seemed “worth it,” including some incredible vacations.

Through various ups and downs, work was anywhere between fun and awful. Jason continued studying personal finance as a young professional. Knowing he was “working for the money” in the corporate world, he focused on how to best make his savings work for him.

3. Refusal:

The hero refuses to take on his new responsibility.

The Lion King:

Simba feels guilty for causing his father’s death. He follows Scar’s instructions to leave and never return.

FIRE Journey:

The Winning family has their first child and decides it’s best for the Mrs. to leave her job and be a full-time parent.

They were down to one income with a mortgage, one child at home and a second on the way. Jason’s responsibilities had increased exponentially. Three other humans are depending on him.

Even though they’ve been saving for years, their household spending is high. Living in NJ within commuting distance to work in NYC is expensive.

Living in perpetuity on savings (aka financial freedom) anytime soon is just a pipe dream. The status quo is not okay.

4. Meeting a mentor:

The hero gains knowledge and confidence to continue.

The Lion King:

Simba is rescued from exhaustion by Timon and Pumbaa. Together, they live “hakuna matata,” which means no worries.

FIRE Journey:

After being incredibly frustrated at work one day, Jason googles “Retire by 40” and comes across Joe’s blog. It leads him to find the rest of the FIRE community.

Upon realizing how many others have figured out how to get by without a corporate paycheck, he asked…why can’t I do the same?

Using the 4% rule of thumb to calculate a retirement number provided an end goal dollar amount. Realizing that money in retirement accounts can be accessed penalty free earlier than full retirement age was also a groundbreaking discovery. Putting the two together showed him that he was about 11 years from the prize. He could get there by age of 45.

5. Crossing the threshold:

The hero is ready to begin his quest.

The Lion King:

Now an adult, Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a lioness. She turns out to be his childhood friend Nala. Simba and Nala fall in love. She shares that the pride lands are in bad shape and encourages Simba to return.

FIRE Journey:

Jason realizes that his purpose is not the corporate grind he’s been in. It’s to help individuals achieve their financial goals. He starts Winning Personal Finance. He focuses on three things:

Building an audience. It’s impossible to help people if nobody hears what you say. Finding a path to professionally help others achieve their financial goals. Focusing on his own household finances to reduce the time to financial independence.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies:

Oh his adventure, the hero encounters new tests, obstacles and sometimes even a friend.

The Lion King:

Simba want to return but does not know how a lion cub can stand up to Scar. He then meets Rafiki and learns that Mufasa’s spirit lives on in him. One night, Mufasa’s ghost tells him that he must take his rightful place as king.

FIRE Journey:

To become financially independent, maximizing income is a priority.

Changing to a (hopefully) more rewarding career in financial planning would be wonderful. Unfortunately, it’s likely to include a giant pay cut at first. The hero is at an impasse.

7. The Approach:

The hero begins to confront his enemies.

The Lion King:

Simba goes back to the pride lands to confront Scar and take back the throne.

FIRE Journey:

Jason commits to a four part plan…

Work a full-time corporate job, grow income and continue to save. Run Winning Personal Finance. Guide readers to make effective financial decisions. Build an audience that appreciates his views. Network with financial planners and financial coaches. (For the first time ever, Jason enjoys networking with strangers.) Prepare for his second life career. Study financial planning and other personal finance topics.

The remaining FIRE Journey steps are projections, the final script is not yet completed.

8. The Ordeal:

Hero takes on his major challenge.

The Lion King:

Simba forces Scar to confess that he killed Mufasa. The lionesses fight the hyenas. Simba chases Scar up to pride rock where he corners him. Scar begs for mercy.

FIRE Journey:

Jason works his a$$ off. He drives corporate profits during the 9-5 and is rewarded with some increased compensation. Most of the increase goes towards savings. During evening hours he studies, builds Winning Personal Finance and the associated business. After a few years, he earns a financial planning certification.

9. The Reward:

Hero accomplishes his goal.

The Lion King:

Simba is victorious. He takes back his rightful role as King.

FIRE Journey:

The ordeal pays off. The businesses scale to a level that covers the annual household expenses for the Winning Family.

Jason comes up with a plan to relocate his family to a western ski town with a great community feel. The cost of living is high in such a desirable locale. Thankfully, it’s still less expensive than New Jersey.

Moving lowers the Winning family’s annual household expenses. Their savings are more than a 25X multiple of their annual needs. They are financially free!

10. The Road back:

The hero faces a final challenge.

The Lion King:

Having won the battle, Simba must decide if he should spare Scar. Not wanting to become a murderer himself, he tells Scar to leave and never return. Scar sneaks away and throws burning embers at Simba.

FIRE Journey:

Jason’s become obsessed with his business. As is his personality, when he commits to something, he goes all in.

He’s not really living a “retirement” lifestyle. Despite achieving financial independence, he’s putting 20 hours a week into writing his blog and another 40 helping individuals achieve their own financial independence. He loves the work. Unfortunately, it’s taking too much time away from family and leisure.

He does get outside occasionally with the family to ski in the winter and hike/bike when it’s warm. Neither the outdoor pursuits, nor the quality family time, are as frequent as he’d hoped.

11. The Resurrection:

The climax of the movie. The hero has his most dangerous encounter.

The Lion King:

The final battle between Simba and Scar is fierce. Simba manages to throw his uncle off the cliff. Scar survives the fall but now the pack of hyenas at the bottom.

Simba is accepted as king. The pride lands that had been destroyed are rejuvenated. They grow to be healthy and fertile.

FIRE Journey:

Mrs. WPF, the real brains of the Winning household, drops the hammer. She reminds Jason where their true priorities are.

Jason hires help for both the blog and the consulting business. He retains only the work he enjoys the most and outsources much of the administration.

After all, any money earned now is gravy so there’s no reason to maximize income anymore.

12. The Return:

Having survived his adventure, the hero reenters the ordinary world.

The Lion King:

Simba and Nala welcome their son into the world. The circle of life continues.

FIRE Journey:

The movie ends with the family of four skiing fresh powder on a Monday. They are surrounded by clients and friends who have also achieved financial independence after working with Jason.

Follow Along In Real Life

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Other FIRE Journeys

Anchor – Joe’s Why FIRE Is Such a Compelling Story.

Link 1 – Tom’s FIRE hero’s journey from being a young finance professional to his encore career, teaching at a university.

Link 2 – Jim’s Why Spiderman’s Path is Like the Journey to FIRE. Jim is going to retire early and move to Panama very soon.

Link 3 – Mr. Tako’s Darth Vader and The Path to FIRE.

Link 4 – Lazy Man and Money’s The Serenity of My FIRE Journey.

Announcement To Other Personal Finance Bloggers:

This post is part of a group organized by Joe at RB40. There is a chain for these stories. It will help spread the word about living with FIRE. If you want to write a post about your journey, you’re welcome to join. All details can be found on Joe’s anchor post linked above.

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