Even if you’re not a blogger or podcaster, if you’re a regular reader or listener, it would behoove you to attend at least one FINCON . Here are the reasons why:
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1) You get to meet the virtual people who are making a difference in your life journey. If it weren’t for being a beta tester in Montana Money Adventure’s Course and regularly reading Physician On Fire, we wouldn’t have embarked on our intentionally designed life that included scaling back on work so we can spend more time with our sons before they leave our nest.
Meeting the bloggers and podcasters in real life who have inspired us helps us keep going along in our outlier lives.
2) You get to encounter fascinating people who are living life outside the box. It’s not just the content makers that attend, but also fans. A FIRE fan shared his journey with me. He was transparent enough while teaching his teenage students finance to tell them about a bankruptcy he had at age 25. One of his students told him about the FIRE movement, and that’s what got this former teacher started to become on FIRE.
It is only by being authentic that we help the most people.
3) If you attend a second time, you get to see old friends once again. We love these people in the virtual world, but only get to see them once a year. I was excited to see Passive Income MD and Dr. McFrugal (with whom I talk about plant-based diet stuff on Instagram) again. This time Dr. McFrugal brought along a new blogger who is often mistaken for his twin (they aren’t. These are the twins.). All three of these guys remind me of West Coast surfer dudes, and I’m hoping they all bring surfboards to the next FINCON in California because I have never surfed. Yes, go ahead and judge. #ILivedNextToTheOceanForNineYearsAndNeverSurfed
4) You get super encouraged. I’m a big believer in adding diversity to the FIRE conversation. It was awesome to see even more diverse people attending this year. And there was a much stronger showing of women doctors this time—which made my heart happy.
By speaking up, women are altering the flow of conversation, to take it from being one of (what sounds like to us) competition about measuring the size of one’s bank accounts to a discussion that feels more inclusive.
Don’t believe me that inclusion and diversity improve the world? Go read some of Malcolm Gladwell‘s books and Five Days at Memorial (that last book, based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning article, should be required reading for all physicians).
5) You get to trade life Tips. Due to cobbling together last minute travel plans because of Hurricane Dorian, I wasn’t able to spend as much time at FINCON as I would have liked. I was still able to catch up with FIRE’d folks and trade helpful information with each other over too much coffee. The Mrs. Coach Carson helped me understand better what living longer with a family in Latin America is like, as well as what the re-integration back into America could entail.
I also received some excellent life wisdom from Eliza from Minimal MD: blogging will always be here, but our kids won’t.
(And hey, if you’re looking for life coaching, be sure to follow Wealthy Mom MD as she has great things coming.)
6) You get to explore a new city. I hadn’t been to D.C. in over a dozen years. While there this time, I learned about a Dry Bar. I was so curious at the name that I stopped, looked in the window, then immediately walked inside, and asked for my hair to be done.
7) You get to hear awesome stories. I met a male doctor who loves the Hippocratic Hustle. I could have talked with him for hours and I hope Dr. Reynolds ran into him!
8) You get to hear from readers about what they want to read more about. Some of my readers pointed out they want blogs on how DH and I used our individual strengths to reach our financial goals. Another one asked me to write a blog about our tax mitigation strategies—though that will probably end up being a guest post from DH.
9) You get to try a donut wall. Hey, you just never know what new things in life you’re going to get to sample when you wake up on a given day. For me, it was splitting a super sugary donut supplied by Robin Hood at the Smithsonian. #TryEveryThingAtLeastOnce
10) You’re know you’re not alone in your struggles. Bill of Pivot Points MD told me he felt like he was being reborn into a new stage of life by meeting all these people in person who have inspired him on-line. And it’s true. We are money nerds who get one another in a world that tells us to spend more, consume more, and live a frenzied life. But we don’t want that.
We’re the outliers who find each other at FINCON, who continue to inspire and encourage each other for the rest of the year when we’re apart.
May you be as inspired in your journey, not only today but for the rest of the year. And from all of us at FINCON, we missed seeing you this year and hope to see you at an upcoming FINCON soon.
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