Not sacrificing today for an imagined tomorrow — that is retirement (with Hao Hsu-Lieh, part 1)

About this episode

Are you also caught in the loop of "the more I earn, the more anxious I get"? This episode of FIRE University is honored to welcome Hao Hsu-Lieh (郝旭烈), known as Brother Hao (郝哥).

Brother Hao's new book on the psychology of financial freedom (財富自由心理學), co-written with Yu-Zhe, will overturn how you imagine financial freedom! Why does he say the key to "financial freedom" isn't the wealth but the freedom? Why shouldn't retirement be a point in time you wait for, but a state you can enter at any moment? I talk in depth with Brother Hao, redefining money management from a psychological angle and reclaiming a sense of control over your life.

Highlights Managing money is managing your mind: why doesn't your anxiety shrink even after you've saved? The financial freedom formula: freedom = ability − desire. Why is "you're the one who decides" real freedom? Redefining retirement: the lesson from The Almanack of Naval Ravikant — don't sacrifice today for an imagined tomorrow. Stop comparing: how do you balance the drive of "less than those above" with the contentment of "more than those below"? Worldview and mindset: seeing happiness on a long journey through Cambodia, and breaking through conventional "preconceptions."

Quotes from this episode "Freedom equals ability minus desire. You decide your ability, you decide your desire, you decide your freedom." "Not sacrificing today for an imagined tomorrow — that's retirement." "There are two religions you shouldn't believe in: one is called comparing, the other is called nitpicking." "A preconception is just a view that everyone has agreed on."

The episode is in Mandarin Chinese. These notes are translated from my original show notes.