An open letter to nostr:npub1k7vkcxp7qdkly7qzj3dcpw7u3v9lt9cmvcs6s6ln26wrxggh7p7su3c04l and any other bitcoiners who have shared a similar experience. #asknostr

I’ve got a problem…

I’m a 40 year old orthopaedic surgeon who has been obsessively stacking sats since I first went down the rabbit hole, within several months of taking my first job. If you subscribe to any of the long term price models, at a minimum we should see bitcoin growing at >25% ARR for over a decade, I should have about 3 times what is needed to comfortably retire. I now have the ability to walk away from a job that is capturing 40 hours of my life per week, allowing me to focus energy on family and other various pursuits that I deem appropriate/worthy of my time.

Sounds great, I know. but what I’ve realized is that regardless of the runway capital I’ve secured, emotionally its a significant leap to walk away from a job you spent 15 years training for. Can you imagine the anxiety/anguish you’d face if you chose to walk away, but were later forced to return to work, only to find that the lapse has reduced your skills or limited your ability to practice at your previous level of expertise?

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about this lately and have realized we may be part of an exceptionally small group of people with this opportunity. And, as such a small group, its difficult to find others to bounce ideas or offer emotional support as we navigate these uncharted waters.

If you or anyone you know has recently given up a wage slave position that required an immense amount of training, I want to hear from you! Please reach out so that we can build the resources needed for our growing niche

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Discussion

As a humble pleb, my thoughts are you can always reduce your hours………..

I am not familiar with what you do, and its intensity, but there are principles that can be adhered too that apply to all of us……

Why “burn the boat” when you have an opportunity to go 1/2 time, and pay others for your call…………..

Appreciate your response!

Some mentors have suggested part-time or locums work as a way to transition from full time, and I see the value in this.

My kids are still young, one a toddler. As I get closer to the realization that bitcoin may have freed me from what I’ve trained to do, it gets harder to justify any time away from them, even if part time.

IMO, If I dont need the full time money, the value of part time work is really just to occupy my brain; to convince me that my training years were not a sunk cost, but are still providing benefit.

You’re welcome, NOSTR is a family!

Problem solving and not simply occupying your brain has merits…….

Cognitive decline is real and I see value in some work for everyone……….

Many retired folks seem to decline physically and mentally in retirement, and lack of problem solving seems to be a part of the equation……..

Some level of brain work (hard stuff) can sometimes be helpful to improve time with family!

I was a software engineer for 20 years and I quit/retired last May at 42. The biggest revelation I've had since is that you don't realize how much 40hours a week really is.

Now I have so much time to work on things that I actually want to do. We have our podcast, nostr:nprofile1qqsd90dkhlct3ltcwj3dwxnnqle4rxpcpfvqx87w2xnufxp254xgvfcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhszfrhwden5te0wfjkccte9enxc6tjw35kuemhd96xscnfw33k76tw9e3k7mf0qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnswf5k6ctv9ehx2ap0cx5wle, and now we're starting a business, nostr:nprofile1qqs0xgvyaeact5khdrllmk7r936mhmtdjt3d6sm3g2h4c5qgd5wp00cpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7qgcwaehxw309anxjmr5v4ezumn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcgtfwta, all while raising our toddler.

I say all that to say, get your time back first. If you're a Bitcoiner, you'll figure out the rest.

🧡✊💜

This is very helpful - thank you.

I love the idea of new focus, but I don’t like feeling obligated to find that focus. I enjoy the possibility of being “in between focuses” for the time being.

Do you mind elaborating on the process of deciding to retire from a financial standpoint? Are you relying on power law projections, or some other way you’ve calmed your mind with respect to future financial uncertainty?

Obviously, focusing on new revenues with your business and podcasts will make this easier. Hypothetically, I want to start walking down this path with no obligation for future productivity. I’ve spent too many years attempting to get to this point, and I want the rest to come at ease.

Thank you

Well my job was literally driving me crazy. So quitting was more about that. But it was also right after the halving but before the end of year.

I basically said "if Bitcoin does what we think Bitcoin is going to do then I'm retired otherwise I took a couple of months between jobs to play with my kid".

When Bitcoin crossed 90k I mentally "retired" and started behaving and talking like I had. and I pushed all in on #nextblock.

Now we are looking to launch our first product 1 year from the day I quit.

#Bitcoin helped me focus on what I wanted the future to look like. And I decided that a future with nostr:nprofile1qqs0xgvyaeact5khdrllmk7r936mhmtdjt3d6sm3g2h4c5qgd5wp00cpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7qgcwaehxw309anxjmr5v4ezumn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcgtfwta is more exciting than not. The goal is to make it the family business first. Then grow from there. If it can support the three of us then we've already made it.

Sounds like a good path to me. Cheers!

Well said Ian

I got two days to go at the Fiat mine…

Then all in nostr and bitcoin

Belated congrats, and GFY!

Not far behind you.

I’m with you. I quit/retired in Oct at age 51. I’m volunteering and learning new skills and enjoying my life now.

Thank you Cindy!

Would you mind sharing some more info? What did you do, and what part of this process was most challenging for you?

Do you have any advice for others in similar situation?

Cheers!

We’ve always lived below our means and I’ve been a saver all my life. Hubby still works and hopefully Bitcoin goes up quickly. 😉

my wife doesnt work, so my exit onto a bitcoin standard feels risky. I assume there is no BTC treasury I could own that would isolate me from these fears.

Not yet in your position, but am an anesthesiologist aggressively stacking sats. I plan to volunteer in a medical/free clinic type role and do oversees missions when I am able to stop working.

Hi and thanks for responding!

One thing is for sure; given enough time, you’ll be there too.

I’ve contemplated a few locums jobs every year for another cycle just to keep up my reps. If we see another multiple on price as expected, it will only become easier to step away as time passes.

Id imagine this would also be easier if my wife was a similar maximalist… she is supportive, but not willing to ‘risk’ the livelihood of the family on magic internet money :) She’s getting there but not at a point where she is intrigued enough to self-direct any study on bitcoin

Yeah I hear ya on that one!

30 y in critical care

Love every minute

But thinking time to smell the roses

26yo, software engineer and just finished my masters in 2024. After my bachelor I started a Blockchain/crypto project and got funded. I started working full time in September last year and just handed my notice in (different reasons).

I'm sitting on a variety of different coins, with the two largest holdings being BTC and ADA. The amount in fiat is probably not enough to retire on, but enough to be picky how I spent my time working.

I will keep educating myself and start working on things that have my interest. The 31st of march is my last day on the job and I won't be looking for something new until the end of summer 😆

Life is great, enjoy your freedom but give your brain a challenge every now and then.

Yes, I got lucky!

Quit my job at 28 and never looked back, wasn't even because of bitcoin, but because trading time for money is a scam

I still work, on my own terms for businesses that I own

This is a very difficult question/problem to answer... since there isn't a blanket right or wrong answer for all.

The issues you are struggling with are the very same as the ones I have personally dealt with.

Being a physician and helping people is awesome, but being a part of the (very) broken US healthcare system is frustrating.

If you are like me, then you will do poorly with a simple, traditional "retirement." -- So, I would recommend that, if you do leave your orthopedic surgery practice, you retire "to" something, rather that just retiring "from" being a surgeon.

I get stir crazy unless I am doing or building something challenging and/or helping other people.

Finally, I would recommend thinking about your bitcoin savings in bear market terms, not just in current USD prices or--especially--bull market prices.

If the USD price drops 60% next month and stays depressed for 24 months, can you still survive without your orthopedic income? If so, retirement is probably a good option. If not, keep working and stacking sats.

Not sure if any of this helps. But I think that you are thinking about it correctly.

Cheers.

Men must feel purpose. There must be a mountain to climb.

Find a new mountain.

Embracing deep change is difficult — but if it truly feels right — you must.

Thanks, Jeff!

One thing Ive realized is that there is a sense of guilt you feel when contemplating an early exit from the arena of fiat wage slave. Just thinking about the opportunity can induce the emotion… let alone what happens when you actually discuss the problem with an individual who continues to work and hasn’t even started planning their retirement.

I also appreciate the idea to “retire to something” and can imagine your fund has provided that avenue for you. Cheers!

If you run into any other physicians or other professionals with similar predicaments, send them my way. I’d love to build a community focused on guidance/support as our numbers grow.

what is the point of being a wage slave if you never realize the fruits of your labor and reclaim your time and energy? the fear is usually mostly a result of the propaganda they have pushed. Bitcoin is your safety and you’ve earned this.

Agree whole-heartedly.

It’s always easiest to keep going with the flow. But I’m hoping to walk a different path, and potentially focus on helping others in this situation once I’m comfortably on the other side.

100%. The hardest part is breaking out of the flow you’ve become accustomed to. You are clearly someone who cares about other humans deeply and the plebs are proud of you. Rooting for you in whatever comes next. I hope to make it there someday as well.