Intro: Why Modern Flanerie?

I followed the plan. I spent 20 years chasing and achieving the traditional model of success.

I earned a bachelor's degree, master's degree, worked my way up the corporate ladder, bought a nice house and car. I have a wonderful husband and daughter, money in the bank. I'm even debt-free. 

I worked hard. I did what they said would make me happy. I achieved the American dream and then some.

So, why didn't I feel happy?

Turns out I made a big fat rookie mistake.

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“If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.”

– Frank Zappa

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Thanks for the kick in the ass, Frank!

I was so busy ticking goals off my to-do list that I forgot to get crystal clear on who I was and what I wanted.

Don't get me wrong. I'm eternally grateful for each of my accomplishments. I recognize my privilege. I was even mostly happy. It's just that when I was too busy to notice, I accidentally achieved someone else's version of success. I wasn't fulfilled. 

Unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly common to get distracted by modern life. We have so much going on that we forget to check in with ourselves. Then after a while, we start to wonder if this is all life has to offer. We feel a void.

For too long we've accepted incremental changes to the factory system introduced in the Industrial Revolution. Sure the nature of our jobs has changed, but our mindset remains: work long hours, stay busy, be productive, consume, work harder. We've been living in a collective fog.

But I sense a new, quiet revolution afoot. We're waking up. There's another way.

Welcome to Modern Flanerie, a blog about discovering who you are and what you want so you can live your best life.

Derived from the Old Norse flana, to wander, Modern Flanerie is a philosophy focused on exploring life intuitively, opening yourself to new opportunities and experiences, living bravely, and taking right action after right action to reveal purpose and be your best self. 

Here, you'll find empowering content to help you do just that.

What makes me a good source of information? I've lived it. I'm lucky to report that I had a moment of lucidity a little over a decade ago. Since I had no idea what I really wanted to do with my life, I thought I'd do the next best thing... save over half of our household income to buy the freedom to figure it out. 

This year my husband and I agreed that we finally had enough, literally and figuratively. I quit my job to join the ranks of the early retired, decades before the government says I have any right to.

During my working years, I developed a personal life philosophy, tips and tricks to help cope with my near constant uncertainty. Like everyone, I struggled to make good decisions to maintain the laser focus necessary to achieve a difficult goal. But because I had solid techniques in place, I was able to stay disciplined and persevere. 

But to this day I still wonder... did I take the right path?

I started this blog as a gentle reminder to myself that there is no one "right" path. And worrying about it and second-guessing aren't helpful. What matters is that I continue to live in alignment with who I am. That's all there really is.

My goal is to share what I learned on my journey with the hope that it's helpful to those grappling with similar questions. 

Over years of self discovery, as well as coaching others, I have learned that our biggest downfall is that we don't know who we are, so we don't really know what we want. But we think we do, so we make less-than-optimal decisions. Ok, really bad decisions.

Knowing who you are and what you want is the key to good decision-making. This applies to just about any topic I have come across. Here are a few of my faves that will be included on this blog:

• Personal development - I've spent over a decade exploring my passion for self discovery, as well as helping others discover and own their personal strengths to be their best selves. I often hear that I should be a life coach. Or write a book about my life. Or start a blog.
• Financial freedom - I knew I had to make a big change to get back to who I am, with the freedom to do what I want. Saving a lot of money over a short amount of time requires knowing what you truly value. I have a unique perspective on money because I've experienced everything from the difficulties of childhood poverty to the rewards of financial independence.
• Minimalism - My personal development journey has led me to become increasingly minimalist. Or maybe minimal-ish is a better word. For me it's not about lack or stark white rooms, it's about surrounding myself only with things I truly love or really need. That requires me to be clear on who I am, what I need, and what I like to make good decisions about what to bring into my life.
• Status Quo - Gives me the shivers. Let's challenge #$%! out of how we do things, shall we? 
• Positive Content - I'm exhausted by all of the negative content in the world. I hate scary movies, depressing books, sensationalized news, vapid TV shows, and anything else that elicits icky feelings of any sort. I'm always on the hunt for inspirational and/or thought-provoking content. I can't wait to share what I find!

I'm excited to join the growing community of positive content creators who challenge the status quo. Let's take this thing we call life to the next level!

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"Who's coming with me?!?"

- Jerry Maguire

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The following series of articles will get you started. They outline the Modern Flanerie philosophy and are designed to be read in the following order: