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In the original (and classic) Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann get drunk on a deserted island, and when the partying dies down a bit, Jack explains to Elizabeth what his ship, The Black Pearl, really is.

“Wherever we want to go, we go.

That's what a ship is, you know.

It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails

That's what a ship NEEDS.

What a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is . . . is freedom.”

As I write this, I'm sitting on a beach in Waikiki over Thanksgiving break 2025. You may ask yourself, “Why in the world is he working while on a beach in Waikiki?”

The answer, of course, is because that's what I want to do. There's no other explanation. This post doesn't have to be written today. It doesn't have to be written at all. It may never run on the blog. Yet I'd rather do this than anything else right now. Isn't that weird? Don't feel too bad for my kids. They're playing at the pool, or they're catching up on their sleep or their own work. We took them all scuba diving this morning (one is PADI certified; the other three did two Explore scuba dives). In a couple of hours, we've got dinner with their cousins whose father is stationed here. Maybe I'm just bored. I do get bored easily. But more likely, maybe I just love to blog. How else do you explain someone typing stupid stuff into the internet more days than not for more than 15 years?

I'm clearly a weirdo. I'm sitting here eating my lunch. It's a hot dog and a bag of microwave popcorn. I love hot dogs. I know, it's not cool to admit that. But I'll even buy a hot dog from a gas station. And I'll like it. This one is better than those, but maybe not twice as good despite costing twice as much. I like popcorn as well. I've also been known to buy that from gas stations.

Lots of rich people are weird. Sometimes the term “eccentric” is used because it's less offensive. But it means the same thing. Rich people might be weird for many reasons. A quick internet search cites the following reasons:

  • An isolated lifestyle
  • A different mindset
  • Unique habits developed from having wealth

I guess I'm rich. We're nine years out from FI now and still working. Maybe that's why I'm weird. I've written before (and explained to our staff and others many times when asked, “Are you going on another trip?”) that, “It's not a vacation, it's a lifestyle. We set up our life this way on purpose.” We can afford to travel 24/7/365. So, why don't we? Because that's not what we want. But we do travel a lot, so much so that if we want to work and travel, sometimes we have to work while we travel.

But I don't think rich people are weird because of their mindset or unique habits or isolated lifestyle. I actually think everybody is weird. Rich people can just afford to embrace their weirdness. If I want to go to Waikiki to eat hot dogs and blog, I can do so. Chances are good, though, that you do something just as weird.

What Money Is . . . Is Freedom

You see money, like a ship, is freedom. It's not dollars and cents and stocks and bonds. It's the ability to go anywhere and do anything you want. Or nothing at all. You want to take a two-hour shower this afternoon? You can do that. You can sit down, put your head between your knees while the water streams down, and have an existential crisis.  You want to order two entrees? You can do that. You want to pair your hot dog with an $800 bottle of wine? No problem.

You want to drive a McLaren? Or a Tesla? Or a 25-year-old Civic? OK. You want to give away everything you make this year? No problem. You already have enough. Embrace your weirdness. The world probably needs more of it, not less of it. So long as you're not hurting anyone else, knock yourself out.

More information here:

Your Ideal Life

How would you spend your time and your money if you had an unlimited amount of cash? It would probably look a little differently than how you spend it now. Do yourself a favor. Write down this “ideal life” of yours. Maybe it includes some work. Maybe it doesn't. Be as specific as you can. How many days per month or week you work. How many hours a day. How many patients per hour or procedures per week you wish to do. How many weeks a year of travel.

Once you've written down that ideal life, write down what your current life looks like. Now start taking small steps toward aligning the two of them. Over a few years, I bet you can get nearly 100% alignment.

It's hard to be unhappy when you're at 80%+ overlap. It's hard to get burned out at those sorts of overlaps. No matter how weird your ideal life may look, start working toward achieving it. You might be surprised how quickly it happens. As self-help author Napoleon Hill said,

“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat . . . All achievement, no matter what its nature or purpose, must begin with an intense, burning desire for something definite.”

My hypothesis is that it isn't just the rich who are weird. We're all weird. Let's see if we can help you find the time and the money to embrace your inner eccentric.

What do you think? Are rich people weird, or are we all weird? How aligned are “Your Ideal Practice of Life” and “Your Current Practice of Life”?

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