Camp FI: Florida Edition
I spent last weekend at Camp FI (financial independence) in Florida. I’ve been to other FI related meetups ranging from local BBQs in neighbors’ backyards to the Ecuador Chautauqua. These meetups are fun for many reasons:
Money nerds: Most of us who attend these functions are money nerds. It’s not unusual for a person at one of these events to tell you their net worth within 10 minutes of meeting them.
Shared interests: Board games, outdoors, physical fitness. I get more of this when I’m around these people.
Really smart people: It’s fun finding someone that enjoys discussing cell phone triangulation or the inner workings of a nuclear submarine.
Lifelong Friends: Have you ever been to a party and said something like this:
Yeah, we should meet again soon!
But deep down inside, you know it will probably never happen?
These FI events are a little different. I keep in touch with many of the people who I met at Ecuador and have visited with some of them multiple times. I already have plans to meet again with one of the Camp FI attendees.
Because we’re spread out, I won’t see many of these folks on a regular basis. However, I do know that I’ll cross paths with many of them down the road and when I do, we’ll pick up right where we left off. This makes me happy.
The Camp FI movement is spreading including an event in the Midwest this summer. If you haven’t already, give one of them a try.
Rocket
Very high on my bucket list is witnessing a rocket launch. To my extreme excitement, SpaceX was launching a rocket on the day the camp started (Friday). Although Cape Canaveral was over 100 miles away, I knew that I’d be able to see the launch because it was at night. Whoopee! And then it was canceled. Farts.
I was disappointed, but a little relieved as well because I didn’t want to be tempted to leave the group (I had considered driving to the beach to get closer). The launch was rescheduled for Monday evening and I’d be gone by then, so I’d just have to see one another time.
On Sunday, I happened to be glancing at my Twitter feed and saw that the launch had been rescheduled for 8 pm, just a couple hours away! Right before 8, a small group of us headed outside and looked South. And then it happened. We saw the rocket streak up to space. A short time later, we even got to see the first stage come down for a landing. It amazes me that someone has figured out how to bring a 150-foot tall rocket back to the ground and land it upright. This is one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of humankind and I was lucky enough to see it in person. Check that one off of the bucket list.
Personal Growth By Way Of Public Speaking
I’ve always been terrified of public speaking. And I’ve disliked myself for having this fear. Public speaking is a great skill to have in your arsenal and it annoys me that I’ve let insecurity stop me from practicing it.
Nothing great happens if you don’t stray from your circle of security, so some time ago, I decided to push myself. Mrs. Frugalwoods and I submitted a proposal for a talk at a media conference. A while later, we received notice that we weren’t chosen. I thought this:
Great! I tried! And I’m happy that I did. Now, I’m never going to volunteer to speak in public again. Phew.
A couple years later, Mrs. 1500 and I were invited to speak at Colorado State University (CSU). The thought of helping college students get their financial houses in order was deeply satisfying, so we agreed to the talk.
Our performance was good, but not great. My fear stopped me from living up to my full potential.
I’ve since realized that we’re are at our best when we let our personalities shine through. At CSU, I let my fear shut down the goofy person who I naturally am.
In the first half of 2017, my friend Stephen asked if I’d be interested in giving a talk at Camp FI. I’m not sure why, but I readily agreed. I immediately second-guessed the decision:
What would I talk about?
Would I make Stephen look like an idiot for inviting me?
Ugggh. I should just tell Stephen to uninvite me. I’m not worthy.
I wrote a draft of a talk and refined it. Then I deleted it. I wrote a second talk, only to delete that one as well. Neither of them felt right. Something was missing and it was this:
The talks didn’t reflect who I am. I was trying to be someone else.
We do our best work when it reflects our values and personality. I wrote version three with no shortage of goofy bits. I then edited it about 4,874 times and practiced it for hours and hours.
I’m A Better Person
The morning of the talk, the fear seeped in again. I started to sweat and my heart rate kicked into a higher gear. But as the hour drew closer, my fear gave way to excitement:
I wanted to see if the audience would laugh at my silly jokes.
I wanted to do a good job for Stephen.
I wanted to be up there talking to this group.
The talk wasn’t perfect and I’m not sure how it was received. However, I do know that it was better than any I’ve ever done. And after the talk, a thought popped into my head that surprised me. It was this:
I want to do this again. No, it’s more than that. I can’t wait to do this again.
I’m a different person as a result of doing the talk. I still have work to do, but I’m a little less insecure and a little more confident. I grew and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity, even if the crowd didn’t take me up on the offer for fart jokes.
Thank you, Stephen, for having me.
I’m sure the fart jokes would have been worth it. But it seems like you and the crowd both enjoyed and benefited from you having the opportunity to present.
Mike @ Balanced Dividends recently posted…Balanced Dividends Passive Income Analysis: 2016 vs. 2017
oooh, the midwest one is actually pretty close to chicago!
Roadtrip! It’s almost sold out though, so act quick.
But it looks like the payload of the rocket might be missing now?!?
http://time.com/5096628/spacex-zuma-northrup-grumman/
It was so good to see you guys – and like Scott said, it was the best presentation ever! =)
Mrs PoP recently posted…PoP 2017 Spending Summary
Yeah, it sounds like the payload may have failed to separate from the second stage. Oops!
Confess, you took the payload as a souvenir! Elon will hunt you down
Congrats on your talk! It’s always best to be who you are – let that shine through… there’s room enough in the world for different personality types and YOUR way of presenting a message will go ‘click’ in someone’s head in a way that a different delivery system won’t.
I’d rather have the payload from the Falcon Heavy! Do you think I can catch a Tesla with a very large net?
Thanks for the kind words regarding the talk, If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s just to be myself and stop worrying what others may think.
Exciting update! Camp FI, a rocket, public speaking. I’d have turned this into 3 posts! Congrats on achieving your goal of seeing a rocket launch. It’s really amazing how they can recover one of those things. I’m hoping there will be a camp FI or similar in my neck of the woods (NJ) one day, it sounds like fun. I’d love to get better at public speaking also. First I’m trying to figure out how to write…says the blog writer.
What?! Your talk was my absolute favorite and definitely got the most laughs because you let your freak flag fly. I had no idea you were nervous but that sure would have helped me come round table time! I asked for a puke bucket to be next to me! 🙂
Besides your talk, the rocket launch was one of my favorite things to see. I haven’t jumped up and down screaming like a kid in a very long time and it was awesome that we all got to experience that together. Thanks for getting us out there to witness such an incredible event…regardless of the turn out (I still need to google wtf a payload is).
I hope to see you both soon!
Thanks for the kind comments about the talk. I used to get so nervous before these things that I’d start shaking. I didn’t do that this time, but I’m still not super comfortable with it either.
You did great at the roundtable! Had you not told me you were nervous before, I would have never known.
And holy crap, the rocket launch! I’m embarrassed to say this, but seeing that almost brought me to tears. Amazing.
Hearing the talk was even better than watching the rocket launch with you and the gang – You did great and were both hilarious. So glad to count you as a friend in addition to being my second favorite blogger (MMM better watch out!).
Marla, I’m happy to count you as a friend as well! And thank you for the kind comment about the talk!
Great job with the public speaking. You got out of your comfort zone and now that zone is a little bit bigger than it used to be. That is real personal growth.
I’ve become a much better speaker over the years, but it can still be a challenge to gauge how much of my true personality to let shine through. Really depends on the audience.
Brian @ The Graying Saver recently posted…December 2017 Expense Report
Man, you were way faster at making a post about the weekend than I was. I’ve still only got a rough outline…
“Because we’re spread out, I won’t see many of these folks on a regular basis. However, I do know that I’ll cross paths with many of them down the road and when I do, we’ll pick up right where we left off. This makes me happy.” That’s really my hope as well. I met so many great people and am really looking forward to reconnecting with everyone at various events and trips in the future. Hit us up if you’re ever in the DC area!
I can’t believe I somehow missed both the rocket launch and pull-up contest. Whoops! Looks like a good excuse to go back next year, though. Although, I better start training now if I’m going to beat 24 freaking pullups…
Also, I’ll second Miss Mazuma, your talk was great. I remember thinking when the youtube clips were being problematic that I would be freaking out but you and Mrs. 1500 seemed so chill and relaxed. Maybe you just cover up the nervousness well? I was freaked out at just the idea of Jonathan calling on me during the round table, I don’t know how all you guys handled the pre-scheduled talks!
Thanks for the kind words on the talk! And I was totally freaking out. Apparently, I’m just good at hiding it!
24 pullups?!? Who managed to put up that number and did anyone get a video?
I thought I stood a chance for week 2, but I’ve never done that many at once.,, Maybe the adrenaline will kick in for an extra 10 when it really counts lol
Noah @ Money Metagame recently posted…Gap Year Planning: Preparing for the Final Paycheck
Dunno! That is a crazy amount thought!
Noah. I do have it on video. Not sure if you’ve heard, but there is Chuck Norris, Tim Tebow, The World’s Most Interesting Man….and now Cody.
GO CARL! I was asked last minute to step in for a speaker so wish me luck on coming up with a topic…..
Speaking of Mrs. Frugalwoods, I hear we’re doing a barn raising with them later? See you and the dinos there 😀
We could tag-team a talk on leaving good jobs to pursue what you really want in life 😉
Noah @ Money Metagame recently posted…Gap Year Planning: Preparing for the Final Paycheck
Haha, let’s do it!
How about a surprise return visit for week two in Gainesville for those attending this upcoming weekend? Cuz Florida in January… when it actually should be nicer than last weekend! Hopefully we’ll catch you at another event!
Public speaking gets to a lot of people. I use to have to do it routinely, not so much to give a speech, but as a project manager, to facilitate different planning sessions, run control meetings, etc. I was always fearful of messing up, saying “Um” all the time, being boring, not maintaining everyone’s attention and the list goes on and on. One day, someone said, “you are really good at what you do and how you can control the room”. I have since heard this from my staff and many others, but I still think I stink at it. I realized I was my harshest critic and if I could just get out of my head and be in the moment it was so much better (in my mind).
Glad to hear you took a forward step.
FIbythecommonguy recently posted…December 2017: Net Worth Update #9
That’s cool you got the chance to see the rocket launch. About public speaking, great try. I admire the people who do so well and naturally when speaking publicly. Sometimes I daydream about becoming a stand-up comedian. That would be fun.
I foresee great future speaking opportunities for you, Mr. 1500 (he said cryptically)
🙂
jlcollinsnh recently posted…The Bond Experiment: Return to VBTLX
Insert big huge smiley face here!
Gah, I keep missing these these in my own back yard. I missed camp mustache in my city last year – didn’t even know it was here…where was this one?
This one was in Florida.
You give me inspiration Carl. I have always hated public speaking and pretty much failed the course that I was a forced to take in college. But for some reason as I get older I want to improve that skill and get over the fear of speaking to a large group. Fingers crossed that I can accomplish that goal!
Mrs.Wow recently posted…The Very Best & Worst Mentor Ever
Let’s do a talk or panel at FinCon! It will be easier if we’re all in it together!
The old me would have run an hid as far away from this as possible… but the new me says “Go big or go home!” It won’t be pretty on my part, but I’m game.
Mrs.Wow recently posted…The Very Best & Worst Mentor Ever
I say we do it! I think you’d do wonderful and if we give a talk, we get free tickets! Let’s brainstorm when you’re in town!
Hey, Mr. 1500. I know of what you speak. When I’m all alone, I’m freakin’ John Wayne. When I have to speak in front of others, though, I’m Pee-Wee Herman. I mean that literally. I either piss my pants or do something really embarrassing. Anyway, I’m glad you’re making progress on your ultimate fear. Perhaps one day I’ll be strong enough to conquer my fear of public speaking as well. Cheers.
Dude, you’re hilarious! Now that you let this scaredy cat out of the bag, you have to work on overcoming it. I’m signing us up for a talk at FinCon 2018. Ready!
I have yet to be to one of these meet ups, but I’m hoping to this year! They sound like a fabulous place to actually meet all these awesome people in person. I’m loving the local ChooseFI that have sprouted up lately because it means I should get to go sooner than later 🙂
Do it! Heck, we may have a meetup in Portland OR at the end of March. From your blog, you may be in the PNW. If so, come on down!
I need to talk to your friend about nuclear submarines. Us bubbleheads/FIers need to stick together.
Never heard the term “bubblehead” before! Now I know what I’m calling you from now on!
Great sum up! I’m going to CampFi Midwest. Can’t wait!
I’m going too! See you there!
Sounds like you did a great job Carl! Congrats! I’m sure you’ll be speaking at these things all the time now! 😉
Mr. Tako recently posted…My Frugal Fail Of 2017
Sound like fun, but I will probably have to wait for one closer to home in Minnesota. Unless there is one in Colorado this summer. I will be going hiking in Colorado at least twice this summer. More 14nrs. to conquer you know!
Minnesota! BOOM! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/campfi-midwest-aug-24-27-2018-tickets-41456214654
I might not be at the Camp FI, I actually felt as if I was there too. Thanks for our blogging community which seem to keep us more closely than ever. I hope I will be able to sit together with you guys over there one of these days. My regards
Myfinancekits recently posted…How Credit Score Affects Your Mortgage Interest Rate
This sounds so awesome!! I hope to attend one of these camps in the future 🙂 I’m not from the US, so it might be a bit more difficult, but hey: nothing’s impossible 😀
Good job on the public speaking. It will only get easier now. Or so they say.
One day I’ll make the trip over from Australia to one of these events.
Where can I find information regarding Camp FI and future dates? Is Camp FI the same as Camp Mustache?
The next one is in Minnesota in August: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/campfi-midwest-aug-24-27-2018-tickets-41456214654
Yes, Camp FI is Camp Mustache rebranded. They need a single, dedicated site for communication. In the meantime, the best way I can think of to become aware of upcoming events is the Choose FI facebook group: https://www.choosefi.com/facebook-group/