This week’s question comes from an anonymous reader:
A family member recently passed and I found out that I will be inheriting significant money. I’m in my mid-40s. The sum will probably be enough for me and my wife to stop working if we want to; however, we both enjoy our current jobs. But, I’m not going to lie, the freedom to travel and do whatever we want is also enticing. My dad retired early too (early 50’s) but seemed to mentally decline a bit when he stopped working and stayed home a lot. He didn’t have the passion for travel that we do. We have been discussing negotiating more vacation time with our employers if we stayed in our current jobs or seeing if we could cut back to just part-time. What would you recommend? I guess this is a good problem to have. We feel very blessed for the freedom and doors of opportunity in this unexpected windfall.

From Kari:
Many people see money as the primary barrier to doing or having what they want. Your question highlights some of the other obstacles.

The first of those is often just being willing to consider what you truly want to create for your life. With the financial barrier removed, your options for the vision of your ideal life may seem quite vast. 

Regardless of finances, often my clients are hesitant to get clear on what they really want. Sometimes they are concerned about what other people will think they should do, sometimes they don’t think they have permission to go for what they really want, and often they resist this process just because they fear not choosing the “right” thing.

Truly, anything you want to do could be the right thing if you believe it is. If we surveyed hundreds of people in the same financial situation at your age, we would find a wide range of responses. Some may decide to carry on as-is, some might retire early but stay close to home, some might travel nonstop, some might work part-time, and likely there would be countless other variations.

Often deciding what you want seems like you are writing it in stone, but you are not permanently committed to the path you choose at this point. You can change your mind about what you want, anytime. What you and your wife choose now may be amazing for a year, and then you may try something else. And both of those choices can be the right choice for you at the time, as long as you believe they are.

Considering this from the perspective of your future self can be a useful decision-making tool. As you reflect on your possible choices for your life, check in with a future version of you. Will you be grateful that you made this choice five years from now? 15 years? 30? Think about who you hope to be at these points in the future. If you could ask that version of you for some advice about what to choose, what would they say?

While the financial freedom you have may open more choices to you, this process of thinking about what you really want can be helpful for anyone making a life decision. What do you really to create in your life? What choice will your future self suggest you make today to help you get there?

Do you have a question for a Master Certified Life Coach? Please send your questions to kari@heykarianne.com OR submit via the “Ask Kari” page at heykarianne.com.