2019: The Year of FI + TBM (aka: The Why of This Blog)
The year was 2019. We had an Airbnb in our basement at the time, and I was probably cleaning the shower for the umpteenth time that month in preparation for our next guests’ arrival. Headphones were in, rubber gloves were on, and I was listening to the Goop (I know, I’m sorry) podcast.
Gwyneth was interviewing a woman named Lacy Phillips at some live outdoor event in California- and as I listened something fell into place in my mind- what she was saying felt right.
Lacy Phillips is the founder of an online program called To Be Magnetic. The gist of TBM is that by raising your self worth through deep inner work & healing, you can create the life you were meant to live. Part of this process is that you look for others that have done or are doing the thing that you really want to do. Lacy calls them “expanders,” and they help your subconscious brain realize that if others are doing this thing, then you can too.
The most famous example of this phenomenon is when Roger Bannister accomplished what was widely acknowledged to be impossible- run a mile in under 4 minutes in 1954. A quick google search just let me know that after Roger accomplished this feat, 17 more runners in the next 3 years did as well. In TBM lingo, they were expanded by what he was able to accomplish. If he was able to do it, why couldn’t they?
Awhile back I was looking for expanders in something incredibly specific- couples that had retired early in order to hike & slow travel around the world.
You won’t be shocked to discover that I came up with just. one. couple. that fit this description. I immediately reached out, asking if they had a blog or perhaps a YouTube channel that I could subscribe to & be expanded by.
They were lovely enough to respond (even though they were mid-hike in the Dolomites) to let me know that they did not have a dedicated space where they shared their story apart from the socials. Womp womp.
So- that’s the goal of this blog. To chronicle our journey to financial independence & #fingerscrossed, our eventual slow travel lifestyle just full of amazing long distance hikes. If any part of this life sounds intriguing to you, maybe this blog can serve as the expansion you need.
Today’s challenge: think about one thing you are trying to bring into your life. How can you seek out expanders in this thing to show your brain that it is possible for you? (If your thing is financial independence, check out the Resources page for a head start.)
Let me know in the comments what kind of expansion you are looking for- maybe someone here can help!