FI Chautauqua

Be Inspired

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Finding Inspiration at FI Chautauqua

Who inspires you? 

A friend? A family member? A public figure? A writer?  An artist? Be Inspired Post FI Life

Someone who is walking the walk and living their purpose or at least striving for living a more meaningful life? This is the type of person(s) that currently inspires me.  I am finding that to be inspired, I need to surround myself with people that are challenging themselves. 

Taking on challenges is hard, scary, unknown, which can keep us from moving forward. We can get stuck in the rut of our lives. Sometimes the rut is so deep that to climb out feels insurmountable. To be inspired by another who has walked a similar path and come out the other side is inspiring to me.

The saying, Be Inspired, is another quote from my Vision Board and my experience at FI Chautauqua really represented this inspirational week.

What is FI Chautauqua?

Villa de Leyva Chautauqua

I found my inspiration at FI Chautauqua in Colombia 2022.  

To quote the founder of this motivational event, JL Collins, author of A Simple Path to Wealth:

“FI Chautauqua is an event to have cool conversations in cool locations with cool people.”

FI Chautauqua is really much, much more than that.

Be Inspired: Cool Conversations

Jordan Grumet ChautauquaFI Chautauqua is a group of like minded FI people that really want to have deeper conversations and be inspired by others. We are all looking for a community where conversations about money, meaning and purpose are normalized. The funny thing is, most of our conversations during FI Chautauqua were not really even about money. The money piece of the financial independence journey is pretty simple math, the hard part is what do we do with our lives during our journey and after we reach FI?

Challenging myself to think and talk about what provides meaning and purpose in my life was a big part of my FI Chautauqua experience. I have some soul searching and digging to do. It seemed that there was never any time for me to think about that during my working career. The challenging and intimate conversations I had with this Chautauqua family will hopefully help provide direction for my next 3+ decades of life. 

One great tool that I plan on using is Jordan Grumet’s new book, Taking Stock, A Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life.  Jordan also hosts the Earn & Invest Podcast and was one of the speakers during FI Chautauqua. I was inspired by his heartfelt talk, probing questions and outlook on life. I have started reading his book which really dives into our purpose, identity and connections we want in life. 

I was also inspired by my conversations with the other participants attending Chautauqua. We had people from all walks of lives, careers, ages and experiences. The bonding commonality was the principles of financial independence, however we all really connected and wanted to support each other’s personal FI path and support living a life of meaning. Thank you Chautauqua family for all the Cool Conversations!

Be Inspired: Cool Locations

Millennial Revolution ChautauquaFI Chautauqua is held in exotic, cool locations, which I believe is part of the magic of the event. 2022 FI Chautauqua was held in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, which was about four hours outside of Bogota in the Andes mountains. It is a picturesque colonial village and the hotel was a sprawling, lush estate. There is something special about everyone staying at the same property where impromptu conversations can happen at any time with the other Chautauquans. 

There is also something to be said about the journey of getting to this cool location. It is somewhat like a pilgrimage and there will be long uncomfortable flights, uncertain conditions, and challenges with languages. However, we are all walking down the same path and there is comfort and bonding in that journey.

I was super excited to meet Kristy and Bryce of Millennial Revolution blog and authors of, Quit Like a Millionaire, No Gimmicks, Luck, or Trust Fund Required. Kristy and Bryce have been nomadic for years now after reaching financial independence. Part of the Chautauqua experience is we have 1-1 meetings with the speakers.  Scott and I shared a bottle of wine with Kristy and Bryce one evening and spoke about travel.  I am inspired by how they are able to travel so cheaply and efficiently. We had a wonderful conversation about not only the logistics of nomadic travel, but balancing travel with spending time with family. I think we will end up settling on a balance of both. 

I have written about shaking things up this year in my post,  Year of the Snow Globe, and travel is one of the big components for us. Changing our physical environment and experiencing new places and types of travel was important to help break us out of a rut. Challenging myself to take on some hardship during travel has been rewarding. Travel is not always an Instagram moment. Figuring out cell/SIM service in a foreign country, navigation around an unknown country, language issues, and safety concerns are just a few of things that travel tests you. More Cool Locations are on the travel list!

Be Inspired: Cool People

Rebel Finance School ChautauquaIf you want to be inspired, then hang out with 30 fellow Chautauquas. FI Chautauqua is like a melting pot of a diverse group of like minded people, living all over the world, from different races, colors, backgrounds, religions, and beliefs. This is a safe place to gather and share ideas. Truely, cool people!

Some of the coolest people and co-organizers of the event are Alan and Katie Donegan of Rebel Finance School and Alan’s Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast. Alan and Katie help facilitate and organize an event where everyone feels welcomed, safe and connected. They both deeply care about helping others live extraordinary lives. It is easy to be inspired by them. They are truly cool people and I thank & love them!

One of the main reasons why I wanted to attend FI Chautauqua was for the cool people aspect. I was challenging myself to expand my FI community and find more like minded people. FI Chautauqua delivered on that ten-fold! We have made what feels like long-lasting friendships with people from all over the world. It is amazing how one week spent with people can make such an impact. 

Call to Action & Be Inspired

Thank you JL Collins for creating a space to have cool conversations in cool locations with cool people! It was an adventure!

I have two main next action steps from my week at FI Chautauqua.

1. Work on Myself

Now I need to take some time to work on myself. My plan is to finish Jordan’s book, Taking Stock, and work through the exercises he suggests for helping to identify purpose, identity and connection. I tend to put other projects and other people first, which usually leaves little time for working on my own things. This will be a challenge for me, but well worth the time and effort. 

2. Stay Connected

I want to continue to nurture and grow the friendships I made during FI Chautauqua. We have a WhatsApp and Signal group that has been a great tool for communication. One of our fellow Chautauquans is organizing a monthly call, which should also be a fun way to stay connected. My plan is to also visit people we have met during our travels and make some of our travel decisions based around meeting up with the Chautauqua family, which includes Hungary, Barbados, Spain, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Canada and the US. Not a bad travel list!

One of my fellow Chautauquans asked me what I was excited about? I can now really say that I am excited to work on digging deeper into finding my purpose, post financial independence, and continue to be inspired by this Chautauqua family.

Mil Gracias!

Jen

Jen

I started this blog to journal about my Post FI Life and help me process my transition from working in Corporate America for almost 30 years. I am on a journey to find happiness, joy and fulfillment. And to have a little fun along the way.

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6 Responses

  2. Jen! Thank you for such a lovely review of Chautauqua. I loved having you at the event. Your warmth and energy are a joy to be around. Safe travels both metaphorically and physically! Excited to discuss what you learn over the coming months

    Reply

  3. Such a wonderful post, Jen! It was an absolute treat to meet you and Scott at Chautauqua this year. I hope you’re having an amazing time in Portugal, and I cannot wait to see you both in DC, or somewhere more exotic, soon!

    Reply

  4. Great blog post Jen! Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring experience at Chautauqua. I had such a great time at Chautauqua too. So much fun meeting wonderful like-minded people from all over the world. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful community of people.

    Reply

    1. Thanks Janelle! Appreciate it. I know how much Chautauqua was a positive event in your lives and love that we have shared this common experience.

      Reply

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