The Grand Introduction

Hello Feet on FIRE enthusiasts,

Todd here. I know, I know. You probably didn't realize you were joining a bunch of enthusiasts right? Well, as cool as I think I am, currently the enthusiasts is a party of one (two if you count my wife who I bribed with chocolate). Although Feet on FIRE has a small following (as of 9:03 pm, 8/28/2019), the concept of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) does not. According to the almighty Wikipedia, "The main ideas behind the FIRE movement originate in the 1992 best-selling book Your Money or Your Life written by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, as well as the 2010 book Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fisker."  In full disclosure, my family and I are just starting on the FIRE path and I'm only partway through Vicki Robin's book and have not looked into Early Retirement Extreme's website or book (but I'm sure it's fantastic!).  The main reason I wanted to start this blog is precisely because we are just starting on the path to FIRE. You'll get to see our successes and failures, our crazy ideas that don't pan out and the crazy ones that do. I'm 100% positive most if not all of the successful ideas will come from my wife. You're reading from the guy that thought I could start a thriving shoe polish business in my small Idaho town of less than 5000 people, but I digress.

First off, I want you to know that FIRE is awesome and for me, it seems like I've found something I always knew but couldn't put into clear, actionable principles. My wife and I have always considered ourselves fairly frugal but after almost 10 years of marriage, three kiddos, and medical school, we don't have a whole lot to show for it. The reason? Well, besides kids and school, we always "saved" money but we didn't have a clear goal for it so it ended up disappearing eventually. That being said, I'm not into the "sky is falling" mentality so that isn't a woe is me statement. It's just fact and I'm grateful to have new knowledge and tools I can now use to better my life and the life of my family.

Second, my hope with this blog is that while it's main focus is FIRE, it can grow into something more. I love to learn and try to apply what I learn so this blog will also be me writing about things I've learned in books, listening to podcasts, etc. Then, you'll get to hear about me being a real life guinea pig as I try to apply new knowledge. I can't promise it will always be educational but it will be entertaining!

Last of all, a very brief introduction about me. I am a foot doctor (podiatrist) by profession and am currently still in training as a resident physician for about the next three years. This is why my author name for my posts will be Dr. Pod and also why I named my blog Feet on FIRE. I have been married to my gorgeous wife for almost 10 years and as I mentioned earlier, we have three little rugrats, 2 girls and a boy. It's my hope as we go through this journey together that we can learn from each other and that I can put your "Feet to the FIRE" not only about finances but about all areas where I think personal growth is not only necessary but critical to becoming our best selves.  Thanks for reading and remember, "The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step".

Dr. Pod