You Are The Weak Link

Proper knot on my harness loop? – check.  Rope threaded through the belay device correctly? – check.  Autoblock set up correctly? – check.  Knots at the end of the rope just in case? – check.

Ready to step over the ledge?  Wait, let me just check everything one more time…

I was ready to step over a 200-foot cliff. We had just summitted the Grand Teton. “The Grand” as it’s called is one of the most iconic mountains in America.  It stands like a sentinel in the Teton range, a series of peaks so perfectly shaped they’re often used as the default image for “mountains” in school textbooks.

To avoid climbers still coming up on vertical and technical terrain, the descent requires a 200-foot long rappel, or abseil.  To those of us who enjoy such things it’s one of the highlights of the climb.  In reality, rappelling is one of the most dangerous parts of rock climbing, and where a disproportionate number of accidents and deaths happen. 

Why is this?

Because we as humans are the weak link.

 

The Weak Link In Your FI Plan

If you’re striving to get to financial independence, there are some certainties you can rely on.  Spending less than you earn is always good, and will keep you moving forward.  Savings add up, basic addition is real and infallible.  Compounding works, the rules of math are on your side and never fail.

If these are certainties then how come reaching financial independence isn’t a certainty? 

Because people.  The weak link is me, you, us.   

That’s right, the rules of math and compounding interest are there to be used, waiting to serve us.  They’re rock solid.

The failure happens when you throw people into the equation.  Us damn imperfect people with weaknesses, emotions, and irrational thoughts. 

How can you fail?  You might continuously blow your budget, or inflate your lifestyle. You might fall victim to overpriced gadgets, and overpriced vehicles.  You might mistake wants for needs, and succumb to peer pressure. 

There are so many ways to fail, and modern society is producing more by the second.

The tools to get to financial independence are there, and everyone is allowed to use them.  Even though most of the tools are reliable and predictable, we humans are not.  We’re the most likely to be the weak link that will cause failure.

Don’t be the weak link.

 

No Mistakes Allowed

When it’s time to rappel off a cliff, the good news for us climbers is that there are also certainties.  Climbing rope is strong enough to hold up a 3 ton truck, and it ain’t going to break.  My harness can also support thousands of pounds of weight and shock, it’s bomber.  My belay device is made of steel, it won’t fail. 

Then why is rappelling so dangerous? 

Yep, us again.

Sometimes climbers just make mistakes, even professionals.  The incident in that link happened on the same exact rappel that I began this post with.  When rappelling, some mistakes are fatal.

Staying alive in this game requires that you do not make certain key mistakes – period.  

You may be thinking, “that’s why I don’t want to be a climber, it’s dangerous”.  But if you drive a car it’s no different, there are certain mistakes you can’t make.  Like missing that curve on the interstate while you’re going 75 mph.  Or failing to stop when the 5 year old kid runs in front of your car chasing the ball.

You must be on, at all times.  You may not feel like driving is difficult, and that’s because you’ve likely been doing it for a long time.  You can even kinda zone out and drive 75 mph on the interstate and do fine, or so you say. 

Until you make that mistake.  And that’s how tens of thousands die in crashes every year.  When the crash comes, it’s highly unlikely the car will be the weak link.  You, or another person, will be.

 

The Good News

Most who seek financial independence are not rock climbers, and that’s where the good news comes in.  You can achieve financial independence while still failing sometimes.  A successful path to FI does not require 100% perfection, all the time.  A safe rappel set up does.  

You may blow your budget every so often, or be prone to periodic spending benders.  Kind of like a healthy eater who indulges in a cheat day every now and then.  Even with these lapses it’s possible to get to FI.

Perfection is not a human trait.  You are the weak link in the formula to achieve financial independence.  But a weak link can still hold the chain together.  If you’re striving for FI, this is good news. 

If you’re a climber, it’s a bit of a different story.