So how much self-made are we? Did we received any help to get where we are? Are we preaching total self-reliance while we got helped a lot? Did we get just lucky? I know most of us are proud (sometimes too proud) of our achievements and I am definitely guilty of that. To get where we are, was hard work, many decisions, many forks in the journey, sometimes we went backwards until we have corrected our direction. Can we say I did it all, I have achieved that? Or should we always acknowledge luck and help we had on the journey? I had this questions in my head so I have decided to give them some written answers.

Where you were born

Let’s start from beginning. I have been born in reasonably poor country (Eastern Europe in 1970s) but we had no war, enough food, good healthcare and good schools (if you ignore standard communist brainwashing). There was not much crime. We were lower middle class family with 2 incomes, couple holidays a year, no family violence, no drugs or too much alcohol abuse in our area.

Then while at high school I got lucky and days of building communism were over and when I was 15 my country was free. I could do whatever I wanted without involvement of government. Without fear for punishment for mine or any family member’s crimes against building bright future of our communist society. We could travel, had free media, we became an open economy.

This 1989 revolution freeing country after 40 years walking backwards was clearly great luck for me. My grandma or her brother who were longing for free country for 40 years had only last 10 years of their lives free, while their health was already frail. I remember that well and I know how the system robbed them of 40 years of their lives under oppressive communism and another 6 years under awful fascism. And I know how lucky I am to lose only first 15 years when I did not have much idea about politics and economics anyway.

Studies

My parents always wanted me to study at Uni and with a lot of hard work and bit of luck I made it. Lucky me, that all schooling was free except only few private schools and I finished Uni without any debt. I know here in Australia my 5 years Business degree would be leaving students with close to $100,000 to pay off. Then I was lucky again I had mum who could lend me about 6 months salary to go to study business in Sydney. I did pay her back.

Why I wanted to go to Sydney? Luckily two of my University roommates studied there already and said it was great. Then I got lucky in Sydney big time when I met there 3 months after landing my future wife. We immediately clicked and the rest was history (this happened in 2001!). So luckily I went that day to check my emails to the college on Manly beach. If I didn’t, large part of my life would happened completely differently.

I was always a bit of saver and my wife was always good with money so we have bought or first apartment only a year after I got permanent residency. That started us on the journey towards financial freedom. But we got bit bolder and wanted to buy couple more apartments to rent out. So we bought them and my mum encouraging us to do it also lent us part of the deposit so we don’t have to pay mortgage insurance. I still owe her some of it only because she does not need that money yet.

Career

After a stint in accounting firm with the industry’s crazy 6 minutes time-sheets, I ran away after a year and ended up at the finance position at the University. Career progress and salary was not comparable to the possibilities in the private sector. But I got lucky that I have recognized the positives like reasonable working pace and hours and mostly low stress environment. Considering difficulties we had in having children, I cannot imagine having standard finance job in bank or accounting firm and trying to deal with issues of starting a family for almost a decade.

So career and high salary did not happen, but my twin boys are running around as I am writing this. Let me ask: which one is more important?  Also while not being under permanent work stress, my mind was free and I was able to ask the questions what’s next? Luckily I have discovered FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement which was not common at all in Australia. And surprisingly is not still. There was nobody to discuss FIRE from anyone I knew that time except my wife. And by following fire concept we became financially free couple of years ago.

What help I got?

So have I done everything by myself, no luck no help? No way. I was definitely driving towards the right direction but there was some luck and helping hand along the way. Without this I would get where I am now much later or maybe even not at all! I could also as well be born under some autocratic regime in Africa in extremely poor conditions or just the communism could survive couple decades longer and my life would be totally different in clearly negative way. So luck helped me but also as Louis Pasteur said “Chance favors only the prepared mind”.