I have to credit some Mormon and Hippie Life Lessons that shaped me to become financially independent, retire early, and be the Leisure Freak I am. You might be thinking that those must be some pretty extremely polar life lessons. A super conservative rule-laden religion and the most liberal freedom seeking lifestyle movement of the 60s and early 70s. Well you would be right. But somehow it’s when things ring true and challenge what you thought where your truths you begin to see your world differently.

First some background.

I was born into a semi-active Mormon family. I attended services regularly through age 16 and then sporadically until age 18. I completed 4 years of Mormon seminary 9^th grade through 12^th so I know a bit more about Mormonism than the average non-Mormon Joe. Even though I have been what other Mormons call an inactive-member or Jack-Mormon since then. This post isn’t about that.

This post is about how the teachings and experience impacted me to become what I am today. I am sure many people have had similar influence in their lives from various past and current religious experiences that form their current self.

As for the hippie life lessons. Let me start by saying I never became a hippie. Although I rolled with some right-on groovy long hair. Again, this is about experiences that influence us.

I was too young to experience or really understand the hippie movement in its mid to late 1960s heyday. I did see some of that. We lived in the Bay area of California then. My dad promised his sister, my aunt, that he would look in on my cousin who was an ex-Southern California surfer turned hippie. He definitely was part of the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury scene. My dad would bring him and sometimes a friend of his to our home on Friday evenings after my dad got off work. That way my cousin and friend could get their clothes washed, bathe, have a decent meal and get a good night’s sleep. I was only about 10 or 11 years old during those days.

My Formative Teen Years is when Life Lessons take hold

My hippie life lessons occurred many years later in the summer of 1974 when I was 16. The hippie movement was all but dying out. I was living in Salt Lake City then. During the summer my friend and I would ride our 10 speeds into the city. Just seeking adventure and something to do. One day we came across a hippie group at one of the city’s major parks where they invited us to join in some spirited Frisbee tossing.

This led to us hanging with them for a two-week period until they moved on. They were crashing nearby at the home of someone’s relative. This little band of hippies had 4 young men and 3 young women who were traveling through enjoying our city’s scene for little while.

Although society and my religious upbringing warned of depraved and drug crazed hippies. My previous experience with my cousin and his buddies left me not only tolerant but open to their hospitality. It turned into a short summer friendship where we had many fascinating conversations about their group’s lifestyle and philosophy.

I learned a lot and some of it resonated within me. It wasn’t all drugs and sex as we had been warned about. They were very philosophical and passionate about their freedom-lifestyle.

Mormon and Hippie Life Lessons that Influenced Me

These Mormon and Hippie Life Lessons influenced me so that I would become financially independent:

Money –

Most Christians know about how Jesus felt about money and wealth and where he said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. He was destroying the notion that those with all the money somehow are especially blessed by God as somehow more worthy. Money shouldn’t be what we worship and put before all other things.

These hippies had the view that money had its uses. Its use to pay for what you need like shelter, food, and other basic necessities. They didn’t worry about getting more money than needed. Money corrupts, just look at the rich who run the country and those that try to dictate everything. They were the ultimate threshold earners and earning lots of money toiling at work, especially something they really didn’t want to do was nowhere in their mindset.

What I got was perspective. Money is not what is most important, freedom is and that later evolved to freedom through financial independence. However, I knew when enough is enough instead of continuing in a career that I was no longer passionate about just adding more and more money to my savings. I had just enough to be free, so then go and be free. It’s a need vs. greed mindset.

Be Prepared and Self Sufficient–

As a Mormon it is drilled into your head. Everyone has probably heard of the Mormon 1 year supply of food and water for any future catastrophe. They are the original doomsday preppers and being prepared and self-sufficient is a mainstay. They sponsor the Boy Scouts and I participated in that too.

The hippies, not so much. They were all about living in the moment, trying to challenge and change society for a better world. They didn’t change the world like they intended but they did change me and some others a bit.

What the lessons did was give me balance. It is one thing to save and prepare for tomorrow and beyond but try to not lose sight of what is happening now, enjoy you’re moments. Living a balanced life is a life well lived.

Anti-Consumerism –

It was preached over and over at church, everything in moderation and it applied to all types of consumption. I did take it to heart.

The hippies were the original re-purpose, make it yourself and recyclers. Travel light and don’t want more than you need. They didn’t buy and keep a lot of stuff. What they had they shared. To them the world had been corrupt by over-consumerism. Frugality as a way of life.

For me it became a habit not blowing money buying stupid things. I have a few toys now associated to my hobbies but we never fell for the latest and greatest sparkly-doodad that came along. I learned that sometimes less truly is more.

Conclusion.

There were a lot of things that I learned in my early formative years but the above Mormon and Hippie Life Lessons are just a couple of simple lessons I wanted to express as influences in my financial mindset.

When I look back at my life I think that I had a lot of unique experiences because I was always open to new ideas and my soul has always believed that when it comes to life, it is an adventure so live it that way.

As one of the baristas at my favorite coffee shop always jokingly says as I leave, “Drive Fast and Take Chances”.

How about you. Can you identify what your earliest influences were for you that has set you on the path of financial independence, a passion-driven life and freedom?