#46: This episode is a little unusual because I interviewed fellow podcast listeners live at FinCon (a conference for financial bloggers).

Why? To get to know you and understand you better.

I want to know what makes you tick, and where your interest in money comes from.

Ultimately, why you're here, listening to this podcast, when most people couldn't care less about these topics.

Why are you different?

To discover that answer, here are some of the questions I asked our panelists:

• Why did you decide to make learning about personal finance your hobby? Why do you spend hours reading blogs and listening to podcasts about money?
• What made you approach personal finance head-on, rather than burying your head in the sand, like most people do?
• Do people in your "regular" life know that you want to retire early and reach financial independence? Or do you avoid talking about this because people give you funny looks when you mention it?
• Have you all had the same experience that community - finding like-minded individuals - is important in this journey?

I hope you were able to learn and identify with your fellow listeners about why you manage your limited resources in such a conscientious way.

The chief takeaway I got from this episode was the importance of building a community, which is critical to maintaining motivation on the journey to reach financial independence.

Not only that, but you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Seek out a support system of people with similar values and goals to have your back when times get tough.
 
Resources Mentioned: 

• Nick: True Tightwad
• Melissa, "The Roamer": Traveling Wallet
• Emma: Emma Lincoln
• Gwen: Fiery Millennials
• The One Percent Challenge Facebook Group
• Everything I Know About Blogging, Condensed into One Post
• Financial Independence Subreddit
• Meetup.com

-- Paula

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