June FIRE Metrics That Matter
I had my annual physical yesterday.
The doctor says my biological age is much lower than my chronological age.
And I didn’t even have to pay her much to say that.
Ba-da boom… psshhh! (Drums.)
Seriously, though, Later that evening my blood work came back, and a couple of items were flagged as Abnormal.
No, they weren’t referring to the brain donor from Young Frankenstein.
“It said Abby something…”
“Abby Normal?”
One result reflects my high-protein diet (too many protein bars). Another is something I’ll discuss with my doctor, but she believes I’m in excellent health overall.
Still, it reminded me of something important.
Health is everything.
It only takes one phone call or one lab result to remind us how precious this life really is.
With that in mind…
Here’s how June 2026 unfolded as I continue building my version of a radically designed lifestyle on the Highway to Yeah.
Health & Fitness
(The “Bicycling Class” Equivalent)
June was an excellent month.
I reached my target weight on June 19 and stayed there through the end of the month.
My average weight was down 5.5 pounds from May.
Muscle mass increased 1.3%, exactly what I wanted.
Calories dropped by more than 400 per day on average.
Protein intake increased dramatically, which explains the blood work. I’ve discovered I’m replacing sweets with protein bars. Better than candy, perhaps, but still feeding the same habit. Once my Costco stash is gone, those bars probably are too.
I’m still averaging 3-4 strength workouts each week, and my doctor believes my shoulder issue is a rotator cuff injury with a good recovery outlook.
The biggest success, however, was my current One Hit Wonder.
My goal is averaging 15,000 steps per day.
June came in at 17,455 steps per day.
Those long walking days after returning to the Pacific Northwest created a cushion that carried me through travel days and conference days.
I finished June with roughly five days’ worth of extra steps “banked.”
Nice!
Simplicity
(Dorm Living Ease)
Returning to the Pacific Northwest has reminded me how much I enjoy being here.
It’s also made me question whether I really need an apartment in another city—or whether what I actually need is a better rhythm between the two places.
I’m not ready to answer that yet.
The bigger difference this summer is that I’m simply getting out of the house more often.
The IASD conference, road trips, and open mics have all reminded me how important that is.
Other wins this month:
Decluttered my June photos and videos.
Continued completing my One Hit Wonders early each morning so the rest of the day feels more open.
Stayed away from sweets almost entirely.
Limited myself to two drinks whenever I chose to have an adult beverage.
Continued discovering that simplifying my health habits also Grows my T.E.A.M.—my Time, Energy, Attention, and Money.
Walking first thing in the morning has been Good, too. Fifteen thousand steps feels easy when most of them are finished before lunch.
Eat the frog first.
Creative Expression
(The “Annual Musical” Production)
Creative expression continues building momentum.
I played open mics in four different cities during June.
I’m continuing to rehearse my core group of roughly thirty-five songs.
Audiences have been encouraging, and I’m meeting interesting people everywhere I go.
I’ve started leaving a few The Leavers postcards at each venue, and we’ve picked up a couple of new newsletter subscribers.
Some people play golf.
I’m perfectly happy spending an evening in a pub playing songs.
Learning
(Dr. Bob’s “Living the Good Life” Course)
June exceeded my expectations.
Attending the IASD Annual Conference in Ashland inspired far more than I imagined.
I met at least ten people I expect to remain connected with between conferences, and I genuinely feel like I’ve found a tribe.
The conference has already inspired numerous blog posts and several new directions for my own thinking.
Next year’s conference will be in Atlanta.
I’ll be there.
Adventure
(Exploration & Connection)
Adventure showed up in several forms this month.
During my first eleven days back in the Pacific Northwest, I averaged nearly 30,000 steps per day.
The biggest lesson?
If I ever decide to do a long-distance walking journey…
…I probably can.
I also discovered Bellingham makes an excellent open mic destination. I found a great place to stay, explored several new pubs, and realized I could easily spend a week there performing several nights.
One unexpected highlight was having my daughter and her boyfriend attend my performance.
Since they both play instruments, perhaps they’ll catch the bug themselves.
We’ll see.
Vocation
(A “Professor” on the Highway to Yeah)
Writing This Blog continues to be one of my major One Hit Wonders.
Since March 17, I have published one blog article every single day.
No misses.
Even more encouraging…
I’m nowhere close to running out of ideas.
Writing these daily posts has become one of the most enjoyable parts of my day.
Time Freedom
(The Financial Side of FIRE)
Cash flow improved modestly during June and remains on pace to finish the year well.
Liquid net worth declined another 0.9%, leaving me down 3.2% for the year.
Ouch.
Still, my spending analysis reminded me of something encouraging.
My core lifestyle only requires about 1.6% of my portfolio each year.
Even after adding my “dream spending,” I’m still only around 2.3%.
The higher withdrawal rate since reaching FIRE has largely reflected spending aligned with my values—especially gifts and helping my kids.
I’m completely comfortable with that.
June finished with my annualized withdrawal rate holding steady around 4.3%, comfortably below my overall 5% target.
Sometime this month I’ll decide whether to redeploy some cash into investments.
Maybe.
We’ll see.
Final Thoughts
June disappeared in a blur.
Travel. Dreams. Open mics. Walking.
Writing.
Yesterday I tried an interesting experiment.
After completing my five One Hit Wonders (that’s right, i have Implemented the fifth and will discuss it in an article later this week), I spent the remainder of the day writing blog posts.
I finished four drafts.
Not because I wanted a backlog.
Simply because I wondered whether writing articles might resemble my songwriting process.
It does.
Just as I can occasionally write and record four scratch demos in a day, I discovered I can also batch my writing into focused creative sprints.
That’s useful to know.
One of the reasons I share these monthly updates isn’t simply to report numbers.
It’s to pay attention.
Every month teaches me something about how I actually live—not how I imagine I live.
That, to me, is one of the greatest gifts FIRE has given me.
The freedom to observe.
The freedom to adjust.
The freedom to keep designing a life that feels increasingly aligned with my values.
Summer is far from over.
There are still three…
…maybe four?…
…beautiful months ahead.
I hope you find a few moments to get outside and enjoy them.
They feel Good. Real Good.