“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.”
— Epictetus
Invest In Freedom
My definition of freedom is to have the power to choose what I want to do, where I want to live, and whom I want to spend my time with.
By investing in freedom now, I can clearly identify my financial needs and wants.
Valuing experience over things, I choose to cut my overhead cost by moving into a small living space. This decreased my monthly expenses which resulted in having more money for my travels, hobbies, and personal growth.
Because most of my time isn’t spent in the house, I would rather use the money I save towards more important things.
When choosing to buy things, I want to focus on purchasing those that truly add value to my life. These are items that help me in creating lasting memories and unforgettable experiences.
Examples include the backpack I use for backpacking trips and the rock climbing shoes I use to rock climb in the gym and out in nature.
After removing all the clutter, I can focus on having more meaning in my life.
By not accumulating expensive and fancy things, I’m not shackled by the extra financial burden. Going against society’s recipe for success, I don’t want a big house with a white picket fence, a fancy car, or the latest fashion clothes.
What I truly value is having more time to do things that are meaningful and fulfilling.
By not going into debt by making big purchases such as a house, I don’t enslave myself to a job and make money to pay off my expenses.
That’s because my time is invaluable to me.
I feel empowered when I can choose to do that one thing despite having trillions of possible options.
Money serves as fuel and support in my life, but never the North Star of my life. Therefore, I would rather work for ten hours a week and make $60,000/yr than work fifty hours a week and make $300,000/yr.
That’s because my time is worth more than any amount of money can ever buy.
And in terms of self-worth, I’m priceless. And it starts with understanding myself and knowing what I value.
And what I truly care about is freedom – the power to choose how I can create my dream lifestyle. After defining my freedom with specificity, I can start living with only the essentials.
By wanting less, I can have more money and time to make conscious choices aligned with my core values.
They include my contribution to helping others, important relationships such as family and close friends, and hobbies such as backpacking and traveling.
This is only possible when I don’t let money control me by freeing myself from financial prison and not living outside of my means.
Freedom is a simple choice I can invest in now.
Freedom Cannot Wait
Having more freedom simply means having more time to do the things you truly want to do.
We all have 24 hours in a day. What we do most during that time is due to obligations.
You must realize time isn’t something that you can buy back. That’s because once you use it, it’s gone forever.
Therefore, make certain how you spend your time is worthwhile.
For example, if you want to travel more, prioritize it in your life.
Stop constraining yourself by purchasing superficial expensive things (houses, cars, etc.) so you don’t have to work all the time to pay off your expenses.
Instead, first discover your deepest wants, desires, and values. Then invest money and effort in those activities to create lasting and unforgettable memories.
Make more time for what’s most important to you so you can start living a more intentional life.
Ways to Create More Freedom
By focusing on the essentials, you get rid of things that aren’t absolutely critical for your basic needs.
Start by reducing luxurious costs such as living in a bigger house than you truly need or trading a car that’s less expensive for maintenance.
To put it bluntly, don’t live outside of your means so you can have more money for intentional living.
Learn to cut your monthly cost so you can work fewer hours and have more time to explore new hobbies and do more meaningful activities.
Even if you get a raise at work or an increased income in your business, don’t increase your expenses.
Have the discipline to maintain the same cost so you have more disposable income.
This can translate to having to work less in the upcoming months so you can have more time to follow your curiosity to explore and travel.
By focusing on the important things first, you can start living a more conscious life.
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with purchasing things. However, it can become a problem when you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
- What is your purpose for buying that thing?
- Does it truly add value to your life by allowing you to achieve your goals, become a better man, or bring you joy?
- Or are you simply purchasing it to make you ephemerally feel happy or validated by other people?
True happiness can’t be bought because it must come from within.
If you’re not satisfied with who you are and what you have now, then you will always want something to make you feel validated.
It’s an endless cycle and you’ll never be truly content.
The solution is to make peace and be grateful for all that you are and have.
Closing Thoughts
Freedom starts with making conscious choices. By focusing on your highest priorities, you can start living an intentional life.
Oftentimes, you can get lost and distracted by the constant “noise” that is your environment. During those times, you can ask yourself these difficult questions:
- “Why am I working so hard for?”
- “How can I create more time in my life?”
- “Is my lifestyle creating more or less freedom?”
True freedom is being able to choose what you want to do, where you want to live, and whom you want to spend your time with.
Stop shackling yourself with unnecessary financial burdens that prevent you from having more time to live your deepest truth.
Start eliminating the clutter you don’t need so you can live with more clarity. Focus on the important things that truly add value so you can have more time and resources to live a meaningful life.
I am on a mission to help 1,000,000 people, but I can’t do that without your help. Please share this article with anyone who you may think will find it valuable and helpful. Thank you very much! I greatly appreciate it!
Do you want to live purposefully and become the most powerful version of yourself? If so, start with your free gift down below.
