Financial independence will mean something different for each of us. What it looks like. What life would be like. Often, what is talked about are the nice to have items or experiences in life. A beach house and lots of travel. More often the response is doing what I want when I want. As if something is preventing you from doing that now, at the present moment. True financial independence is now what you have. It’s not what you do. Financial independence is about your values, how you live and if you act in accordance with who you are.
Independence is rejecting the expensive traps that are all around us. If you don’t truly need it to live or survive, don’t buy it. If it isn’t essential don’t care about it and thus, don’t care if anyone else has it. It’s not depriving yourself of this things. What it stands for, independence is not about what you have. It’s about what you detach yourself from.
A person that is satisfied with little could never be tempted, be linked to or beholden to luxury. Sure, nice things and luxury are great. The experience of it all is grand. However, none of that screams independence. What it does scream is the opposite—dependent.
When you want more and more stuff, you make yourself vulnerable. You overextend yourself when you chase these expensive trappings of high society. You’ll work your whole life for financial independence and blow it all away because you must spend it all. Chasing the next job with more money just to keep pace with your expensive lifestyle. Never satisfied. Never actually catching up. And hating your life along the way.
Frugality is not a crime. Frugality is not a terrible life. Frugality is a great steward of the resources given to you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO of a big company. In fact you don’t need to be.
You can be Ronald Read and have an $8 million net worth as a janitor. And no one would know it.
You can be Kawhi Leonard and sign a $94 million contract as a professional basketball player and still drive a 1997 Chevy Tahoe.
Values.
It’s your life. You get to decide. Financial independence does not have an image associated with it. However, it does have a way of living behind the curtain.
Thought Provoking Questions : How do you define financial independence? How does today’s blog help define it? Does today’s blog change your view or not?
Dan Roman is a Husband, Father, and writer that releases a daily blog. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions.
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