Working for Freedom

If we have to work, and most of us still do, it is what it is. It's just a normal part of life. Until we have enough money in the bank to sustain ourselves and go it alone, we have to do what we have to do.

But, as I have talked about many times here and in other places, working for just a paycheck is not an ideal way to go.

If you do that, you're living to work and pay bills, and that's pretty much it. And I will be honest with you, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with an honest day's work, living to simply work doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.

Even if you necessarily enjoy your job.

I know, I know. "This is where you start talking about being frugal and saving money," you will say. "I don't make enough money to do that." I have heard it a million times if I have heard it once.

I have also said "hogwash" to that at least a million times.

The fact is, that I know that money is never about how much money anyone makes. It has everything to do with what that person does with it. Money in and of itself is not ever the issue.

Mentality and habits are the issue. And more importantly, spending.

Live below your means is a long-time running piece of advice. It is a simple concept, really. Don't adjust your money to your life. Adjust your life to your money. And yes, make a few sacrifices early on. It stinks sometimes to do it. But it also has a major payoff if you do it right and are consistent about living below your means.

Hell, I have money now. And I still don't blow the farm. It's just something I can't bring myself to do even if I can.

At the same time, even if I am still living below my means now, my means are much greater than they were before by being frugal, saving and investing. For all intents and purposes, the life I can afford now, even frugally, is better than it was before, and better than it would have been had I not lived below my means before.

I still work for a paycheck. But it is no longer a simple means to an end. It has a greater purpose now. I am able to make money from money I already made. And that adds to my bottom line—the paycheck really just becomes gravy and allows me to put away even more money.

I am now no longer working simply for a paycheck. I am working for a future of freedom and flexibility—and eventually I am not going to need the paycheck at all.

That should really be the goal of everyone. Do your time. You have to. We need people to do their time because it is the only way the world keeps spinning. We need someone to make the stuff we want and need, and tend the hotels, and fix our cars.

We need that.

But once you have done your time, you have the option to start really living and enjoying life. You can reach a point when your money is your primary source of income through investment vehicles that pay dividends and interest or provide for premiums you can collect through selling covered call options contracts.

There is no greater feeling in the world than still making a good amount of money that comes from simply having it. Not having to punch a time clock and face the daily grind of work to get it.

Yes. It takes time. It takes a lot of it, in fact. Success and financial freedom is not something that necessarily happens overnight. It also requires a lot of learning and know-how, and I think that is an important thing to touch on here.

When it comes to saving and investing you really have to know what you are doing otherwise it is not going to work. Without knowledge it is more likely you will be working to save only to lose your money in the end.

You can't just tack a bunch of stocks onto a dartboard and start throwing. You have to know what a good company is vs. a bad one. You have to know why they are a good pick and what makes them go.

Same goes for cryptocurrency if that's your thing. Or gold. Or silver. Or diamonds. Even bonds.

You need to know what you are doing.

But just like it is important to adjust your life to your money, it is important to do all you can to get the information you need to succeed. And it's out there. Loads of it. From books to online articles to YouTube videos. It's all out there. And it is worth taking the time to learn.

Because even when you get there, to that finish line, you have to know how to keep the ball rolling and keep the money coming. Otherwise, you'll just wind up back at work again.

You know, it is worth noting. How many times do you see an older person at Walmart or some other place? Working. If you ask them why they are there, many of them will tell you, "Well, I retired and then realized I didn't have enough, so I had to go back to work."

That could happen to anyone whether they retire at 45 or 65. So, knowing what you are doing and having a good and solid plan is essential.

The idea is, of course, not to run out of money.

I do it because I am still young enough to have some fun and be able to do things. And that's when I want to be able to do it. When I can. Because if I wait too long, I may be stuck with plenty of money but not the physical health or stamina to enjoy any of it.

Like I said, there is nothing wrong with working. It's as noble as noble things go. But I just don't see the point, considering how short life is, of having to do it until I can't. And I certainly don't see the point of doing it if all I am doing is getting by, and spending more money than I am making, and just spending all my time catching up and maintaining.

I don't want to just sit at work dreaming about all the places I could go, about all the things I'd like to do, and maybe having some of the things I want. I want to actually go to these places and do some of these things and enjoy some of those things I want.

But in order to do that I have to be actively engaged in making the dreamtime a reality. Doing things that pro-actively contribute to actually achieving these things. And doing these things because I can actually afford them.

As opposed to setting myself back, borrowing to do them.

I will be honest with you. Money is fun. It's a lot of fun. But it is not fun if it controls you and dictates your life. It is not fun if money decides for you what you can do and when you can do it. It is not fun if money robs you of your time for yourself, and your wants and needs and desires. It is not fun if you are only contributing to someone else getting something while all you do is work to pay bills and survive.

It is tough at first. Being frugal, saving and investing. It is tough learning through the process. It is tough making those initial sacrifices until you no longer have to. It's really tough.

But you have to do it. You have to suffer it out if you really want to get to that "neat place" where life is what you choose it to be.

And you will thank yourself if that's the path you choose, when you get there. On that final day at work, when you can see that your savings and investments have replaced the need for that paycheck—you will thank yourself.

And that, my friends, is when real life begins.

Lead image by Porwest. Our Keystone Passport Elite camper.