Trading Time or Buying Freedom

Money saved and invested properly will buy you options, choices, and experiences.

If you think of Money saved = Retirement only, you will miss out on life.

Brilliant, early retirement can be your goal, but once achieved, or even way before that, money can also open up other options and choices for you.

I often cringe when people dismiss the idea of early retirement as being lazy. People might say, Oh! I would be bored if I retired early.

This couldn’t be further from the truth if you are creative and want to pursue self-discovery and other passions or other doors in life. You see, there are many things to explore, learn, and experiment with, beyond just our day jobs.

Time is the real goal

Do yourself a favour, don’t focus on money as a goal, but look at it for what it is  a means to an end, a tool like a hammer to do some carpentry work, except money is way more powerful than a hammer.

Remember, time should be your goal: your time, my time, time to discover something meaningful in life, something to live for, perhaps.

If you and I are tied to our jobs for decades, this discovery is almost impossible. Creativity and exploration of certain talents and gifts in your innermost require time to explore. It’s like wanting to dig and find hidden gems like diamonds; one needs time, tools, and attention to do the work.

Money invested for financial freedom can afford you this time.

Please don’t subscribe to the written norm, mostly it goes like this: be grateful you have a job and you can pay bills!

Really, is that all to life being able to pay bills? I reject this narrative with everything in me. Paying bills is not the goal of life. Come on! there is so much more to life than working only for consumption.

Loving your job is not enough

Note, this is different for everyone. The easy narrative is this: I love my job, so no need to pursue financial freedom. Listen, loving your job is good, but not enough.

Hang on, you are allowed to love your job, after all, some people do. But don’t use this as an excuse to live a subpar life. Also, keep in mind that things might change. You might love your job today, and your job might not love you back tomorrow. Actually, I mean, your boss might fire you or your job might change, such as with a new boss or a change in responsibilities.

Life is more than just our jobs, my friends. Do the work and find out your why, beyond your day job.

It’s often easy to hide in our day jobs and claim this is our purpose for the rest of our existence. This is actually lazier than pursuing financial independence to discover other interesting things.

Let’s indulge the “I love my job” script. Here is the written norm we have been sold for decades.

• Work hard at school.
• Get good grades.
• Study hard, get a job with a high salary.
• Spend most of your money on consumption today.
• Buy expensive goodies along the way since you only live once and you work hard.
• Good investment idea, buy a massive house bigger than you require. The house must be in a nice neighbourhood, almost a mansion, and you will be happy, and this is your biggest investment.
• Here is the house bond deal to afford your mansion: it takes you 30 years to pay your mansion outright, by the way.
• Oh, don’t forget, if you default on the house payment, the bank will take it back. Okay, I thought it was your house. or does the house belong to the bank now? I’m a little confused 🤔.
• Yes, don’t forget about a fancy luxury car to impress other people. Don’t worry if you can’t afford this car; get a balloon payment, and it will be easy.
• It’s like magic you can purchase any car you want, apparently, and trade it in every few years.
• Oh yes, at last, after consuming most of your salary on everyday goodies and paying off debt, then save for your retirement, save 10 to 15 per cent every month. Side note: At this savings rate, it will take you at least 40 years to reach financial independence.
• And now work for 40 years to fund your current lifestyle and finally retire when you are 65, even 70 is okay since people are living longer these days. Now that you have made it, you are 70 years old, and it’s time to enjoy life before you die. This is the perfect time to start painting and other cool hobbies like travelling, etc, then move into the old age home, while waiting for the grave.

This sounds like a broken script to me. It’s okay if you prefer this script above. At least I am offering you an alternative path.

The alternative freedom path

Save more, invest even more, and liberate yourself from your day job. More than 15 percent, even if it means finding a side hustle or upskilling yourself, do it all in the name of financial independence.

Somehow, you can learn something about the world and about yourself that you never knew existed before traditional retirement age. Pursuing financial independence is more than just about quitting your job, but it can also enable you to choose a job on your terms from a position of strength.

If this doesn’t excite you, I don’t know. In my mind, this is more thrilling, better than watching the Olympics or the Tour de France.

It’s okay if you prefer the Olympics more; in fact, my friend likes the English Premier League, it’s your life after all. Actually, watching sports can be fun, but I would rather do self-discovery than sit down to indulge other people’s dreams.

No judgment, my friends, just my opinions. You are entitled to yours, by the way, since it’s your time involved.

Freedom of slow mornings

Resolve to live by your terms. You can choose to be woken by the alarm for the rest of your time here on earth, or maybe, just maybe, freedom of slow mornings

You see, it’s this slow morning that I am advocating for here, where the morning alarm and rush hour traffic don’t rule you; instead, you are woken by sunrays shining through your bedroom window.

I am glad you are even imagining and thinking about this alternative. The majority of people I know will not even question the norm.

It is actually the brave and perhaps the contrarian mindset that somehow entertains this alternative.

You see, if you and I achieve financial independence and we hate it, we can decide to follow the previous old script stated above.

Trust me, you will never regret this path to pursue time freedom.

Don’t wait until it’s too late

I believe that in every human being, there is a song, or a book, even a calling that will never be fully discovered if our main and only purpose is to be in our mundane job for the rest of our lives in the name of earning money.

This song, book, and at times art cannot wait until you are 65 to be discovered. Sounds like way too late for me.

I would love to discover this adventure soon rather than later, and financial independence affords us this chance, if only we are disciplined enough to live below our means and use the margin to buy our freedom.

It is a choice after all buy everyday things only or your freedom as well. You and only you can make that call.

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