What would you do tomorrow if you never had to work again? Would you find a new passion or live every day like it was a weekend? Would you start checking off those bucket list items or relax and enjoy a slower pace of life? Would you contribute more of your time and money to help others or would you travel and see the world?

Everyone has their own dream and definition of freedom.

Money is a Vehicle

Most people think of freedom in terms of money. For example, in a couple of years, I will have enough money saved up to never have to work again. I will have finally reached my Freedom Number. I have been planning for the past 35 years to reach this point. It has been a long, hard road, but I’m finally getting near the end and it will have all been worth it.

Most people don’t want to make the kind of sacrifices it takes to become financially independent. They want to enjoy their hard earned money now, instead of saving it for later. They want to get to freedom in years, instead of decades. They want to enjoy their lives now and in the future. I don’t blame them, but the problem is that the math becomes very difficult living like this. Without saving and investing, life rolls by and people never get ahead. They look for the easy score, which rarely comes and it’s often a disaster if it does.

If you really want to become financially free, you need to plan and work towards it. There are few shortcuts to a sound future and many pitfalls. Earning, saving and investing is one of the few reliable paths to prosperity. If you can find a faster way to freedom, then go for it. But, I recommend you save and invest no matter what happens.

Freedom is a Mindset

What if you decided to act as though you were already free?

Because of COVID, this has been the strangest year of my life. It has also been the best year in many ways. I started doing some things I had dreamed of for many years, but never dared. When I did them, nobody even seemed to care or notice, so I kept doing them. Now, I’m kind of a free-range employee and I love it.

Here are three huge ways I took back some of my freedom:

Turned off my Alarm Clock – I turned off my alarm clock and started waking up naturally. I decided if I’m late for work, then I’m late. I’m not going to stress over it or get jolted out of bed every morning on the odd chance I may be late once in a while. I love living like this and am rarely late. I had been waking up to the same alarm clock for 40 years and I don’t miss it one bit. Even when I set it for some special event, I usually wake up before it goes off.

Stopped being on Call – As an IT Manager, I had been on call 7×24 for the past 25 years. Since the new company bought my old startup company, they have a help desk everyone can call. So, I stopped carrying my phone with me everywhere and started leaving it in my home office. Since it’s not on my nightstand next to my bed, I don’t answer those 4:00 AM texts or the Sunday emails. I just wait until normal working hours to get back to everyone and they have figured it out. I changed their expectations and took my life back.

Started Working from Home – I have been commuting since the 80s and it’s a horrible way to start and end your work day. I had always dreamed of working from home, but it was never an option, until COVID hit. Now, I work from home four days a week and go in on Tuesdays. That saves me an hour and a half per day and six hours per week that I used to be stuck in my car. I get up later, work out in the mornings and enjoy more of my day. When 5:00 comes around, I step out of my office and I’m home.

Could I get in trouble with my boss for acting free-range? Sure, it could happen. But, I’m still getting my job done and everyone is happy. If I do get called out, I can make some adjustments or find a new job with the freedoms I enjoy. The point is, I was sacrificing my own freedom and happiness and I just stopped doing it. For me, more freedom was as simple as making a choice to be free. I wish I had of made these choices years ago. Even though I continue to work, I enjoy some of the benefits of being retired, while I’m still getting paid. I’m loving my life right now.

The more you let other people’s expectations run your life, the less freedom and autonomy you’ll have.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is Freedom is yours to define. You don’t have to be a millionaire in order to live your dream. You can live on less and enjoy your life more or you can change your work / life balance and still earn a prosperous living.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”

– Henry David Thoreau