What is Financial Freedom?

Do you want more freedom to do the things you love instead of spending all your time in a job just because you need the money?  Perhaps you want to build your wealth to a level where you’re doing more than just meeting your financial obligations.  In other words, making your money work for you as opposed to working for your money.  So what is financial freedom? And how do you know when you’ve achieved it?

I believe financial freedom has different meanings to everyone. It can’t be defined as a generic dollar amount or an income level because everyone has different goals and dreams. Instead, I believe financial freedom means:

• The freedom to choose how you live your life;
• The ability to retire when you want, and how you want; and
• The ability to choose to work because you want to, rather than working because you must.
• It can be useful to visualise what this means for you.

For me personally, financial freedom is not about retirement, because I love my work and I love the feeling of being able to help others through the work I do and I never want to imagine my life without it. Instead, financial freedom for me means never having to worry about money and never again having to work for money. It means seeing the world and experiencing the most beautiful and wonderful places on our planet with the people I love most. It means being able to give my children the best opportunities in life including enriching their life with travel and exploration and giving them access to the best education. It means being able to dedicate my life to helping others achieve their dreams and goals and making a meaningful difference in their lives.

What does financial freedom mean to you? Is your idea of financial freedom the ability to quit your day job at a defined age and have a comfortable living or is it broader than that? Maybe you’re like me and want to be able to have choices about whether you work and where and how you work. Maybe you want to be able to do work that you love rather than be trapped in a job you hate because you need the money. Maybe financial freedom for you is having the resources to be able to give more and pursue a deep passion inside you and make a meaningful difference in this world.

I hope in discussing the possibilities of financial freedom, excitement is filling your heart as your mind races to the future you dream of. I realise, for some of you, however, that instead of excitement, there may be fear or disbelief that this could ever be possible for you. I want to take this moment to assure you that anyone can turn their financial life around. No matter what your current situation, everyone has the power to shape their future if they are prepared to take the necessary actions. I have seen this first hand throughout my own journey and through the work I do, and time and time again I have been reminded that anyone can make their financial freedom dreams a reality. So, I have no doubt in my mind that you have the power to make your dreams a reality too.