Freedom Doesn't Cost a Penny

If there's one thing I feel most comfortable talking about in regards to 'Freedom,' it's Financial Freedom. Don't worry as I won't bore you with numbers and figures and calculations; however, I can tell you this: that if you're working a 9 to 5 job and think you're going to strike it rich by climbing the corporate ladder, think again! Now for all the devil's advocates, of course there is a selected few who will rise to be the CEO of a 100+ billion dollar corporation but let's face it, how many of these corporations exists to how many people are out there working? And of course we can't forget those very special elders who always win the mega-millions jackpot. So if you're not one of these people, or the grandchildren of the lucky seniors, you're probably looking at working at least 50 years or more --- and how does 4 weeks vacation per year and a boatload of credit card debt sound?
Sure, running your own business is not for everyone, but if you were given the opportunity to be your own boss, erase your credit card, student loans, and possibly your mortgage debt, wouldn't you at least give it a try? So what is Financial Freedom? As there is no definitive definition for such a phrase, does it truly exist? Some might think that financial freedom is having over a million dollars while others might think that having the ability to live freely without a full-time commitment to generating the greenback, or yen, or euro, or the currency of your choice. For me, financial freedom is simply not owing anyone anything… ever.
How do we get to Financial Freedom? What's great about this is that you have the freedom to choose which avenue to take. Like the majority of people, you can stash away as much pre-tax dollars per paycheck into your 401-k/IRA and hope that the stock markets give you a decent yield over the 35 to 45 years you invested in and like most of us, we actually let someone else determine how to invest our funds and hope they make good decisions. As the ever-famous terms goes, "don't put all your eggs in one basket," I too have an IRA but ever since I left the corporate world, I don't concern myself with how much of my paycheck I'm stashing away for when I'm in my 'golden years' --- if we're even that lucky to get there!
Statistics say that public speaking is peoples most rated fear, I wonder if taking risks is a close second? Hate living paycheck to paycheck, having your boss tap on his watch as you arrive five minutes late because you had to drop the kids off to school, or see your hard-earned money slip away as you watch the gas meter top $40 to fill up your car --- twice a week! Then take a risk, what's the worst that can happen: your business doesn't generate a profit and you're forced back into the corporate world though you still have tax write-offs for years to come…
The United States government is all for the creation of small businesses; however, there's this inherent fear in people that if they leave the corporate sector, they're forever doomed. Like you, I hate credit card companies, I despise Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac, and I loose a couple heartbeats every time I open my quarterly invoiced IRA showing thousands of dollars of losses. As many money and entrepreneurial books I've read over the years, there's one common theme and that is: most of the self-made millionaires of the world started their own business.
Why wait to retire at 65, or by the time we reach retirement it might be in our 80s by then. Why not take that risk earlier in life and who knows, maybe you'll be able to retire/live comfortably at 50, or maybe even 40? I remember an old friend of mine once said, "I'd rather work hard now and save for later and enjoy the world after I'm done working." I don't know about you, but I'd rather walk the hills of Europe and swim in the seven seas without the help of a walker or life vest. I'm not waiting for something that may never happen, I'm living it today.

-Long Fellow