There is a type of silence when your bank account represents less money than your anticipations.
It is not about the amount of the numbers on the screen it is about the feel good and how it makes you feel.
Tired. Trapped. Always calculating. And the next month it can be different. But freedom of finances?
It may be like a different world. A luxury only accessed to those who have a better start or a higher salary. and here that is where most of us quit before we start.
However, I want to talk to you like a friend, not someone in a business suit who knows a lot about money and stocks and finances, but someone who gets it, someone who has been through it all, and knows what it is like to want to get out of the cycle. Financial freedom does not mean that you are a millionaire overnight.
It is about being aware that you are safe, stable and you are your own boss in time.
It is not about not having the feeling of awakening in panic because it is time to pay rent, or looking at your account before filling your gas tank.
It is about the option: what to do, when to relax and what is the most important to you. And no it does not occur in a cataclysm.
It occurs in slogging, plodding, agonizing inch-by-inch movements that don t necessarily feel like improvements, but at the end create something lasting.
What You Learn From My Article
- The freedom can be very effective in the long term through certain small financial decisions daily.
- You do not even need to be out of debt to start making investments in future.
- Passive income is not an ideal, but a single idea.
- Budgeting is also empowering when it is founded on your values.
- Peace with money is enhanced when you believe in yourself rather than the figures.
Where You Are Right Now Is Not Where You Have To Stay
And now, let us get out of the guilt. I do not will that thou shouldst count the measure of loss which thou hast incurred.
I do not mind whether your credit card has reached limit or your bank balance is in red.
That’s not your lifetime story; that’s where you begin. It is not necessary to be a superhero to start it. You do not have to do everything at once. You have to tell the truth to yourself. That’s all. Stop on a day today and analyze all. The amount that is received. The extent that is going out.
What are you in debt for? What is possession? Don’t flinch. Don’t sugarcoat. Don’t justify. Just look.
This does not have anything to do with self-punishment. It is a clarity thing. Since every time you stop guessing you can finally have a possibility to cope with a movement.
Here you will feel that you are resisting. It’s normal. It revolves around a certain defragmentation and once you get passed that however, you begin to witness something beyond the numbers.
You will get trends. You will take note of the choices that were not beneficial to you. And most importantly, you will understand what can change.
Security Comes Before Growth
You do not put a house on a shaky ground. So is the case with your money. You must have safety net before you pursue investments, business ideas or side hustles.
It does not need to be big. It only has to be there. It is not a luxury to have an emergency fund: it is your initial peace of mind tool.
So you know how stressful it is, and how much you have to borrow a few times because it is needed, the car broke down, you got medical bills, your laptop broke. And when you get into debt it is not only the thing you purchased. It is about the interest.
The worry. The panic that you are missing the beat once again. This is why it is important to create a small cushion. It provides you with breathing space.
A few hundred in a separate account can be the world when life puts you off the rails. Make a starting. 100 dollars per week. Ten, provided, it is there.
You are not aiming to reach enchanted figure. You are simply becoming conversant with the art of looking after yourself. That habit turns into a base. And it is foundations where freedom starts.
Debt Isn’t a Moral Failure, But It Is a Freedom Killer
It is not a bad person who is in debt. It turns you into an individual that borrowed more than they could carry.
That’s all. And it is not exceptional in the world that we live in, it is almost a norm. However, there is one thing that most people do not understand about debt and that is that debt is not merely a figure.
It is a chain. And each monthly payment that you are supposed to make is a bit of your freedom that is being peddled. You can not clear it all at once.
That’s okay. It is the fact that you do not allow it to grow anymore. You do not have to deprive yourself of pleasure but you do have to make a choice that debt is not going to tell your next five years. Start with the lowest balance or the one which gives you the most emotional stress.
The only way to protest against it is by sending it a dollar every time. A very small victory. And do not add new debt unnecessary.
When you cannot pay cash, then ask yourself why. When you are going to buy something to feel good, you should ask yourself what you are trying to repair. They are difficult questions. It is not an easy road. You are strong enough to it.
Earning More Isn’t Greedy — It’s Protective
Here is the thing: desiring to have more income does not mean that you are a greedy person. It makes Wise
. It is not a failure of budgeting if your current income does not even cover your expenses at all, that is, a math problem. And there is no amount of retrenchment which will cure it.
Sometimes it is not the solution to spend less. In some cases it is earn more. This could imply seeking a higher paying job, requesting a salary increase or a small side hustle.
Not a burn you out one but one that suits in your life. Perhaps it is freelance work in an existing skill. Perhaps, it is selling what you create.
It could be consulting, tutoring, design, writing or even something you never have done. It is not that you will have tripled your income overnight.
It is to increase the distance between your income and what you require. Any saving increases between that gap. It is that difference which is converted into investment funds. This margin of safety is that gap. And when you get a whiff of that space, you will never want to come back.
Financial Freedom Isn’t One Big Move — It’s a Daily Rhythm
You are not going to wake up someday and find all your debts repaid, and six figures in your bank, and no care. It does not work that way.
The thing is that something slightly different occurs. You will wake up and find that you paid your rent earlier.
You will make purchases even before you look at your balance.
You will have a sick day without feeling bad. And one day you will find yourself looking around and not able to recall having stressed over money in the last few weeks. That is the freedom. And it begins with very small imperceptible steps. Making a packed lunch as opposed to going out.
It is a saying no to the impulse buy. When you forgot you signed up to a subscription. Going to the bank and depositing five dollars in a saving account. These appear little. They are the bricks in the wall that separates you and stress. Place them down every day.
Making Your Money Work Without Constant Effort
It is a strong feeling when you wake up and realize that your bank account increased as you were sleeping. That is not a dream, but the beauty of the passive income.
It does not begin with magic. It begins in mindset. Creators have probably discussed digital products, real estate, or dividends or royalties.
And all of those are real, but they are not always realistic at the start. So how about we get down to earth on this. Perhaps, you already have some hobby that people are curious about.
Perhaps you have created something in the past that can be of use to others, a guide, a service, a design. Suppose you could sell that over again, and you did not have to make it over every time?
You need not be a business person to create small streams. A plain ebook. A resource. An art work. A spreadsheet.
A recipe. An item that you produce once and are left to sell it on a repetitive basis. That is where it begins.
Not that you make a six-figure salary, but that you earn your first 20 bucks without having done anything.
That is where you begin to build up. Passive income is not meant to substitute work but to establish some breathing space.
Space to decisions. Space to say no. Space to make on your conditions. You are reminded by a mere trickle of water flowing in every month that time is not the only means that you must make money.
Budgeting Without Punishment or Shame
When you cringe at the mention of the word budget, you become part of the majority. The majority of us were brought up to believe that budgeting is a form of restriction.
That it is a list of things that you cannot do. But what would it be like it were a map of what you can do? What would happen, when it was the instrument of liberation, rather than of terror?
This is the reality: a budget is simply an expression of your values. That is your statement that this is what is important to you.
It does not mean that you are not allowed to purchase coffee or go on a vacation. It is the process of deciding on what your money will be spent on before it is gone.
It implies that you are telling the truth about what makes you happy, what exhausts you, and what you require in order to feel secure.
You do not have to keep a close watch of every cent to have a strong budget. All you have to do is to be aware of your tendencies, your priorities, and your strategy.
Perhaps you are the kind of person who requires flexibility. Perhaps you are a person who likes structure.
The answer to the right system is the one to feel empowered not limited. And when things do not go according to plan which they will do not make it a failure.
Take it as a feedback. What did not go according to your expectation? What got you out of track? What will you be able to change next month? This is the way change really occurs. Out of not perfection, but conscious.
Investing Without Fear or Complexity
As soon as you hear the term investing, your brain may begin to rotate. Stocks. Risk. Charts. Self conflicting advice. It’s overwhelming.
However, it does not necessarily have to be. It is simple to begin. You may begin with small steps. It does not matter what you have to start with–just a decision. Investing is simply a method of increasing your money with time. Not overnight. That is how he is not making risky bets.
However, gradually, over the years. And even when you are young, and you are broke, the most valuable thing you can do to your future self is buy some time. Time to leave your money to earn money and concentrate on your craft, your family or your dreams. You do not need to know all of it to start.
You can use a rounding up your purchases app. You may invest in a wide-ranging fund that will increase gradually.
You will be able to discuss it with a person you believe in. It is important to begin even with the smallest amount of money, e.g. 10 dollars.
That ten dollars is your vote to have a future where you won t be relying on anybody. the more you learn, the more confident you will be. Not that it will become easier but you will know the rules. And when you know the rules you cease to fear the game.
Keeping Your Lifestyle Smaller Than Your Income
This is possibly the most difficult one, particularly as your earnings increase at last.
It is good to spend because after struggling over the years. You lose to treat yourself, to elevate patterns of your life to get some harvest of your labor.
It is something you should. But here is the kindly caution; do not allow your life to expand more than your income.
The earning level does not determine financial freedom. It is an outcome of what you retain. When your spending grows along with your income, you will feel equally stressed, but now you will have a better car and better clothes. Not peace however.
Do this instead: as money comes, allow your savings to come first. Let your investments increase first.
Make your debt come down first. And then when you have a sound basis of things, lay on the luxuries that really give you pleasure, not the ones that make the strangers turn around and say, How nice.
The happiest people I have seen do not lead the most glamorous lives. They possess leeway. They live in harmony. They can make decisions. That is what being wealthy is like internally.
You’re Already Further Than You Think
You may be still suspicious of yourself. You may still feel to be lagging behind. Wait a minute, however. You have already done something strong. You are serious with your money.
You have examined the trends. Answer, you have asked questions. You have made up a new future. That is no small deal. That’s everything.
The majority of people do not reach this far. They remain trapped in fear, avoidance or apathy. The difference is that you are moving.
Slowly. Deliberately. It is that movement which counts. Any small hygiene. Each time when you refuse a temptation. Any dollar that you save.
It does not go to waste. It is constructing. And this is the part nobody tells you, you don not have to wait to feel free. You can feel light even before attaining your goals.
Calmer. Better able to control. Since liberty does not start with no debt and a large investment account. It starts with the attitude that you can make it.
That is why cling to that belief. Guard it. Feed it. Go back to it when things are wrong. This will not be done perfectly by you. You just will fall off. However, so long as you come back, you will continue to develop.
My Opinion
There is one thing left, ere we conclude. Financial freedom is not only a spreadsheet. it is your health. Your time. Your energy. Your relationships.
Money is only the means. It is what it enables you to do that counts. And as you go at it, do not forget to live. Do not forget to laugh. Make sure not to forget to rest. You are not how much you have at the bank. You do not have to be your budget. You are a human being and you need peace.