Sunset on the beach, Torremolinos, Spain
I want to decide how I spend my life energy; how I spend my time and with whom. My dream was and is financial and personal independence. The journey is a fun adventure! I’m telling my story so that we can all share our dreams and grow and plan together, whilst enjoying today to the fullest! Live LIFE NOW!!!
My early years, like most, were at a modest earning level and I consciously worked to live below my means – so that I did in fact have savings to invest.
I was able to proactively adopt this approach by keeping my WHY at the forefront and also by remembering to have fun along the way. I wanted personal freedom to live my life on my terms! And in my view, personal freedom, independence, and power come from financial freedom and being able to live my purpose driven life beyond that of a job title or a box defined by society or external expectations. I wanted to define, design, and live my own life adventure!
I wanted to create a life that aligned with my values and passions. I wanted to live life free and in abundance! For me this included fun activities – shows, eating out, hiking, yoga, and international travel along the way to the destination of having the time and resources to care for my aging parents. You’ll see photos of the places I’ve visited in the last few years. I will share more in the days ahead – my travel, hiking, and yoga adventures, giving back, spending time with parents, family and friends, as well as the financial and practical side of Living Rich and Free!
I understood that no matter how much I was paid, the amount I kept, through saving and investing in myself first would make all the difference in the long run. The magic of compound interest ensured that my savings would grow exponentially, and that the better it gets, the better it gets!
It’s Not How Much You Make, It’s How Much You Keep
While I did take care of practical matters such as clearing debt accumulated through graduate school and saving to buy a home, I also enjoyed travel and favorite activities. There is after all, a difference between delayed gratification and deferred living! Live Life NOW!
Remember to Live Life NOW and enjoy the journey!
Cruise in Capri, Italy
Have fun along the way! It is important to enjoy the day to day, maintain your enthusiasm and keep at the top of your mind the values and long term dreams and goals that you have.
Remember WHY you want personal and financial freedom and are focused on saving and investing! It will help you stay enthusiastic and on track.
Necessity dictates that large institutions run on process and policy, and sometimes creativity, flexibility, and individuality are compromised; the excitement that comes from living in “flow”, getting lost in the joy of the work, and living our essence and values, while being rewarded for our efforts, is sometimes hard to realize. And being “at work” in a J-O-B takes most of our life hours. So how do we realize joy on a daily basis and keep our vision front and center?
We can sometimes be “caged birds” unable to exercise our free vision within our roles.
It is sometimes difficult for large institutions and big businesses to live up to their “heart” promise.
Hiking, Living Life in Gloucester, MA
Enjoy your successes on your journey, whether personal achievements, academic wins, career growth, or your family and personal events and relationships. Enjoy the rewards of a job well done and the satisfaction of doing your best and moving towards fulfilling your vision and dreams. Stay flexible as things change around you. Don’t let the frustrations or challenges or even the wins sidetrack you!
Shiny objects and societal norms can take us off track. Stay aligned with your values and passions, keep the WHY of your end goals and dreams in mind to help you stay focused and in gratitude. Gratitude for what we learn, earn, and share on our journey to freedom is so important. Live in abundance NOW!
Now It’s Your Turn!
What are you grateful for? How do you LIVE LIFE?! What are you enjoying on your journey right now?
What’s your destination…what are your long terms dreams?? How will you fund them??
Resources that could help you:
- The Design Your Life Around Your Dream Goals Exercise and Worksheet: will help you prioritize your dreams, turn them into action steps and attach a cost to it. You can transfer this expense to your Financial Serenity template as a part of your Life Expense budget.
- The Financial Serenity Template will help you set up your spending and saving based on your values and help you track your investment growth. It is exciting to see that grow!
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