The Long and Hard Journey Towards Financial Freedom

I came across the term “financial freedom” when I first read the book of Robert Kiyosaki called “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”. In it he talked about his two fathers who taught him diverging views on how he should live his life. 

On the one hand is his real father, the “Poor Dad”, who had the prevalent view like many of studying hard, finding a decent-paying job then retiring afterwards. 

On the other hand is his “Rich Dad” who is not really his father but more a father figure who knows a lot about business and entrepreneurship. Rich Dad taught him the value of learning how not to work for money but for money to work for him.

The gist of the book is really about achieving financial freedom. Someone who is financially free does not have to work to earn money but instead has a source of passive income which makes him or her free from financial burdens. This status is not easy to achieve and most people I know have not achieved this even if they earn a lot from their jobs or businesses. As you may know if you earn a lot and yet spends just as much then there’s no financial freedom to speak of.

If there’s one goal worth pursuing to live a life with happiness, the pursuit of financial freedom is definitely a good candidate. As a career-oriented person and a father of two, I have made the achievement of this goal a priority as well. I do not lack anything from what I currently earn right now but I don’t think that is enough. I say this not because I’m greedy, but because there are things I want to establish right now so that the future will not be too uncertain for me and my family. 

For example, I want to be able to set aside funds for my kids’ education. I also want to save up for buying my own house. I want to establish a business or a source of income other than my job. I want to insure myself and family from unexpected problematic events. I want to be ready when I retire with the amount that I will need during that time. 

On top of all these, I want to experience the freedom to travel to places I have never visited, do things I have never tried before, read books I have always wanted to read and see movies I have always dreamed of seeing. When I am able to pursue these things that are important to me without the consequence of being financially burdened, then I will consider myself financially free indeed.

But I am not there yet. Getting there is a long journey that I am willing to take and one that I think all of us should strive to achieve. Figuring out the best strategies to get to that point and implementing those strategies as soon as possible are the things that occupy my mind. I know it is not going to be easy. 

As a matter of fact, it has proven to be very difficult to attain based on what others who went for it can attest. But there is no giving up because I know financial freedom is not an end in itself but a means by which I and everyone else can live our lives with quality and a little less worry.