Here at ReachFinancialIndependence.com, many of our articles are focused on how you can make and save more money, with the ultimate goal of becoming financially independent. A lot of our readers are people who are struggling to get by, or who hate their current jobs, and are looking for a way to become more independent in their financial situation. While this is a great goal – and one we obviously support – there are other ways to go about being independent as well. Being financially independent is great, but when you combine it with the other types of independence below, you increase its effectiveness.
Emotional Independence
One mistake that many people make is that they rely on others to be their source of happiness. We allow others to define who we are, what we should do, and how we should feel. By becoming emotionally independent from others, you grow to appreciate your own self worth, and take up the responsibility of providing your own happiness.
Now, being emotionally independent does not mean becoming cold, and shutting out the rest of the world. It simply means rather than finding someone to make you happy, or to give your life meaning, you do these things for yourself. Once you have done so, you can find a person to share this happiness with you, and make it grow even further.
Travel Independence
Too often people who want to travel more are unable to do so because of certain limitations. Perhaps they do not have enough money, or they are afraid of visiting a country where they do not speak the language. Becoming travel independent means being comfortable going anywhere in the world, and being able to do so. This doesn’t mean having enough wealth to charter a private jet whenever you want – you’ll still have to plan your trip in advance and find ways to cut costs. Travel independence means removing the personal barriers you are imposing on yourself that limit your travel options.
If you want to be truly travel independent, you can even take it a step further and take flying lessons. By learning how to fly a plane, you’ll no longer be limited to the flights out of your home airport, and instead can go anywhere you want. During your flight lessons, you’ll learn all about safety procedures, how to operate a plane, how to find replacement parts through companies like A.E.R.O, and how to communicate with other pilots. It’s a great skill to learn, and will certainly give you more freedom in your travel options.
Mental Independence
The ability to think for themselves is, unfortunately, a skill too many people lack. Too often we believe what others tell us, and do not formulate our own opinions. To be mentally independent means that you consider all of the facts and information you have been presented with, judged their authenticity, and formed an opinion based on them. When in a group, you do not simply go along with the crowd in order to fit it. This is also not the same as rebelling. With rebellion, you are going against the norm for the sake of being different – not coming up with your own thought . When you’re mentally independent, you reach your own conclusions, regardless of what others may be saying.
Creative Independence
Lastly, you can become creatively independent. Too many of us, when attempting to do something creative, follow the rules we have been given. For example, if you take a painting class, it can be tempting to follow the instructors directions exactly. While this is fine when you are first learning, as your skills improve, you should strive for creative independence. No matter what you are doing in life, go your own way, try new things, and see where your creativity takes you. When it comes to creative endeavors, the rules were made to be broken.
Become Truly Independent
Being financially independent is a key component to becoming truly independent, but it is not the final step. Once you are living comfortably, you should examine the other aspects of your life, and look for ways to assert your true self. This is much easier once you have achieved financial independence – you can make better career choices, take more classes, and travel more – but it should not be the end of your journey.
Financial freedom is just a myth for a middle-class guy according to me, but I like the way you’ve written and presented your thoughts in the article. There’s a ton of things happening all around which you shouldn’t be stressing about, if you do so then surely you will lose your mind (mental peace). All you need to do is just take a pen or pencil and start planning about your expenses and how you can cut them off to save some extra bucks.
I remember being trapped in a notion that my situation was to dire to change. Since I could not see a path to freedom, it didn’t exist. My very first epiphany is that my own mindset was limiting my progress and I needed to change what I believed. Beliefs drive expectations and often become self-fulfilling. In essence, my beliefs were rooted in my personal history and not my future potential.
May I add to your definition of Mental Independence the limitations we place on ourselves? Break free from your past and truly envision the future as you wish it to be. This is the first step to realizing your independence from your past.
Very thoughtful and inspiring!
This is my dream to have financial independence, and I am working on it now because the earlier and more determined I am now, the sooner I can achieve it so that I can get to achieve more in life.
Nice article. There is more to freedom than money. Financial independence is just a launching pad to other ‘independence(s)’ including time. It all boils down to being your self and giving of yourself fully.
Becoming a truly independent is not really a final goal, thanks for mentioning it. I am working on it as early as possible so that by the time I have achieved it, I can now more focus on other goals such as travel and personal life. I think working on financial independence is one important responsibility we should be serious about.
Freedom is not an easy state to reach, but it is worth the struggle … great post!
Great post. I am all for financial independence, I am still trying to achieve that. I am only young (mid 20s) and would like to retire before I’m 50. Smart investments is the only way i can see myself doing that.
The best way to achieve financial independence is to spend little save more.
Living with financial independence is just one aspect of life, and I think on top of it, it’s important to take care of smaller details such as emotional, physical, and social aspects and make sure you are happy with what is going on in your life.