Picture your dream life, is it like before?

This post is part of a 30 days series called the 30 steps program to financial independence. You can check the list of other posts here.

Now that you have being thinking about financial independence for a while, and looked into things like bartering, saving, living simply, take a moment to think about your dream life. Has that ideal picture changed from what it was a few weeks back, or last year?

My dream life is an ever changing picture. But something that is clear to me is that I don’t want what Hollywood and some very good marketing agencies tried to sell me 5 or 10 years ago. I don’t want the Mc Mansion, it’s too big, too flashy, too expensive. I don’t want the sports car or the olympic pool.

I want a simple life.

I don’t NEED many things. I want to be able to travel once in a while without worrying about all the stuff I have back home. I want to invite my friends at home to share with them, not to show off my mansion.

I want to be proud of my life.

To me, that means living a life full of joy, self improvement, a life that is manageable yet meaningful. I like to interact with people, yet I don’t need a $200 dinner to do so. I have a few possessions that I value because they bring me a service and make my life easier. I don’t need a newer version of said things, and I hope they will last for a long time.

To me, this is my dream life.

And it is much different than before. If you have started to follow the path towards financial independence, think about what your dreams were, and what they are today. There is nothing wrong in dreaming big. You may want the six figures, 80 hours a week job and the fancy car. I prefer freedom, free time to follow my dreams. There is no right and wrong, only putting some extra effort to achieve your own goals.