Want more options? I’m not talking stock options here, however relevant such a discussion might be to this blog. I am talking about the ability to have a wider variety of choices in various aspects of life. In the United States of America, the freedom of choice is still alive and well, even down to the gender of your child!
Despite that, many – if not most – people feel that their pool of choices is severely limited. To counteract that feeling, some people increase their ability to choose by
- Stealing or otherwise unethical practices, or
- Getting into debt.
If you are looking for a stress-free, moral way to throw the doors wide open on the world of choice, the best way is to find financial freedom.
What is financial freedom? The definition can get subjective, but basically it refers to the state of owing nobody any money, plus making a nice enough income that you can live a comfortable life according to your standards and still have money left over at the end of each money to give and/or save.
When you are financially free, the world is your oyster. You can choose:
- What kind of car to drive.
- What kind of house to live in.
- How to furnish your house.
- Where to live.
- Where to work.
- Whether to change careers.
- Where to vacation.
- What kind of clothes to wear.
- To eat healthier (dang, eating healthy is expensive!).
- Alternative medical care (which is generally not covered by medical insurance).
- Etc., etc.
Of course, the more financial freedom you have, the more you have to choose from.
Because my husband and I have complete financial freedom (if you want that, don’t miss my book Financially Free By Forty), he is looking at quitting the rat race in about a year, at which point we will be able to move out of the suburbs and onto the five acres we have out in the middle of nowhere about three hours from here.
While that might not sound idyllic to you, it has been our dream to live on a rural homestead for some time now. Having a nice nest egg saved up as well as owing no money to anybody – we even own our house free and clear – are the main factors that enable us to make such choices.
If you want to have more options in life, the choice is clear: get out of debt and get your income up.
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