We all find ourselves working more than playing. I think this is safe to say. According to sources in the field of psychology, one of the Top 5 regular daydreams, is that elusive financial freedom.

We have become conditioned that money is there to be spent, and this is why our homes are full of stuff gathering dust, and our bank accounts are almost always emptier than we want it. I have often spoken to people who have told me that they get a strange feeling of uneasiness on payday. They would pay all their bills, and spend all their money before they would feel any better. I understand that this is the exception rather than the norm, but it is still more common than what we think.

In my experience of dealing with personal finance, Financial Freedom is the most misunderstood concept I’ve come across. When examined, it becomes clear that this is a general philosophical misguidance. The common understanding is that Financial Freedom is about escaping consequence.

I find that this daydream is exactly what comes in peoples’ way of becoming achievers. The desire might be there, but the motivation is not.

Financial Freedom is the ability to fully understand the consequences of a transaction before it takes place, and to see it in the context of your future plans. I am not talking about seeing into the future and how your investments will perform, but rather how any transaction will impact on your bottom-line – your net worth. Once this comprehension is in place, the freedom offered by it means that you will go the rest of your life making proper, well thought through financial decisions, that will leave you able to stick to a budget, not make those impulse purchases that are riddling your credit card statement. You will find yourself in a position where you live within your means, being relieved from a lot of the pressures you have now, and most importantly, able to take advantage of opportunities to create true wealth, rather than rely on the promises of Network Marketing or gambling.

I found a very interesting article by Francois Viljoen from Liberta about achieving Financial Freedom, so I will not go into it here, but I will encourage you to go on and read it. Stop wasting time on the idea of getting there quickly, and do it in a way that will last for generations. Getting there will probably not take as long as you think, and the journey is quite enjoyable.

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