maladroit4u

Taking Control of Your Life

2013-04-21

Some people call it "Fuck You" money. Some people call it Financial Freedom. I call it taking control of your life. Many well-paid people in the U.S. have forfeited their lives. They don't control how they live, but their income source and spending control do. If you make good money -- middle class levels or even less, really -- but you're afraid to lose your job, then you have lost control of your life. If you don't think you can pay your bills next month with no income, you are no longer your own master.

There are numerous people in the U.S. that make the median income (about $50,000/yr) or above, but no longer have the power to decide how they live. You might love your job. A lot of people do. But think: how many times last week were you stressed about work. How bad was it? If you were so stressed about your job that you couldn't stop thinking about it after you came home, then something needs to change. Maybe a coworker is making things hard for you. Maybe your boss doesn't like you personally and treats you poorly. The problem is that you can't quit. You're desperate for that pay check. Without it, you can't pay the mortgage next month. Alert: your employer has more control over your life than you do, and you're not even enjoying it.

The biggest cause of this problem is spending your money of frivolous things. You might think you need that new sports car released this year, or that boat you can use during summers on the lake. It's only a small payment every month, right? But those payments add up until you are forced to do things every day (go to work), even though they make you more unhappy than the new car makes you happy. If you were to simplify your life and focus on only owning a few things that make really add to your existence, then you likely would build up so much savings that you would never have to let another employer control your life.

As the Verve would say, "You're a slave to money then you die". This is true for so many people. But it doesn't have to be for you.