Financial Freedom: What Does it Really Take?

I get emails all of the time from what appear to be stressed, tired human beings asking some very simple, yet serious, questions about money and financial freedom. This morning I got the following message and just had to share it and respond here on the blog.

Question from Grace…

How do you create financial freedom when you are at zeo: having a job, yes, but the salary is too little to save. How do I ever get to be financially free in this state?

Grace…great question and thanks for asking it. Let me give you the simple answer that I’m sure you’ve read before:

You have to either make more money than you spend (increase your income), spend less money than you make (decrease your spending) or perferably, embark on a combination of the two.

Since I don’t know from your email, where you are writing from, I don’t know if you have any other disadvantages that are holding you back, like freedoms, or lack of freedoms in other countries, or physical limitations, etc.

Let’s dig a little deeper into answers (there are many) to this allusive question based on the assumption that you don’t have any serious limitations that I should know about.

Part I: Financial Freedom – Think It First

Financial Freedom Begins In Your Mind

If you’ve realized you don’t know what you need to know about money and investing in order to create financial freedom for yourself and your family, you’ve no doubt started to find ways to teach yourself about this seemingly allusive stuff that in so many ways dictates our experience of life.

But it’s more than just the knowledge that you need…it’s the right thoughts, the right financial beliefs and the right attitudes about money and wealth that either support your journey to financial freedom or keep you away from it your whole life…and often never figure it out.

The very best book I have read on financial belief systems is T. Harv Eker’s called Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth.

I’ve read this book four times already and plan to read it again soon. I learn more myself and money each time I read it and I’ve been TEACHING this stuff for years!

Here are some other great financial belief system books that are great:

• The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources by Lynn Twist
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki
• The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity by Catherine Ponder
• The Courage to be Rich: Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance by Suze Orman
• Build Your Money Muscles: Nine Simple Exercises for Improving Your Relationship with Money
  by Joan Sotkin,

Let’s just stay that becoming financially free is a step by step process starting with understanding your belief systems. When you start understanding what drives this aspect of your financial life, you can start making changes in your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about money and wealth and you’ll notice things begin to shift in your life financially.

So if you’re struggling with money and how to create this peaceful state of financial freedom, start at the top…of your head that is. Read the books above and you’re financial situation can’t not change.

Stay tuned next week for Part II: Learning it.