Up until now, the majority of children in this country, and perhaps the world, have been raised with the belief that the way they will be financially successful in life is by getting a good education which will then (hopefully) lead to getting a good job where they can then save and invest enough of their money over many, many years to eventually be able to do this thing called retire.

We’ve all heard this scenario…uttered by our own parents or someone else, and chances are, if you have children, you’ve even uttered it yourself once or twice.

The problem with this particular life course is that it continues to create a society of ‘dependent’ human beings rather than one run by ‘independent’ human beings. And that dependency, on others, for their well-being, causes all sorts of emotional, financial, cultural and political issues…many that will take a long time to untangle…and that’s only if we have shifted our beliefs about life, work, money and retirement today.

Financial Freedom is the Ultimate Freedom

Some might argue that the ability to think one’s own thoughts is the ultimate freedom but, as long as life takes money, I disagree. You see, I’ve done a goodly amount of financial education coaching over the past nine years and I haven’t found a single person under financial stress who has control of his or her own thoughts or feels free enough to think whatever he or she wants to think.

Yes, technically no one is ‘controlling’ their thoughts, but because they were raised in our current “gotta get a job” mentality, their thoughts are controlled by the feelings of shame, inadequacy and dependency they feel on others…on a system that has fallen extremely short in terms of empowering them to be all that they can be.

Slavery is all but abolished in the United States

According to Wikipedia, slavery is described as a system under which people are treated as property and forced to work. I submit that ‘financial slavery’ comes in at least two packages:

1. Where the person who has dominion over ‘the slave’ (or employee) is the one in control, and,
2. Where the person in the ‘slave position’ feels out of control. In other words, the person feels like property in their own mind. They feel as if they have no control and are forced to work for the person because no one taught them there was any other choice.

Both instances connote a sense of dependency in as much as the slave, though he doesn’t feel like he has any control over his days, becomes dependent on the ‘owner’ for his well-being. In the case of the employer-employee relationship, he feels a slave…he must work for the money that he needs to take care of himself and his family.

Another concept of financial slavery comes in terms of debt. When we use other people’s money and must pay that money back, with or without interest, we then become a slave to that debt. This creates an even greater sense of dependency on the source of income because the pressure to pay back the debt increases as the debt increases, both in terms of how much interest is being paid (money being wasted that could be used to make us money instead) and the constant need to ‘service’ this debt.

In the United States, debt slavery has become a tradition…but not a good one. The sickest part about this debt slavery is that it begins at the top with our government. Talk about setting the worst example possible!

Financial Freedom – What it isn’t

In order to understand what Financial Freedom IS, it’s helpful to understand what it ISN’T.

It isn’t getting up every day to a job that you don’t like at all (there are almost always aspects of what we do for a living that we don’t really care for but that’s not the same as not liking what you do at all).

It isn’t worrying every day that you may lose your job for one reason or another.

It isn’t spending your day with someone who doesn’t have your best interest at heart peering over your shoulder waiting to catch you doing something wrong.

It isn’t getting you a paycheck and realizing the government took a huge chuck out of your hard-earned salary.

It isn’t wishing the government would do something about the cost of things.

It isn’t wishing the government would provide you more services (free stuff) simply because you haven’t figured out how to make enough money to pay for everything you need and want in life.

And lastly, it isn’t about feeling dependent on anyone else for your well-being: physical, mental, emotional or financial.

Financial Freedom – What it is

Financial freedom is knowing that you can, and do, create your own life, and that it can look like anything you want it to look like.

Financial freedom is knowing that you have the power to make as little or as much money as you want and need.

Financial freedom is believing beyond measure that we live in an abundant universe and as long as you’re tapped into that abundance, you have what you need…more than what you need usually!

Financial freedom is having more money coming INTO your life than going OUT in expenses.

Financial freedom is loving the bills that come in the mail because they mean your life is rich with experiences and you have the money flowing to you to easily pay for those experiences.

Financial freedom is going to bed each night knowing the money is simply a great tool to create whatever you want for yourself and those around you.

And lastly, financial freedom, provides the biggest sense of relief and security most human beings ever experience because finally they can work because they want to, and not because they have to.

Just something else to think about…