The U. of Iew

These days, it seems like many folks are concerned with financial freedom. I guess, in a way, I’m no exception. I long for financial freedom because I see this as the first step towards achieving my long term goals. I’m referring to the following:

1. Spending more time with my family.
2. Being able to support my family (especially my parents).
3. Earning income through my writing abilities.
4. Going back to school, because I never want to stop learning.
5. Making a difference in the world.

That last goal may sound a little vague, but it’s really difficult to summarize within a single blog post. I think, as I begin to post more regularly, you’ll catch glimpses of my long term philanthropic goals. I do believe that financial independence will be of assistance in accomplishing these goals. Currently, my job sucks up 40 hours of my life every single week. This doesn’t include any overtime, voluntary or required, that may pop up at a moment’s notice. Am I paid well? Yes. Do I have good benefits? Sure, and I’m grateful for that. Still, I feel like there is some deeper meaning to my life, some other purpose that I’m meant to serve. I don’t want to lose myself in the black hole of a 9-5 job. I don’t want to miss out on my child’s life. She’s grown so much in the past year. I remember when I first noticed that she was finally tracing letters with a steadier hand (rather than losing interest halfway through and just scribbling all over the paper). All I could think of was, when did this happen? Where was I?

The answer, of course, is that I was at work. Where I always seem to be.

I suppose some people are content with this lifestyle. I’m not. Some people have given me a pat on the back, an encouraging smile, and said something along the lines of “well, everyone needs to work, and everyone hates their job!” I feel like this mantra has become so ingrained in our society that it’s become the American mentality. We are drones. Even our educational system reflects this. We are not taught to become entrepreneurs, we are taught to perform useful functions for relevant sectors of our society. Yes, there are exceptions to this observation, but by and large… I’m really disgusted by our educational system. I feel that we lose so much of our young talent by not encouraging their development. We beat them down, like so many blobs of Play-Doh, simply to mold them into something more suitable for our jaded eyes.

Throughout my educational career I encountered proponents of this drone mentality in the form of teachers, of professors. These so-called educators would frown on anyone who disagreed with their interpretation of things, who wanted to see something from a different perspective. Oddly enough, it was from these encounters that I learned so much about the inner workings (and subsequent failings) of our society. People who fall in line, who get with the proverbial program, are praised and awarded with higher marks. Those who beg to differ, who want to explore new possibilities, are shunned.

But I digress; this should really be saved for an entry focusing strictly on my critique of our educational system. I realize that it may sound strange for me to say that I want to go back to school even though I disagree with our educational system as a whole. You’re right- it does sound strange. Still, what better way to create change than to dive into the issue and start making waves? I won’t get anywhere if I just sit on the shoreline and gaze at the setting sun. The view may be pretty, but when all is said and done, I would regret not flexing my muscles and going for a swim. I want to enjoy the best of both worlds, really.

Which is why financial independence has become such an important goal for me. Most of the people that I have encountered online state that their primary reason for trying to achieve financial independence is to create more free time to spend with friends and family. While this is important to me, too, financial independence would serve another purpose at this stage of my life. Financial independence would not only provide me with more free time to spend with my family, it would provide me with more time to focus on my writing, my medium of choice when it comes to changing the world (or at least making a positive impact). My job isn’t physically demanding, it’s mentally exhausting. By the time we get home, cook dinner, and get our daughter ready for bed, my brain is so fried from the day’s activity that it’s hard for me to sit down and write coherently.

I guess my point is that many of us want the same thing for various reasons. Some of our reasons are the same, such as spending more time with our friends and families. Some are different, such as people who just want to own their own business or perform a work-at-home job of some sort. One of the things that we all have in common is our entrepreneurial spirit. Others will tell us that financial independence is impossible, that we need to stick with our safe jobs and good benefits, that we need to be content with our retirement accounts and pension plans. We choose to believe otherwise. And, through the power of positivity, many of us do succeed in our endeavors.