6 Months to Freedom: What Freedom Is (& Isn’t)

(This 1st post of the 6 months to Freedom Series is dedicated to my buddy Caleb Wojcik of Pocket Changed as he will be venturing into the “free” world in the next 6 months. Hopefully, he takes my advice.  )

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Before March 2009, I didn’t know what freedom was. Yes, I live in a country where freedom is used in every inexplicable way, but I have found that most don’t have freedom and have no idea what the word means.

Do you?

Freedom Is Not…

We will get to the part about what freedom is here in a second. Let’s first address what freedom isn’t.

Freedom is not something the government provides.

Freedom is not the “opportunity” to work for someone else on their terms.

Freedom is not a handout whether it is from the government or your rich parents.

Freedom is not what the local evening news or political pundits will tell you it is.

These are all examples of what freedom is not. The reason I state these first so that we can start creating a new mindset that details what freedom truly is.

Freedom Is…

Generally speaking, freedom is the complete opposite of all of those things mentioned.

Freedom is the ability to do whatever it is you choose to do whenever you choose to do it. 

Now, that may sound lame or repeated or vague, but it is the truth. What you may want to do is read what freedom is not again and then re-read that sentence.

I didn’t know what freedom was until March of 2009.

How I Discovered What Freedom Was

Roughly 6 months prior to March 2009, I sat in my bedroom and questioned everything. I didn’t know what I was doing besides “just living”. By “just living, I mean not accomplishing much other than surviving. I was unsatisfied and going nowhere fast. Sound familiar?

However, I sat there and kept reiterating in my head, “What are you doing to move to Australia?” One of those times I said that phrase to myself, brilliance came to me.

“What are you doing today, to be in Australia tomorrow?”

Think about that for a second. That is a powerful phrase and one I base a lot of what I do in my life today and here at Life Excursion.

What happened after that is memorable in my eyes…

1. Pillar Declaration – I wrote down my Pillar Declaration (What are you doing today…to be in Aussie tomorrow), taped it to the doorway exiting my bedroom, and read it every time I left that room.
2. 6 Month Freedom Fund – It cost $0 and I started with just $50 in a brand new bank account that was separate from all of my other bank accounts. I deposited an extra $20 here, $200 there and soon enough my 6 month freedom fund was at the level I wanted. If you take this step, you will reach your goal faster than you think. I now have an ING Account which allows me to have multiple specifically named savings accounts for everything my wife and i are saving for (i.e. vacation, flights, baby, etc.). I highly recommend you do this RIGHT NOW even with just $20. Click Here to sign up today. (Non-Affiliate link)
3. Budgeted – Here was one hell of an idea right after college. Want not budget?! Yeah, I sucked at that. I budgeted for beer, but not for the life I wanted. Smart, I know! Well, I took the bull by the horns and watched (almost) any and every penny I let loose from my grasp.
4. Built a Plan – I built a plan for where I was going and what I wanted to do. Did the plan go as expected? Nope, but the plan got me to where I wanted to be and I navigated the crazy route as I approached.
5. Security Fund – I gave $1,000 to my mother the day I left for Aussie. Why? It was my just-in-case fund. If something happened to me or I was broke, I could send a short email to my mom and she could deposit or wire the money ASAP. Should I have had just a separate bank account for this emergency fund? I could have, but what happens when I lose my card, the bank is closed for a long holiday, and I can’t access my funds. This security fund was amazing to have upon return to the States. As long as you give it to someone you can trust, I think this is something you should budget for as well. It brought an extra sense of security to a life-changing event.
6. Asked Others for Help – Support, whoever it comes from, is critical. There were times I couldn’t go out with everyone because i was saving and as they walked out the door for the bars, they would remind me that what I was doing was going to be worth it. Those small reminders and encouragement will catapult you to success.
7. Set Goals – As you can tell with Destination X, I am slightly a proponent of goals. Break out the calendar, preferably one you can track and get digital reminders, and set goals….lots and lots of goals. No matter how minute. I set goals for every week at the beginning of my 6 months to Freedom plan. Even when I got off track, I was able to jump to the next goal and attack it.

Action Plan

Set aside 1 hour today or tomorrow for attacking these 7 goals. Don’t put any of them off. Start them either today or tomorrow. Even if you think you “already” have a plan of attack, go through each step again to make sure you are thorough.

*This is the 1st part of a long series on achieving your 6 Months to Freedom Plan. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter below to get the FREE 6 Months to Freedom Newsletter.

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