True financial freedom is not about being able to buy whatever you want, but rather about being able to choose not to do what you don't want to do. It's about choosing to spend Sunday in the park with your children, basking in the sun, instead of sweating over a PowerPoint presentation in the office; it's about choosing to quit your job to travel the world, rather than worrying about next month's mortgage; it's about choosing to age with dignity, rather than still asking where they are hiring security guards at 65. At the end of the day, financial freedom is the right to choose, but that right is earned through controlling desires when you are young and treating your first pot of gold well. Every time you resist the urge to spend 30 bucks on Starbucks, every pair of AJs you don't order, every time you grit your teeth and put your bonus into an investment account, these are not acts of asceticism, but your votes for your right to choose.
So, if you have your first 100,000, 500,000, or 1,000,000, treat it like your newborn child; give it time, give it patience, and find it a good place. Don't let it go to luxury car dealerships, don't let it go to luxury goods counters, let it go to the stock market, to funds, to bonds, to any place that can make it work for you 24 hours a day. Let money work for you, instead of you working for money.
Start changing your perspective on wealth today. Don't ask how much you can spend this month, but rather ask how much this money will be worth in 30 years after investing it. Don't compare who has the more expensive car, but rather compete on who has the higher passive income. Don't envy others' glamour, but quietly build your own compound interest empire. Remember, your first pot of gold is your soldier, not a tribute for your enjoyment. Send them to battle to claim your financial freedom.
In 30 years, when you are sitting on a seaside balcony, with numbers in your bank account automatically paying you every month, you will thank the version of yourself today who controlled their desires. Now go check your account, and then ask yourself: Is this money fighting for my freedom, or paying for someone else's performance?
