2-3-4: Why you aren't just paying money for 11-11
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1 thought
It was 11-11 yesterday. Singles' Day. The biggest sale of the year.
There's still Black Friday coming up.
I used to earn a few thousand dollars a month. Now, I earn a few hundred. Gulp. It’s meant that I’ve to think a lot harder before buying something. No more lattes for me!
But it’s also sparked insight about how in the past, I was earning money to buy things I didn’t need, to please people I didn’t like… in exchange for my freedom.
How do you define freedom?
For me, freedom is the ability to do something I want.
I believe we are looking for three freedoms. Freedom of time, space and money.
Time freedom - having the ability to determine how you spend your time, rather than the boss telling you how to.
Location freedom - having the ability to live where we want, when we want. This means you don’t wait till ‘retirement at 67 (or whenever you get your pension)’ to travel the world.
Financial freedom - When my income dropped 10x, that’s when I realised that I had been paying for the things I wanted with my freedom. I ended up
using buying things to massage the deep disappointment I had with my job.
I don’t have a job.
But honestly, I’ve never felt so free in my life. A few days ago, writing an article sparked so much profound joy. I took a step back, read the article, and went,
I wrote this? Really?
I was PAID to write this?
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to boast that earning hundreds of dollars is great.
But what I really want to say is this.
Be conscious when you buy something.
That it’s an exchange of your future freedom for your current comfort.
If you work for someone, you’re trading your time for money. Time is something you can never get back. If you buy something you don’t need, you’re making an exchange.
The question is,
what’s the cost of your exchange?
1 quote
When you buy something, you may be trading your future freedom for your current comfort. The question is,
Do you know it’s an exchange?
1 tip
Here’s 3 things that helped me kick the consumer habit.
- Delete every shopping app (Carousell too!)
- Tracking every expense (I use Wally)
- Using cash to feel the physical pain of money leaving me