Freedom – There is Nothing Like It!
What’s your motivation for starting a business of your own?
It’s a question I’ve asked myself many times over the years. One thing I can tell you is that there is no right or wrong answer – everyone is a little different. Actually, over the years, my reasons for starting and maintaining a successful business has changed dramatically. I suppose maturity has a lot do with it.
In short, my interests have changed from simply making all the money I could, to concentrating on my actual quality of life. One thing I have learned is that money does not necessarily equal happiness.
Eventually, I hope to have complete financial freedom. Interestingly enough, financial freedom (for me) does not mean achieving great wealth. If I can eventually balance my income with my expenses, while spending my time any way I see fit, I’ll be happy and content.
This is probably contrary to the goals of most people. I’m sure that many individuals start businesses simply for the financial benefits and to hopefully attain great wealth. For them, time is readily traded for prosperity, and the notion of putting in 16 hour days for the rest of their lives seems a small price to pay for a chance at making it big.
On the other hand, I value freedom and time over money. Yes, it’s true that you need a certain amount of money to achieve complete freedom, but you also need to know when enough is enough. Just as you can become a slave to a job and a company, you can become obsessed with your own business and chasing the almighty dollar.
Hey, I’m not judging, I’m just expressing my own philosophy about what motivates me.
Freedom is a wonderful thing – and something that few “employee” types really get. I love to be able to get up every morning knowing that I am in full control of my day. I don’t feel the usual pressures of having to report to someone at a particular time. I enjoy the freedom I have to spend my time as I see fit and not forced to perform tasks for someone else in order to earn a living.
Even though I live a modest lifestyle, I feel far richer than those that have to commute to and from work every day. And while many certainly bring in more cash than I do (at least for now), I doubt that they are any happier than I am. I would even go as far as to say that I’m much better off than any salaried worker I know.
Until you have had a taste of what life is like outside of the corporation, it’s hard to really know how bad it is. Once you start down the path of true freedom, there is no going back.
Yes, I’ve always held a little resentment for the corporate mentality. But that’s all I’ll say on the subject since it tends to be a hot topic for arguments. We’re all entitled to our opinions.
