Linz’ Musings – July 5th, 2019
G’day all
While we are all waking up to a gorgeous Friday morning (at least here in Melbourne ☺ ) The US is coming to a close on their July 4th Celebrations! Happy July 4th to all our American mates! And Happy Friday to the Aussies!
As the sun rises here, and the US celebrate their Independence Day, the one word that comes to mind is Freedom. We are blessed to live in this lucky country, and to quote John Williamson in one of my favourite songs of his “Australia is another word for free”
One of the definitions of freedom (apart from the one that says “not being imprisoned LOL) is the ability or right to act, think or speak as we want. Now, all quips around political correctness aside, we are lucky to have this freedom, and there are certainly many places in the world even in this advanced 21st century, where this is not a given.
To me though, Freedom really means Choices. The ability to choose what we what to do, where we want to go. Real freedom is having the option to choose. People talk about freedom being “not having a job” or use the term “financial freedom” as this holistic, airy fairy term that apparently we are all striving for…but in reality what is the definition of “financial freedom”? Until we cement this down, we will never achieve it.
If freedom in your life is having the ability to choose; choose if and where you want to work; choose how long you want to work for; choose where you want to go, what you want to do, then is not financial freedom, the ability to choose what you do with your money?
I feel financial freedom really is this – the ability to choose where you spend or what you do with your money; because at the end of the day, really, that is all money is good for – to exchange for goods or services or to gift to others. It is not some magic pill that makes everything better; not some new age cure for all that ails us; simply the ability to exchange for goods or services we want or use it to help others do the same…
So then financial freedom would, simply put, be the ability to choose the goods and services we want, when we want or to gift to others to do the same…right? So, what choices do you want to be able to make? What freedoms do you want? Travel, healthcare, ability to spend time with the family? Give to charities or create your own?
My wife and I are about to book a farm stay on Airbnb in the Blue Mountains to get the grandkids and family all together for Christmas in a large 5-bedroom home. This will cost in excess of $5000 for 4 nights, but this is the choices we want to be able to make, the reason we work hard and ensure our investments are working hard for us – what’s your reasons, your choices?
Anyway, have a great Friday everyone, I’m going back to choosing to film the gorgeous sunrise here in Melbourne this morning ☺
Happy Investing all! And have a great weekend!!
