Over the years I have had a lot of conversations with people about success. While some see it in status (wealth and fame) others see it in their career, their relationship or their looks. The one thing we all agree upon is that success can be defined as each individual having their own unique definition of what success means to them. As far as I'm concerned, success to me is about freedom. Financial independence, location independence, and freedom from the matrix. It's not for the faint-heart, and to many this might sound delusional, but I totally get it. For those of you who really want this, I want to tell you, even though it scares you now, it's the best decision you've ever made!
What Is True Freedom? Start With Your Definition of Freedom
The first step toward a life of freedom is clarity. Your definition of freedom decides everything downstream, because true freedom looks different for everyone: for one person it is being a business owner or entrepreneur, for another it is remote work from a beach, and for someone else it is simply enough money that bills create no anxiety. Ask yourself how you actually want to live your life. What does the life you desire look like on a random Tuesday, a day where you can do whatever you want? If you feel unfulfilled, overworked or trapped, that feeling of lack of freedom is data: it tells you exactly where to create more freedom in your life. Freedom and happiness are not the same thing, but they feed each other, and you cannot design either by accident. So write it down, be strategic, and define the life that you want before the world defines it for you. That is how you begin to create the life you keep daydreaming about, a life on your own terms.
How I Found Freedom & Purpose In The World Of Location Independence
My decision to live and work remotely came in 2017, when I realized humans had limited themselves so much that they are drenched in consumption and defined by borders. There is no escape from the rat race and a cage we call home. We occasionally step outside of our cage, which we refer to as "vacation". Think of what life would be like if you were able to live anywhere, meet new people, learn new cultures, and freely move from one place to another. It may seem nomadic to some, but it is who we really are. The world of today is dominated by cubicles and debt, while our ancestors roamed the globe free as nomads.
Freedom Will Grow You, Lessons From An Expat
First, I thought about what skill sets I can leverage to increase my value. I realized that speaking a third language would open many doors. So I decided to learn Spanish, the second most widely spoken language in the world! My journey began in Latin America. It certainly wasn't without challenges and sacrifices. I have sacrificed a lot and sold many possessions, became a minimalist, changed certain habits, but evolved as a person.
How I Found Freedom Financially
In reality, I am nowhere near financially free, at least not yet, but I am surrounded by like-minded people and mentors who constantly teach me. It is natural for us to absorb the energy of those around us and we become more like them.
Over the last five years, I've worked with 3 different investment and capital raising companies, ranging from foreign property investments to agricultural and industrial investments. There is one thing they all have in common: they all lead to financial freedom. The strategy involves investing in projects that generate passive income. My knowledge of investments has evolved over the past five years and I already have a preference of which one to invest in, some have already begun. Time will tell, but I believe that making my money work for me while I enjoy my life is the best way to live. Life is a ticking time bomb so why not make the most of it?
Free Your Mind & Soul From The Matrix
You are among the few, the awakened, who seek to escape the Matrix and achieve self-awareness. The world system has enslaved us. Our identity has been stamped by platforms, social media, tools, financial systems, data, and transactions. We are tracked every minute and monetized by algorithms that learns our behavior. A materialistic illusion lures us into pursuing addictive possessions and lust only to be swept up in its cycle. As a result, we become slaves to this process and servants to this system. The pandemic further facilitated this concept and unless you live on a private island disconnected from everything with a completely erased presence, you can't escape the matrix. However, there are ways to minimize it. Living in a developing country, working remotely, and occasionally disconnecting or going off-the-grid are some examples. Even though I do have a moderate online presence now, I'm definitely free from the North American trap. A trap created by trends, consumerism, manipulation of the media and politics, as well as the complicated financial system that ties people to debts and inflation. Let's stay woke and let's stay strong.
How to Create More Freedom Every Single Day: A Practical Guide
Ultimate freedom is not built in one dramatic leap; you do not have to quit your corporate job tomorrow. It is built with discipline, repeated every single day, until you master the fundamentals. Analyze how you spend your time honestly: how many working hours go to repetitive tasks you could automate, delegate or drop? How much free time do you truly enjoy, and how much just disappears? Make personal development a priority, experiment with ways to make money that do not trade your time for it, and let passive income accumulate until you no longer need to work to cover your cost of living, until the question is no longer where you need to work but where you want to work. Some income streams are seasonal, so build more than one.
If you want to make money on your own terms, you will still be working, often harder than before, but there is a difference between striving toward something and drowning in overwhelm: alignment. When your daily actions align with your definition of freedom, work stops feeling like a cage. So take action today: take one analytical look at your budget, pick one skill to elevate your value, run one small experiment. Want to be free? Break free in one percent increments, do something different this season than last, and work hard at what actually moves you toward the life of freedom you defined. That, more than any escape fantasy, is how you live life on your own terms.
What Freedom Feels Like
As I celebrate my 5th year living remotely, I am writing this post. In retrospect, this is something I wanted to do since the beginning of adulthood, and thanks to technology, I was able to accomplish it. While I had self doubts, and was skeptical at first, today, looking over the Andean mountains as I type up this story from my balcony, I couldn't be happier.
Building your own life of freedom? Message me on WhatsApp, whether you want advice on Medellín or content that documents your journey.