Life by Choice

Sacrifices to be Free - 10.04.10

#somersault

Now what am I going to do with all this ‘free time’ that I have inherited? No school, no work, no chores, no responsibilities, no bills to pay or commitments to make. What more, could I ask for? Seems like I have it made.

Hardly.

Let’s make something clear, the only reason I’m living my dream and doing exactly what I want to do is because I made sacrifices. You can ask any successful entrepreneur the same, and if they don’t agree that sacrifices had to be made in order to achieve their dreams, I’ll eat my socks. At the end of the day, I’m still an 18-year-old with family I miss, accomplishments unfinished, and a world to impress. A small list of things given up so far: I gave up the comfort of my home, the security of the surroundings I knew, and the sanctuary woven by the love of the family who cared about me unconditionally. It’s hard for me to imagine anyone I’ve known (real and fictional) willing to do this in order to be a moneyless, credential-less, and jobless nomad.

But there are things I have gained that have made this much more than an equal trade. The comfort of a single home? I now feel at ease living virtually anywhere and everywhere.  The security of known surroundings? I now have access to the global stage, and I’m here to be a world player. When it comes to my family though, people ask me won’t I get lonely or homesick for them, and the answer is yes. However, this isn’t much like a century ago (or even mere decades ago) when immigrants who crossed over oceans to reach America effectively separated their ties with their homelands and the families left behind. Technology of the age gives us so much access to other people and closes distances across continents faster than a blink of an eye – try it! My family is only an email, a phone call, or a live video conference away.

The most important thing I’ve gained though is the ability to be my own boss which comes with its own hosts of issues and benefits. The only important thing to note right now is I am the author of my own success (and mistakes). There will be no one I can credit my accomplishments to or blame for my shortcomings. This freedom is the most liberating part of my new lifestyle and I want to help anyone else interested in gaining their own version of this independence. The cost of it, as i mentioned before, is many sacrifices and a heaping of hard work.  Don’t take this to mean that you can (or should) do everything on your own. It’ll take too much time this way, and you’ll get stuck much more often. Asking for help will be a vital part of avoiding and fixing mistakes along the way.

My next post will be about my journey across the sunbelt with no money, no car, all balls. Don’t try this at home before you read it. Thanks for tuning in.

Is freedom worth it to you?