7 Ways To Build Your Own Personal Freedom

The world is a crazy place sometimes and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what my response should be to it all. It got me thinking about how much I can control and how to build my own personal freedom.  I’ve been doing a lot of planning for 2017 and with it, thinking of how I can make this a year of forward momentum in the right direction.

personal freedom and how to find it

Define What Freedom Means To You

Before setting out on this journey, we need to know where we are going.  The truth is, if you don’t define what’s right for you, there are companies who are willing to guide you down a path optimized for their profits.  Don’t go into this blindly, seize your future and control it.  Carefully examine the ‘why’ behind each thing, because as humans we often think we want one thing, but it’s not really what we are seeking.

Define your values

values of your life to live by

In this world, there are times that you face a situation where you need to make a decision with weight.  What if a friend loses their job and can’t pay rent?  What if you see someone being heckled on the street for the color of their skin, the religion they follow or their gender?  What do you value? What are your convictions?  We don’t often define these, but I’ve found them useful to just spend 30 minutes reflecting and writing them down; it brings clarity and gravity.

Build An Emergency Fund

Money isn’t everything in this life, but it certainly helps when you have a nest egg set aside when things go awry.  Having an emergency fund can give you something to lean on so a setback doesn’t totally derail your progress forward.  This is certainly a case for ‘an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.’

Regain Control of Your Food

grow your own food

When you get down to it, we need very little in life, but there are a few things that we simply can’t do without.  One such thing is food.  Taking control of your food means you can eat healthier, fresher and know what is going into your body.  There are many things that we can get by without, but the truth is we always need to eat.  So connect with local farmers, join a CSA or even better, start a garden.  Gardening is good exercise, is very economical and a fantastic stress reliever.

Become More Valuable

Every human has value, but what could you do to increase value to others, particularly in ways that lead to a paycheck?  Every time I’ve ever been in a tough spot financially, I am always thankful for having certain skills that others find valuable.  For me it’s strategy, business building, and marketing: essentially helping other people make money.  In a pinch, I can leverage those skills and talents to bring in a little more income.

Get Handy

We all can’t be a master craftsman or a pro mechanic, but we can do things to offset some costs and become more self-reliant.  It is scary when I meet someone who drives every day but doesn’t know how to change a tire.  Do you know how to shut off the water to your house if a pipe breaks?  Could you build something out of scrap wood in a pinch?  When  I was building my tiny house, I learned a lot of different skills.  These things translated to me having more confidence, more money and when I did decide to hire someone, if I could talk the talk, the price was often lower.

Root Out Your Weak Points

We all have weak points. We all have points of failure that could lead to disaster.  While there are some things we can’t prepare for, consider what things could happen that would lead to a major break down for you.   What if you lost your job?  What if the power went out?  What if there was a gas shortage for a week?  All three of those things have happened to me and I work to have plans for each of them.  Take some time to identify your weak points, rank them by highest chance of occurrence then develop plans for them.

Your Turn!

  • What other things are you doing to build your personal freedoms?

 

7 Comments
  1. This is better than any New Years Resolution. It means taking some quiet alone time, or time with someone who loves you and will be honest to go through this list. I have mentioned this person a time or two in my comments Dave Ramsey,he talks about freedom from the standpoint of getting out of debt and remaining that way, which includes having an emergency fund, and (3) – (6) months of monthly expenses saved for just in case. I would love to hear or see you being interviewed on his radio program. Thank you for sharing this is good advice for not only Tiny House owners but everyone.

  2. Build a financial base to live comfortable and bild a retirement fund. Freedom to be able to travel a bit. Get out of the rat race of paying bills non stop. Some land, a tiny house or two (for guests)and means to support myself.

  3. Keep it simple. Live with less stuff, eat fresh natural food and get your body moving.

  4. Several years ago, my work was to do landscaping and maintenance. Working in the earth around new homes and creating beauty. A form of like painting. I had a wonderful passion of creating beauty. It came to me in a form of art. I had loved houses and on weekends I would go to see new homes and how they were being built. I noted that they were building larger and larger homes. I became aware than in many cases, there were many people who could not afford the larger homes.

    As much as I loved landscaping, I sold my business to my best employees and I moved to a new county and in doing this I started to work in the Real Estate business and to at first get to know the county, and second to meet people who were looking for new homes and what they desired.

    The key’s arrived. I realized and spent several months creating smaller houses but with beauty. I found an excellent architect and we would three different models. I found the right land and then began to build one sample of a smaller house but with consciousness. I would watch as the first people would come to look at that small house, (Not as small as the tiny houses, but down to about a thousand square feet to one thousand three hundred houses. When it was done, I would also do the landscaping around them as well. People would drive into the driveway and get of their car and I could tell they felt good. They would open the door and walk in and then when they would come out you could see their smiles. The loved it, but really did not know what that was. They sold like candy. They were comfortable, and it felt good to them and it was affordable.

    When the first tiny houses came into our country, I felt like they were perfect. I even called my daughter and said we should co-create tiny houses. In that time, I was and Executive Director for a non-profit company which can be misunderstood, and I was committed to what I was doing. The dream and I stay committed to the dream of that organization.

    Today you would find me in a small studio under 300 square feet. Mind you, I did not create it, but the concept is as the variance of the many small houses become the creative comfort for those enjoy the comfort of what they enjoy.

    I recall the housing that was built the tiny house village in Sonoma. Such beauty and perfection and affordable. Here I am on a wonderful island in Washington. (Whidbey Island.) I am semi-retired and living a very cautious living and yet the cost for renting or buying is far out of the possibility of so many people. To me there is no question that I would love to build a small home and how to create affordable housing with all the comfort I desire. I would say, it is from within my heart and soul from which creates the art of which so many love.

  5. I love every word in your article. Its easy to understand, true, timely and practical.

    Thank you for giving us great ideas, insights and recommendations. It is all very helpful.

  6. It is wonderful to hear you reviews. I would so much like to live in a smaller house and I already have my own property. Now just to have a plan for a handy cap elderly person. thanks for your help.

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