I value independence more than anything else in finance.
- More than I value a big paycheck.
- More than I value big returns.
- More than I value any amount of money.
Doing what you want, when you want, with whom you want, is the most incredible thing money offers that too often goes overlooked.
It takes a shift in perspective
Derek Sivers is a successful entrepreneur who founded CD Baby. When a friend asked him to tell the story of how he got rich, this is how he responded:
I had a day job in midtown Manhattan paying $20k per year — about minimum wage … I never ate out, and never took a taxi. My cost of living was about $1000/month, and I was earning $1800/month. I did this for two years, and saved up $12,000. I was 22 years old.
Once I had $12,000 I could quit my job and become a full-time musician. I knew I could get a few gigs per month to pay my cost of living. So I was free. I quit my job a month later, and never had a job again.
When I finished telling my friend this story, he asked for more. I said no, that was it. He said, “No, what about when you sold your company?”
I said no, that didn’t make a big difference in my life. That was just more money in the bank. The difference happened when I was 22.
Incredible.
Viewing every additional dollar of wealth as “a little bit more independence and a part of my future I now own” is a fun way to think about it.
