What does it mean to be a Dragon? On this blog, becoming a Dragon means becoming free, unbound by employment contracts and work schedules, free to do whatever you want! Financial independence is just that: Freedom! Having enough money that YOU choose what you do with your time. Whether that’s retiring, traveling, absconding to the wilderness, writing, starting your own business – whatever it is, financial independence is the springboard that makes those dreams possible.
I did not discover the idea of Financial Independence on my own. I was introduced to it one day, while browsing the internet. My dragonish mind, which likes shiny things and dollar signs (I became an accountant for a reason), latched onto a lot of finance blogs, and those finance blogs led me to other finance blogs, which led me, finally, to this:
Now, this site is probably the epitome of everything that non-Millennials hate about Millennials. I’m a Millennial (barely, three hours and I would’ve missed the 1982 to 1994 window touted by Urban Dictionary), and the site can be a bit… much. But unsound math and questionably biased research aside, they have a point – when did our lives become all about catering to corporations and less about building a meaningful existence?
And they aren’t the only ones. My shiny-dollar-sign-mind couldn’t let the idea go, and I discovered:
Afford Anything – Paula Pant’s journey to financial independence!
Incoming Assets – Steph & Cel’s (in progress) journey to financial independence!
Financial Samurai – Anonymous blogger’s journey to financial independence!
Mr. Money Mustache – A take-no-prisoners approach to financial independence!
Frugalwoods – A super-frugal approach to financial independence!
Notice the repetition? There are dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe even thousands of blogs like these ones, written by Millennials and non-Millennials alike, who all have just one question:
“Is this really what I’m meant to do with my life?”
The endless wake-up, work, home, eat, sleep, wake-up, do-it-again cycle? Is this really the purpose of our existence?
What do you value you in life? Is it Family? Community? Adventure? Creativity? Learning? Justice? Wealth? Faith? Independence? What more could you do to fulfil that value if you had enough money? Could you send your kids to college, help them with property purchases? Could you donate more money or time to causes you care about? Could you travel more? Go back to school? Finally write that book, or set up that dream art studio?
Everyone has values in their life – and I am willing to bet that each and every one of us could feel more fulfilled in life if we had a bit more resources to dedicate to that value. Financial independence is about finding those resources – building up cash reserves, freeing up time – so that we can do what we are actually meant to do with our lives: The Things that Matter.
I value Independence. My goal in life is to always have enough money that I am able to say “No”, to never be bound to something that I disagree with. I value Family, and having enough money to visit them. I value Creativity, and having the free time necessary to pursue my passions, like writing, drawing, and music. Financial independence is the path that will one day let me focus on these values, without sacrificing them on the alter of capitalism and the need to survive.
What are you sacrificing? What values in your life are going unmet?
Becoming a Dragon means rising out of the cloudy murk of bad spending and saving habits, and flying above, until eventually, you’ll fly free, no longer weighed down by things that don’t matter, but guided by your values to what does.
Are you ready to be a Dragon?
Dollar Dragon 