Some time ago a good friend of mine approached and asked me a question:

“Can you tell me at least 10 reasons why you want to pursue financial independence in less than one minute? “

That unusual question caught me off-guard, leaving me with a blank expression for a few seconds, and time was ticking already!

Disgracefully, I was only able to come up with 4 vague reasons on time.

He told me that only those who are crystal clear about what they want, and why they want it, have at least 10 reasons set in the back of their minds.

I don’t know if my good friend is right or not, but it made sense to me (and he is also cleverer than me).

Knowing the why’s of my goals should be firmly recorded in my mind, having quick access to the data (reasons) that will fuel my motivation and keep me focused, even during bad times. Needing loads of time to find answers means that something is missing, that I haven’t done my homework properly, and that’s when chances of failing show up.

This has seriously got me pondering since then.

Back in January, I wrote a post about “The Reasons Behind One Million” , but in there, I only provided 3 reasons why I want to archive a one million EUR investment portfolio, albeit I could be financially free with less.

While these reasons are still valid, my good friend made me realise that I won’t get that million until I have become Financial Independent first. Thanks good friend, for reminding me that I shall go one step at a time, and that short cutting DOES NOT work.

Hence, this post comes along with my 10 reasons to pursue financial independence. My good friend won’t catch me off-guard anymore (at least, not until he comes up with a new set of questions)

1. Spend quality time with my loved ones more often.

Spending quality time with the people I love makes me happy, and I want more of that, can I have it, please?

I don’t have kids yet, but I know I will, and I know I will love being a great father, same as I know that doing so requires time. If things don’t turn sideways, I still got 10 years to go to FI. I expect my kids to be a few years old at that time, but it’s still better than never, right?

Also, spending quality time with your loved ones is easier when you are not constantly worried about money or paying bills and have some extra freedom of choice on how to spend quality time.

2. Safety and security

I want to live without financial constraints. Living in a secure and safe way is important to me. My parents struggled to provide this, and I know first-hand how limiting it can be. I don’t want the same fate for my future family. Not accomplishing that will give me a feeling of defeat and depression, and by no means, I want to accept that!

In addition, job security is an illusion, it no longer provides safety in our current world and state pensions are failing globally. Today, it is our responsibility to take care of our finances and retirement, not goverment’s.

3. More time for leisure and hobbies

Who doesn’t want to spend more time on doing things we enjoy?

I love spending time on learning new things that interest me, reading books that inspire me or entertain me, traveling to new places that open my mind and give me ideas, visiting my home country to remind myself who I am and where I come from, meeting all sort of people with different backgrounds, watching a film that amazes me repeatedly, increasing my endorphins and feelings of euphoria with exercising, tasting all sort of cuisines and many others.

financial independence leisure and hobbies one million journey
Me on FIRE!

Ah! I would also like to play the whole Final Fantasy saga and fall in love with Aerith Gainsborough again.

4. It’s a motivational challenge

Reaching financial freedom is a long-term process and it can be challenging sometimes. I must admit that the older I get the less motivational challenges look to me, but I am still in a middle point where obstacles motivate me to jump.

We don’t get financially free overnight. I am going to keep repeating this as long as I write on this blog. I paid 45K EUR to learn this lesson, make yourself a favour and don’t commit the same mistakes.

5. Freedom to live and work on my own terms

I like how the word freedom fits in every single context. I sometimes think whether this is a Catalan obsession that has been prevailed to me or I just simply love it.

I am still not certain why, but I am generally happy accepting changes. I like to change my job when it gets boring, move out to a different location or place when the surroundings get dull or simply change my daily routine from time to time. I can’t imagine living for 20 or 30 years in the same house, paying down my mortgage and keeping the same job. I think this is something to do with my childhood and the difficult working live of my parents had, I just don’t want that and remaining for so long in the same place recalls the noun slavery to me.

This point is extensive, and it needs a thorough deep thinking at some point.

The problem comes with kids and the incompatibility with this sort of lifestyle, that is another reason why I think I am always setting excuses to postpone it.

I’ve seen some couples running blogs and YouTube channels traveling and living in different parts of the world with kids, but to me this is just difficult to image in my mind. It is one of those things which sound so cool at first and becomes ‘smelly’ in the end.

6. Get surrounded with like-minded people

Little I knew when I studied industrial mechanical engineering that I would have to spend the whole of my life working for a corporation whose members are highly skilled on competing and stabbing each other’s back in order to improve their monthly incomes.

While this is something I can understand and even tolerate to some extent, there’s another fact that I seriously struggle to deal with.

Some ego type non-engineers’ workers like to compete with engineers, so they can feed their proudness and bogus well-being. I’d prefer to not have to deal with this.

At first, I thought that this matter was only a cultural Catalan or Spanish “issue”, but then, after my working experience in England, I realised that, in fact, it’s an international human characteristic.

7. Be mentally and physically healthier

Some people tolerate stress better than others. I am one of those who has difficulties handling it, at least now. It consumes me. That’s why I think a managing position doesn’t fit me. I have been told that I am a strong person, or at least that’s the impression that I give to others, but my reality is different. My mind and body are weaker than one would imagine when first see me, so the need of taking care of myself is important. I transform into what I do and eat. If I exercise and eat healthy, I think positively, but if I don’t follow this then stress from work and negative thinking consumes me. I can be such a different person sometimes and a bit moody.

When I feel tired, drained or I am simply not in a good mood I need time for myself, and a lot! Introvert people will understand what I mean.

Being financially free would give me time to help easing the stressful bit. While I will quite possible still work after reaching FI, I will have the choice of taking breaks or working part time during some periods, so I have time to improve my health and level of happiness.

financial independence health one million journey
This is what I don’t eat after an stressful day

8. Help others

I believe that helping others brings happiness (at least to me). It sometimes requires money and in other occasions it doesn’t. So far, I have been trying to raise money for a charity, sharing my affiliate and referral links on my blog. It hasn’t worked out well so far, but I have tried, and it makes me feel proud of myself and contributes to my well-being.

There are many other ways to help others, for instance, you can help anyone by just smiling and transmitting positiveness.

Do you do it often? 🙂

Before willing to help others, I must feel good about myself, and then help. It flows within a healthy lifestyle circle.

Actually, helping others is something I could start doing right now.

Tell me dear reader, how can I help you today?

financial independence happiness one million journey
Happiness

9. Transform ideas into reality

I sometimes come with ideas. Some tiny little business or some other things I would like to try and experiment with. But these ideas sometimes involve two important factors: time and risks. The lack of time prevents me to act and the risks influence my determination.

I don’t necessarily need to be financially independent to transform ideas to reality, but it would be helpful, wouldn’t it? Particularly, my current job drains my brain, and my actions on that state of mind don’t perform very well. When I am mentally drained, I can only think about recharging, and that normally means spending time on reading, watching, exercising and sometimes writing.

10. Follow the right path towards my one million goal

It is commonly said that it first comes financial freedom and only after that we should focus on the way to riches.

While I don’t agree 100% with this idea, it is the way I want to follow.

Why?

For the 9 reasons stated above, but mainly for the reason number 2, safety and security.

I could have a one million investment portfolio and still not be financially free if I don’t take care of my spending. I don’t need one million to be FI but I still want it to give me a margin of safety in case things don’t go favourably in the future, or simply to cover unexpected costs.

financial independence goals one million journey
Financial independence is also about scoring goals on the way to my million journey