Financial Health Coach Chris Folland has what can be a life-changing question for us this week.
Over to Chris…
Jumping right into our question for this week – what’s your definition of time freedom?
As with everything, given it’s a personal thing there are a multitude of different answers. I initially thought there must be a universal definition for time freedom, although now I recognise that the way I define time freedom has changed throughout my life.
When I was in school, I had homework. As soon as it was done, I was then free to go outside and play football or tennis. I was free to catch up with friends.
As a teen, that was time freedom for me.
When I was practicing law, I was in the law office most of the day, most of the week, and most of the year. With so much focus on work, my time freedom was very limited.
What I actually wanted to do was ski.
So, I decided to stop wishing, and instead make a big change and I left my job. I went to Canada, lived on the mountain and went skiing as much as I wanted.
This was time freedom for me.
In my early 30s, I shifted my focus and decided I wanted financial freedom. I realised that time freedom has a relationship with money in terms of how much we have of it.
Time freedom might be different for you.
Maybe it’s getting a coffee each morning after dropping off the kids.
Perhaps it’s getting a weekly massage.
Or even spending time with your grandkids.
The way that we define time freedom for ourselves becomes part of our life philosophy and affects many of our life decisions. That’s why it’s important to figure out what it means for us. 1
Now, my definition of time freedom is doing what I want, when I want, with whom I want.
And it took being intentional about our strategies and systems to make it possible.
If I’m working every hour possible, although my money is always being drained, then it might be time to get strategic about my expenses in order to determine the right investment vehicle to get ahead.
It also takes systems. For Fi and I, we used side hustles to help us set up passive income streams. This turns out to be one of the best things we’ve ever done, and given us more what-we-call freedom to be living our lives.
So, however you define it, time freedom follows your philosophy, strategy, and systems.
A vital part to our success has been seeking out mentors who were already where we wanted to be (and this is still a process we follow in all the areas of our lives where we choose to grow). You’ll find that many are glad to share the information that helped them so that you can get there, too.
If you’re interested in chatting more about what that might look like for you, feel free to message me, and remember to join us for this week’s #AliveWithFi ☺
1 Most of us have a relationship with time “that is based on scarcity. The chorus of “I don’t have enough time” reverberates through conversations, social media channels, and personal mutterings.”
So, “redefining our relationship with time isn’t like flipping a light switch. But it is a bit like pumping gas in your car.”
It’s worth pondering and periodically re-evaluating what we think about time, especially given that it changes as our life-priorities change.
“The Simplest Way to Make More Time for What Matters”
E. Sonnino, (n.d.)
Fi Jamieson-Folland D.O., I.N.H.C., is The LifeStyle Aligner. She’s an experienced practitioner since 1992 in Europe, Asia and New Zealand as a qualified Osteopath, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, speaker, educator, writer, certified raw vegan gluten-free chef, and Health Brand Ambassador.
