Eight Steps to Financial Freedom - Part One

Imagine what you could do in your life if you had financial freedom. Perhaps you would never work again. Or you would work, only it would be what interested you. Perhaps you would get that house, or car, or boat you dreamed of. And the best part would be that you wouldn't have to worry about how you were going to afford these things. Financial freedom is a great thing, it really is. But to get there it takes work, and if you aren't prepared to put in that effort, then there's no point in reading on. But if you do read on, you'll learn that although it takes hard work to get financial freedom, the steps to it aren't that many. Step One - "Know thyself". That's it in a nutshell. What it means is, you've got to take some time out to think about what you want out of life. What are your hopes and dreams? You also need to think about who you are and what it means to be you. What are your strengths, what are your limitations? Where do you want to improve, to grow? What are you interested in, what matters to you? What are you not interested in? And, of course, what does 'financial freedom' mean to you? Take a notepad or a journal and write your answers to these questions. Just write, without hesitation. Keep writing. Then take a break, come back to it later and add some more thoughts. The more you understand yourself, the more solid your foundation for success. Step Two - "Show me the money!" To paraphrase Charles Dickens, if your annual income is $20,000 and you're spending