What are you willing to sacrifice in the name of getting to financial independence (FI)? The sweet release of knowing you’re free of debt, and not only that, but thriving in a way that you’ll never have to work another day in your life.
Your time is truly yours to spend. Because ultimately, time is the only thing we’re really short on in this life, and something we can never get back.
Squid Game
I recently, like many other Netflix watchers, was bingeing on the latest series out of Korea, Squid Game. In squid game, a mysterious man goes about recruiting players, usually someone deep in debt, with no way out, looking for a hail mary.
In total, 456 players were recruited, from across different walks of life. There were doctors, thugs, businessmen, accountants from both genders. All down on their luck, and all seduced by the promise of a big payday if they win a series of childhood games.
What they didn’t know was what they stood to lose.
Literally everything because they die if they lose.
The show was quick to emphasize that the players were never forced into the game. In fact, there’s a clause that can be triggered with a majority vote at any point in time. If there’s a majority vote to stop the game, those players who voted to stop, can leave the game.
This in fact happened. But when they went back to their shitty lives with no end of misery in sight, they all promptly took the van straight back into the game.
The prize money helps of course. With 45.6 Billion Korean Won at play (US$40,000,000), it’s no wonder some people who have nothing to lose, will rather gamble with their lives. This will be the biggest games they will ever play.
This tightly paced season has 6 games crammed into 9 episodes. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you enjoyed shows like Alice in Borderland, Hunger games and Battle Royale, this is for you.
Squid Game Trailer
So, FI or Die?
Bringing this back to financial independence, having a security blanket over you at all times, is truly a game changer in terms of how you live.
Don’t think of money as something dirty, or the root of all evil. The fact of life is, everything costs money. This is merely a tool, a medium of exchange. I see FI as a mechanism to buy back the remainder of my time, so I can choose what I want to do with it.
Make a plan, stick with it. The best plans often take time to see results, and the impatience of men are often the only crippling factor.
Only reminder is, don’t forget to live your life while you strive for FI as well. Otherwise, you’re simply stuck in a different prison.