Tag: Financial independence

Determination: (noun) definition – firmness of purpose. Synonyms: steadfastness, will power, tenacity, boldness, courage, resolution.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Leonardo da Vinci.

To be determined to get back up more times than one falls down is an admirable trait; a virtue that all champions around the world have in common. People who have succeeded after many failures have true grit in the face of adversity; people like inventor Thomas Edison, film maker Stephen Spielberg or writer Dr Seuss all had their ideas rejected time and time again, but they persisted, and in the end they triumphed.

The world is full of stories of persistence, bravery and determination to win against the odds, to be heard, to be seen, to have an innovative idea accepted, or they had a whole-hearted belief that their ideas could change the state of the world. On a global scale there are people who refused to back down or to give in, people who had seemingly radical thought and ideologies of the time which went against the status quo, like Emmaline Pankhurst one of the leading suffragettes for women’s rights in the U.K, and Nelson Mandela a stoic campaigner against apartheid in South Africa. Both were arrested and suffered for their opinions and their actions against the mood of society at the time, but in the end won favour and changed the world.

I am not suggesting that I or anyone else should need to be so anti-normative in challenging society to achieve freedom in the context I am addressing such as finances, career and independence. I am suggesting that with refusal to give up, using courage and determination to succeed, comes the will and the power to make it a reality. Never giving up means that one keeps searching no matter the odds, and eventually a solution or a transformation takes place, whether it is within the problem or within the person, with action comes change.

It has also been known that serendipity intervenes; one is in the right place at the right time, an influencer understands the struggle and offers a lifeline, an introduction leads to a job offer, a vital book is discovered which leads to different solutions, or the teacher appears when the student is ready. But one must stay in the game, keep searching, never quitting, always confident that success is possible and will happen.

True grit will get you there.

Gabe

Networking

2 June 2019

Day 2

Network: (verb) definition – meet with like-minded people to exchange knowledge and connections for mutual business or social benefit.

Synonyms: connect, link, interact.

“No man is an island, entire of itself…” John Dunne

Support

It has been said that to be truly successful in life takes a supportive team; therefore connectivity, conversation, encouragement and mutual respect are the way to achieve success. In my search for financial freedom (and freedom to be worry-free, freedom to be useful, freedom to make a difference), I realise I will have to learn to network with like-minded people, find mentors or a community of people who will encourage me, teach me and hear me.

My first steps towards this end have been to study a degree in Community Development over the past two years whist working in the community in aged and disability care. This has taught me to be brave, to value my input into these vulnerable people’s lives in making a positive difference. Opening one’s self up to scrutiny in the provision of service is daunting, as client’s may rightly say that I have not experienced what they are living. This is where empathy and reflective listening are paramount to understanding others; thinking critically before responding, keeping a kind heart and clear mind, trying to stay right there in the moment is how one helps those in need.

So within the search for my own freedom particularly in finding a way to be independent, to be financially viable and of benefit to society, I have found courage; courage to fail, get back up and build resilience, courage to focus on who I am and what I have to give and not on negative opinions of me or my skills, courage to continue to strive in the face of adversity, and courage to never give up, ever.

Being brave and putting one’s self “out there”, being unafraid of negative opinions, finding courage to network and to connect with those who have succeeded, with those on the same path, or even with those who tried and failed, courage to be vulnerable but steadfast and to listen, share and learn; these are traits worth building and are surely positive steps to freedom.  

“Fortune favours the brave”. (From “Phormio” by Terence 161 B.C.).

P.S. as it is the weekend, I have been cooking up a storm of wholesome and nourishing food. Today is my Lime and Thyme Marinated Mushrooms with cream cheese on sourdough.