One of the most important things to have in life is freedom. However, the majority of people will never truly achieve it throughout their lives. No, I’m not talking about the kind of freedom everyone except prisoners possesses. I’m talking about the freedom of choice—a profound, often elusive concept that transcends the basic idea of liberty.

Almost all successful people emphasize their freedom and how it was what they were searching for when they began their journey. It’s not just financial wealth that drives them, but the ability to live life on their own terms. I’m referring to financial freedom—the freedom of your one and only currency: time. Time is the only finite resource we all share, yet many of us spend it in ways dictated by obligations rather than desires.

Sure, you might earn a million dollars a year, but you can still be enslaved by your own money. Without dedicating at least 8 hours a day to your high-paying job, you can’t maintain that income. Your lifestyle becomes dependent on a constant cycle of effort and reward, leaving little room for true autonomy. This dependence traps you in a loop that often feels inescapable, even when the rewards seem high.

Now, imagine this: you decide to pursue one of the highest-paying professions, like becoming a physician or a medic. Naturally, you’ll earn a lot, and society will view you as successful. But what happens if you suddenly stop going to work? What happens if, for some reason, you lose your ability to work altogether? Perhaps you face an unexpected illness, an accident, or even burnout. All that effort—6 years of education, 8 years of internship and work experience—is effectively gone. You’re left with nothing but some modest savings and a meager pension. It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it?

This isn’t to say that high-paying jobs are inherently bad. They offer stability, status, and the ability to enjoy life’s comforts. But there’s an underlying risk many people don’t consider: the moment you stop trading your time for money, the income stops. You’ve built your life on a system that demands constant input, leaving you vulnerable to circumstances beyond your control.

Of course, earning a high income from a job is great—it provides temporary happiness. It allows you to buy nice things, travel to exciting places, and afford experiences that many people dream of. But in the end, you’re not truly free. The price you pay for that income is your time, and once your time is gone, it’s gone forever.

The only way to achieve complete freedom is to transcend the concept of money. Money itself doesn’t exist—it’s just a value system people created for the exchange of goods and services. In reality, the only currency we all possess is time and energy. These are the resources we’re born with, and how we use them defines the quality of our lives. You exchange your value (time and effort) for that standardized currency (fiat money). But as long as you’re selling your time, you’ll never achieve freedom of choice. Your choices will always be tied to what you can afford, and affordability is a direct function of how much you’re willing to sacrifice.

True freedom begins when you can generate income without expending your time and energy. I’m talking about passive income—the holy grail of financial independence. Only when you start earning money without trading your time will you feel that freedom. Passive income allows you to reclaim your time, giving you the freedom to focus on what truly matters to you.

There are several ways to build passive income that’s sufficient to support your living expenses. These include investment-based passive income, digital product-based passive income, and business-based passive income. Each of these pathways offers unique opportunities and challenges, and the right one for you depends on your current stage of life. For example, investments require capital, while digital products may demand creativity and initial effort. Moreover, these types of passive income often overlap—there’s no rigid separation between them as they are all interconnected.

Investment-based passive income involves putting your money to work in assets that generate returns. This could be through stocks, real estate, or dividend-paying investments. While this route requires initial capital, the returns can be significant over time. Digital product-based passive income, on the other hand, leverages the power of technology. Whether it’s an eBook, an online course, or an app, once the product is created and marketed, it can generate revenue with minimal ongoing effort. Business-based passive income involves setting up systems that run with little to no involvement, such as franchising, outsourcing, or automating your operations.

The beauty of passive income is that it liberates you from the need to constantly trade your time for money. Once you establish a reliable stream of passive income, your life transforms. You’re no longer working to survive; instead, you’re living to thrive. Imagine waking up every day knowing that your bills are covered regardless of whether you choose to work that day. It’s a profound shift in mindset and lifestyle.

Once you have passive income that covers your living expenses, you’ll be free to decide what you truly want to do with your life. It’s no longer about doing something because you need to; it’s about doing it because you want to. You’ll have the luxury of exploring your passions, pursuing your dreams, and living authentically. The freedom to choose how you spend your time is one of life’s greatest gifts.

Personally, my pursuit is to gather knowledge—any kind of knowledge—but especially empirical knowledge. Most knowledge already exists, written and ready to be consumed. However, the only time you truly gain knowledge is when you experience it empirically. Reading about a concept can teach you the theory, but experiencing it firsthand allows you to internalize it in a way nothing else can. That’s the kind of knowledge I seek: the wisdom that comes from living and learning through real-life experiences.

This desire for knowledge is what drives me to achieve financial freedom. It’s not just about having money—it’s about having the time and space to pursue what matters most to me. Financial freedom will allow me to immerse myself in the pursuit of empirical knowledge while also letting me fully enjoy life. After all, life is meant to be lived, not just endured.

There’s another important aspect to this pursuit: the ability to enjoy the present moment. When you’re financially free, you’re not constantly worrying about how to make ends meet or what the future holds. You can focus on the here and now, savoring the experiences and relationships that make life meaningful. This state of being is often referred to as true wealth—having the time, health, and peace of mind to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

Achieving financial freedom isn’t easy. It requires discipline, planning, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. You might need to learn new skills, take calculated risks, and embrace uncertainty. But the rewards are worth it. The freedom to live life on your own terms is priceless.

After all, there’s no clear path after death—no definitive roadmap for what comes next. That’s why it’s so important to make the most of the time we have. Life is a gift, and it’s up to each of us to use it wisely. Why not enjoy life to its fullest and be true to yourself? Why not strive for the freedom that allows you to live authentically, pursue your passions, and leave a lasting impact on the world?