Finding time, location, and financial freedom

Can you remember the first time you used the internet?  For many people, the internet has been part of their lives for about as long as they can remember, but some of us still remember what it was like for the internet to be a new and novel thing.

The first time I used the internet it was via a friend’s account.  He showed me how to find web pages and how to interact with others via chat.  I was amazed by it.  It was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that people from all over the world could read what I was typing the very second I posted it.

It didn’t take long after discovering the internet for me to begin wondering how I might be able to earn an income online.  The pathways weren’t as clear at the time, but I knew that entrepreneurial people wouldn’t take very long to figure it out.  Since that time, I have learned multiple ways to make an income online, and I’m happy to utilize several different approaches.

I bring that up, not so much to talk about the methods, but to encourage you to think about the benefits of earning an income from your digital platform or online business.  I’ve discovered, as have many others, that a successful online business eventually contributes to three forms of freedom.  As your online platform grows, you’ll eventually begin to enjoy time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom.

So please, take a moment to dream with me for just a few minutes and allow me to ask a few questions to help prime the pump of your dreams.  I would like you to experience time, location, and financial freedom, and what we’re doing inside Platform Launchers is intended to help contribute toward that, but for it to work, you have to want it for yourself just as much as I want it for you.  So let’s dream together for a few moments.

1.  What do you want your life to look like?  At present, I’m sure there are aspects of your daily life that you would keep the same if you could, no matter what, but there are probably also certain things you’d like to change if it was within your power to do so.  Developing an online platform can give you options that can drastically change what life looks like.

In general, I find it personally helpful to begin dreaming about the life I want to lead because doing so also helps me begin crafting the approach I think I need to take to help me get where I’m dreaming about going.  Give yourself permission to dream about what you want the next season of your life to look like.  It can help motivate you to take intentional actions that will help you get there.

2.  What would you like your work schedule to look like?  I have nothing against traditional schedules or traditional forms of employment.  I think they’re highly beneficial and can be an extremely useful tool to rely on, particularly when you’re in the process of building your dream career (which often starts off with a lot of instability).  But if you could dictate what your daily and weekly schedule looked like, how would you arrange it?

Most people, particularly during their working years, will never even entertain that thought because it just isn’t an option.  It’s possible that it may never cross their mind because they’re completely acclimated to working from 9-5 every day with weekends and holidays off.  Maybe they’re comfortable with that arrangement and wouldn’t want it to change, but is that the case for you?

What time would you wake up in the morning if you had the power to decide when your day began?  How would you structure your morning activities if you didn’t have a boss telling you what you needed to do?  What would you build, write, record, and create if you were completely in charge of your work schedule?

3.  Would you stop working if you could?  Recently, I listened to the life story of a man in the UK who made the decision to sell his business and retire from his profession in his mid-40s.  He believes it was a great decision, but he also acknowledged that many people might not be in a position to do something like that.

What about you?  Would you stop working if that was an option?  Many people would.  Personally speaking, I would not.  The forms of work that fill my week at this point are things I choose to do (with a few small exceptions).  I’m grateful for the ability to choose to do what I’m doing, but I also have to admit that there are several things on my schedule that I’ve given a time horizon.  Beyond a certain set date, I won’t be continuing to invest my time in several of the tasks I’m committed to at present.

4.  How might more flexibility improve your health and relationships?  This is a question many people don’t consider when they’re building an online business, but as you can imagine, this is a highly important concept to consider.

It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that some of your present responsibilities conflict with your desire to maintain optimal health.  You can only spend your time once, and if your responsibilities make it difficult to work out and eat right, your health may suffer.  This is something I have struggled with throughout my adult years, particularly because I tend to fill much of my available free time with additional activities.  Maybe you struggle with it as well, so wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy more flexibility so you could better focus on your health?

Likewise, can you identify relationships in your life that could be improved and better invested in if you enjoyed more time freedom?  How would that impact your relationship with your spouse, children, and other family members and friends?

There are many benefits that come with starting an online business or online platform, but these are just a few that you might enjoy as the fruit of your labors.  It takes time to build something valuable online, but once you do so, you may be able to answer the four questions I’m asking.  Time, location, and financial freedom should be topics you give some thought to as you work hard to realize the dream of building a healthy online business.

© John Stange, 2024