In our brand new interview series, we are interviewing various individuals from across the web. This interview series focuses on how they are living a better life. They can be living a better life by pursuing financial independence, minimalism, simplicity, and many more aspects. Are you interested in being interviewed? Continue reading!
Want to be interviewed?
If you want to be interviewed about how you are living a better life. Contact us at TimLifeForTheBetter@gmail.com and tell us why you’d be a great candidate!
Give us your best elevator speech!
My wife and I are 25 and working towards a goal of a million dollar net worth. I’m currently working full time, blogging, running an eBay business and learning new side hustles.
We’re trying to hit a million dollars as quickly as we can because work will become optional at that point and we’ll be able to devote all of our time to the things that mean the most to us. I’d like to leave the world in better shape than it was before I got here and I’m constantly looking at new ways to do that.
How are you living a better life than you were last year? 5 years ago? 10?
I’ve got a much better financial plan than I did a year ago. I look at the world a lot differently and have become much more content with my life. I buy less things now because I’ve realized buying stuff doesn’t improve my long term happiness. I didn’t buy any new clothes last year and that’s probably a first since I started making money.
5 years ago, I was lost. I didn’t have much direction at all as far as how I wanted my future to play out and now I live a lot more intentionally. We only get a small amount of time in this life, so I’ve cut out a lot of things that aren’t meaningful.
10 years ago, I was just 15 and didn’t know much about anything. I’ve learned so much over the past 10 years and have realized I need to continue learning for the rest of my life. I’m not much now, but I’ve made a lot of progress since I was 15!
What would you tell your younger self?
I’d tell myself to start using my free time to learn as much as possible about everything. I’ve wasted so much time on random things over the years and wish I could go back and learn more when I had more time to do it. I’d read any book I could get my hands on and start following great thinkers.
It wasn’t until a year or two ago that I realized I could learn anything if I put the time and work into it. I thought my life was determined by my environment and circumstances, but now I know that those things don’t control me. My thoughts and actions determine the majority of how my life plays out.
I would also tell myself to pursue flipping things on eBay as a serious source of income. I sold random things I didn’t want anymore when I was a teenager, but I didn’t think to go out and buy things to flip. I’d probably be earning a full time income from it at this point if I had done that instead of trying to work a regular job and I’d be able to have control over my time.
What made you want to change the way you were living?
I’ve always had a curious mind and have struggled with being content at any stage in life. At one point, I was mopping the floors at the gas station I worked at and a thought randomly hit me. If I didn’t do something to improve myself, I was going to be working at that gas station for years. I hated that thought.
I decided to sign up for community college the next semester and my career has improved so much since then. I’m currently working from home as a systems engineer.
Does financial independence play a role? If so, how?
Financial independence definitely plays a role in my life. If you plan to retire at any age, you’re pursuing financial independence. I don’t necessarily want to retire when I become financially independent, but I do want the freedom to control my time.
If I didn’t have to worry about money right now, I could spend a lot more time doing the things I love. Once I become financially independent, I hope to still have a source of income that doesn’t require a lot of my time so I’ll have money to use for helping others and giving back to the community.
What advice do you have for others in living a better life?
If you don’t have a sense of financial security, do everything you can to get to that point. I’m not financially independent yet, but my wife and I never stress about money. Avoiding debt and saving a good portion of your income will bring you more peace and opportunities to live a free life with less worry.
Think about something small you can work on each day. Once you start cleaning up your act, you’ll be amazed at the progress you can make. It doesn’t have to be money related. If you work on anything consistently for years, you’re going to see a lot of results.
What books/podcasts/blogs have you consumed that lead you to this point?
Since there are so many good blogs on money, I haven’t spent much time reading books about it. The most life changing blog I’ve read is Mr. Money Mustache. He does such a good job of making you realize happiness doesn’t come from spending money.
I’ve actually learned more about finance from listening to the ChooseFI podcast though. The variety of guests on the ChooseFI podcast cover just about every thing you can think of when it comes to personal finance.
I’m a podcast junkie, so here’s a list of the ones I enjoy.
- Mad Fientist
- Scavenger Life
- Tim Ferriss
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- The Jordan B Peterson Podcast
- The Art of Manliness
- Laptop Empires
- Hardcore History
- Millennial Money Minutes
- Do You Even Blog
- ProBlogger
What’s one area in your life you still struggle with?
I still struggle sometimes with being able to stop working and just enjoy life. I’ve taken on so many projects and sometimes it’s hard to get a good work-life balance. I’ve told myself not to take on anything new for now and actually work to cut some things out of my life eventually.
If you had to give just 1 tip that you’ve learned along your journey, what would it be and why?
Find what gives you the biggest sense of meaning and devote as much time as you can to it. Happiness comes and goes, but having purpose and meaning in what you’re doing will motivate you to press on.
Even if you don’t believe in a God that created you, the mere fact that you exist is a miracle. Think about everything that has happened for you to be living and reading this article. Either God or the universe decided you should exist, so do something of value with your time.
Where can readers get in touch with you?
You can follow me on my blog Millionaire Dojo and on Facebook and Twitter as Millionaire Dojo. My Facebook group is growing nicely and we talk a lot about flipping things on eBay if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
Check out other interviews here!
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