True Price of Freedom: How I Learned to Think Long-Term
Discover the value of expanding your time horizon.
In today's world, we all want things fast. Scrolling through social media, watching shows back-to-back on Netflix, and buying things with a click makes us happy right away. But this habit of wanting quick rewards can hurt our future happiness and success. I found this out myself, and it wasn't easy. Let me tell you what I discovered to be the true price of freedom.
The Trap of Instant Gratification
The modern world has seamlessly integrated instant gratification into every facet of our lives, teaching us that we can have what we want, when we want it, with minimal effort. This mindset, however, is a double-edged sword. When applied to our goals and aspirations, the expectation for quick results can lead us down a path of frustration, impatience, and ultimately, failure.
The problem with instant gratification is its insidious ability to shape our expectations and decision-making processes. We start to believe that every desire, goal, or ambition should be attainable with the same ease as ordering from Amazon or streaming a movie on Netflix. This belief sets us up for disappointment and disillusionment, as the most valuable and rewarding achievements in life rarely come without time, effort, and perseverance.
My Personal Encounter
I, too, fell into the trap of instant gratification. At the beginning of this year, I set a clear goal for myself: to establish a positive cash flow for our family, so we wouldn’t have to keep exchanging time for money, thereby gaining more freedom of choice in our lives. My biggest mistake? Expecting this transformation to happen quickly.
January was a whirlwind. I tried to do a million things, exploring countless ways to increase our family wealth, driven by the urgency and impatience that the instant gratification mindset had instilled in me. The result was burnout—an overwhelming sense of failure and exhaustion that made me question everything I was doing.
Learning from the Best: The Value of Long-Term Thinking
In my search for answers, I turned to the wisdom of those who had achieved the kind of success I aspired to. A common theme emerged: good things take time. These successful individuals emphasized the importance of action over planning. While it’s crucial to have a strategy, real learning and progress come from taking steps forward, no matter how small.
Jon Butcher’s advice to expand your time horizon struck a chord with me. He advocates for thinking long-term, urging us not to get frustrated or distracted by short-term goals that seem unattainable. Instead, we should set ourselves on a path of long-term success, built on the foundation of consistent, daily action.
The Reality: No Shortcuts to Success
The journey to long-term success has no shortcuts. Overnight success has hundreds of days of consistent action behind it that we often never see. True progress requires dedication, persistence, and the willingness to think beyond the immediate horizon.
By embracing long-term thinking, we can start to see beyond the immediate challenges and setbacks. We learn to appreciate the journey, understanding that each step forward, no matter how small, is a victory in itself. This mindset shift allows us to set realistic goals, develop patience, and build a sustainable path toward achieving our dreams.
Conclusion: The True Price of Freedom
The price of freedom—be it financial freedom, freedom of choice, or any other form of liberation—is the willingness to think long-term. It’s about understanding that real, lasting change takes time, effort, and resilience.
Through my journey, I’ve learned that the key is to expand my time horizon and take consistent action every day.
Where can you apply this mindset in your life right now?