When most of us think of success, we think of financial freedom. Success for many of us has to do with attaining external standards for money and possessions, and the ultimate motivation for this accomplishment is to be free from worries on our finances. But each of us has a different path to financial freedom, it’s up to us to discover it ourselves.

This journal “My Path to Financial Freedom” from Avida Land reminded me how I found mine.

It All Starts With a Plan

According to Benjamin Franklin, if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. So the first step is to plan and the journal taught me how to set up my financial goals that served as my roadmap to financial freedom. Remember to plan S.M.A.R.T. It should be S-pecific, M-easurable, A-ttainable, R-elevant, and T-ime-bound.

Invest

Let’s face it, to be successful we need to shift from being a consumer to being an owner. And you’ll do it by becoming an investor. After you set your personal goal, it’s time to find out where best to put your money. In my case, I love books and my educational background is layout and design so I invested my savings in publishing a book of my own. Now I have more than 100 books that I am currently distributing in all branches of National Bookstore and other retail outlets.

In other words, invest in the things you love so you have the motivation and knowledge to nurture it.

Level Up

They say doing business is a gamble and your best bet to keep climbing the ladder of financial freedom is discipline and determination. Just make a commitment to stand firm and think long term. And don’t forget to prepare for things beyond your comfort zone with eyes focused on your carefully chosen goals.

In a nutshell, I learned the following business tips from the journal:

• Study Your Cash Flow
• Have Discipline
• Protect Yourself
• Choose your Investment
• Leverage
• Be SMARTER

Share your journey to being financially free and inspire others to take on the challenge by joining the conversation online. When posting on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, use the hashtag #JumpstartYourFuture and tag @AvidaLandPH.