Financial freedom – Inspiration Shot February 2019
Do you need to make money before you can be free and follow your passion? Or is it better to actually turn what you are passionate about into something profitable to achieve that freedom? It’s a chicken and egg dilemma. I have always been a huge believer in doing what you are passionate about – because that doesn’t feel like work. But to be honest, I notice that many people experience financial worries that may take away some of the pleasure.
Therefore I have started exploring ways to generate ‘passive’ income. Ways to make money that don’t require a certain passion or skill, but that do require a certain commitment. If you can set up a passive income stream, then you can focus on doing what you love – in many cases: travel.
Be warned: both being location independent and becoming financially independent are not as easy or straightforward as they may seem.
Check out these articles on somewhat controversial themes. Is this what you want? If it’s a big YES, then continue reading the inspiration and practical tips on how to become financially independent.
Confession: I am not a digital nomad. I am a LIE
Not everybody will like what I have to say. I am going to be very honest. Magazines call me the first and/or most famous ‘digital nomad’ of The Netherlands. But I have doubts about whether that is a compliment. The term ‘digital nomad’ has become very popular in recent years. It indicates a social movement where freedom has become more of a status symbol than money. Many (young!) people want to travel the world and sip cocktails while posing for Instagram pictures on an exotic beach. But that is not what it is all about. There are two completely different groups of people who get identified as Digital Nomads: 1. ‘Backpackers with a blog’ who basically want to travel and party as long as they can stretch their budget and then return to ‘sedentary life’. This is not me. I am a LIE. Want to read more? Check out my blog.
Don’t ask me where I am from, ask me where I am a local…
“All experience is local. All Identity is experience”. These three R’s determine where you are a local: Rituals – Relationships – Restrictions.
Thanks to this great TED speech by Taiye Selasi I now know that I am a ‘multi-local’!
Are you a true traveler?
Love stepping out of your comfort zone? Feel compelled to explore all corners of the earth? Eager for authentic cultural experiences? Have an incurable lust for adventure? Replying yes to any of these means you’re well on the way to being a true traveler.
Check these 15 points to see if you are a ‘true traveler’. The test is a bit ‘American’, therefore easy to score high as an European…:
Passive income
‘Passive income’ is not passive: you have to do something for it. But if you set up your business smartly, your income is not related to – or limited by – the number of hours you invest in it.
To some, the idea of quitting their day job to start a business is exhilarating. For others, it’s terrifying. It helps to set up a side business to transition in when it provided enough income.
Chris Guillebeau’s new book ‘Side Hustle’ gives inspiration on how to get from Idea to income in 27 days with hundreds of case studies.
If you want to do more research, check out ‘The four-hour workweek in practice’, a blog with lots of links to podcasts and other resources:
10 case studies of entrepreneurs working with the ‘4 hour workweek’ principle.
Sustainable travel?
What I thought was just a ‘fun’ infographic of my flights in the past 10 years generated by the KLM app, turned out to cause quite some discussion about flying, CO2 and compensation. Never before has a post of mine generated over 35.000 views (!) on LinkedIn. The discussion was not always balanced but did provide lots of valuable points of view. How sustainable is your travel? Do you have fly-pride or fly-shame?
Create your passive income in just one week
Dropshipping is one of the most well-known ways to generate a passive income. You sell online products that are delivered directly to the customer by the supplier. During an interview with Shamangy, who makes €500 per day with her own webshop, the idea of organizing a Dropshipping Bootcamp came up. From April 13-20 we’ll help you to set up your online store in 7 days. In 1 week – in a beautiful all-inclusive hotel in Austria- you’ll have your shop up and running, your products tested and perhaps already the first sales. With a limited investment in time and money you thus create your own basic income. There’s a free webinar on Feb 25th to give you more information on dropshipping in general and the Bootcamp specifically. Take the test to see if this is for you.
(PS The webinar and the first Bootcamp are in Dutch. If you are interested in an English version, please let us know!)
Free update of ‘Handboek voor Wereldburgers’
It is exactly 6 years ago this month that I was ‘fired’ from the Netherlands because I was traveling too much …
The (Dutch) ‘Handbook for World Citizens’ that I wrote about it, inspired thousands of people to get out of the system and helped them start their location independent life.
I recently updated it with many new adventures, practical tips, links and extra info about the tax authorities, insurance, passport, driving license, setting up a company abroad etc.
If you have purchased the ‘Handboek voor Wereldburgers‘ in my webshop, you should have already received an email with the free 2019 update.
Haven’t received the update yet? Did you buy the book somewhere else? Send me an email with a) your purchase receipt or b) a photo of you with the book and I’ll send you the update.
Want to buy (or gift) the book? Use the code WERELDBURGERUPDATE for a 25% discount, both on the paper book and PDF.
Where is Esther?
Winter is not so bad if you only have a few weeks of it. I am really enjoying my few cold weeks in Amsterdam. The city is amazing, even when it’s cold and rainy, even better when it snows and is sunny. I am slowly starting to use my knee again: some walking, biking and even a few basic exercises give hope that some more improvement can be expected. I am even hoping to be able to ski a few hours – very, very carefully – next week in France, but I know I should not expect too much.
Looking forward to next month in tropical Curaçao where I am organizing a writing week in the most beautiful location…
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