In January 2000, after a time of hellish travel, dealing with a difficult client and more stress than I have ever dealt with before, I was physically sick for about a week. I have had job-related stress before, but never to the point of being physically ill. It scared and angered me. Whatever I thought I was getting out of my job, it wasn't worth this. I had a long talk with my boyfriend that evening that ended up lasting until 6 am.

Even if I changed accounts, there would still be a client to deal with. Even if I left my job for another job, there would still be a client to deal with. I wanted control - so much control that I could fire the client if I didn't think it was worth working for them any more. The next obvious choice is self-employment. I am not a salesman (although I am working on that skill more than before) and the thought of having irregular income frightened me. I have seen friends who did contract work for a living go through this feast-or-famine cycle, and I didn't want to do that.

My boyfriend was extremely supportive, and after we had worked out way through the fact that any "job" would likely put me in the same position I was in now, he suggested that I just retire early - make and save enough money to have a steady income and not need a "job". This would give me the freedom to work on whatever I wanted (art, volunteering, etc.) and still provide me with the security of regular income. It was a perfect solution, and I thank him for it. I had made a decision.

I needed passive income - money that would come to me indirectly, be taxed less than wages, and would be there on a monthly basis just like a paycheck, but without the demanding client or the commute. In order to achieve enough passive income to retire and still have enough money to maintain my current lifestyle for the rest of my days would take a lot of change and work. But, based on the calculations I used, at the end of 10 years, I would have enough money saved and invested that I could retire (i.e. not work) and still maintain my current standard of living. Thus was born my plan for financial freedom. It took an additional 10 months to create accurate records and implement the structure of the plan, but it was so much more than I had before.

In order to know how much I could save and invest per month, I needed to know how much I spent - if not to the penny, then at least to the dollar. I started to keep a spending record, and still do to this day. I have a small notebook that I carry with me everywhere, and whenever I spend money, I write it down in the notebook. Some months are better or worse than others, but after about 5 months, I had a good enough record to see where my money was going. Setting aside money for basic living expenses (rent, food, electricity, water, gas for the car, etc.), I was able to see how much per month I could dedicate to my plan. While I do not have a set budget the way most people use the word, I know how much money I make per month, how much of that is needed for basic living, and how much needs to go into my plan. Anything else is up for grabs. And I do still buy a few doodads, because doodads make me happy, and I don't plan to be miserable for the next 10 years.

And so my 10 year plan was in place, and I was following it, but not necessarily taking an active part in it, as it relied on the standard stock market theme of "stock investments over long periods of time go up".

In the middle of 2001, I was introduced to Robert Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and then his financial education game CASHFLOW.

And suddenly, I wasn't happy with my plan anymore.

I have often dreamed of being rich, but it usually involved winning the lottery (which tends to be difficult to do if you don't actually buy a ticket, which is the reason it was just a fantasy). Now, after reading Kiyosaki's books and playing his game, being rich was no longer a result of luck. It could be attained, by me, in a matter of years. If I was willing to put in the work, which I am. And it is a lot of work.

As I learn more about business, money, and investments, my plan has been modified, and I have tried different things. Some worked, some did not, but all have been a learning experience that I gained valuable information from. The most important fact is that when something did not work, I did not stop trying. While the means have shifted, the goal has never wavered, and will be attained. Aspects of my original plan is still in place, but now I am taking a much more active interest in my financial education, both internally and externally.

So far, most of it has been internal work, which is my terminology for the mental processing I go through when reading Kiyosaki's books (and other business/finance/personal growth books). Many of his concepts and ideas are like running into a brick wall for me. I am (currently) a very hard-core E/S, and it takes the initial shock, the mediocre mind backtalk, a lot of what-if situations, and generally a few hours for me to work my way through to the B/I point of view. But once there, I know I have accomplished something that will let me be rich, not only monetarily, but in quality of life as well.

Part of working my way to financial freedom is the creation of passive income - money that comes to me whether or not I actively do anything. The affiliate links on this site are one of my passive income streams. The 2-3 cents per month I earn on my savings account at my bank is passive income. The check I get in the mail every month from my online business is passive income.

As of January, 2004, I am still working full-time because my passive income is not yet equal to my paycheck. Once it is, however, I will get my 40-50 hours a week back and spend them however I want, not how someone tells me to spend them.

FYI ABOUT MY STOCK INVESTMENTS: Also, after having found the light in the darkness of the stock market known as Kim Snider, I will no longer invest in any stock unless it is using her method.