Do You Choose Short Term Comfort over Long Term Freedom?

My wife and I woke up around 8:30 today. We decided to take a hike in the Hike Peaks Wilderness Area of the Adirondacks of New York State.

This region is the 2nd largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi. Brilliant autumn foliage makes it one of the prettier regions for hiking in the whole of the United States. Factor in a score of decent-sized mountains providing you with ample views of the surrounding countryside and you have a winner.

We drove to a popular hike; Hurricane Mountain. 30 cars filled the trail head. We decided to return on a weekday at evening. 5 PM sounds perfect. My wife and I have the freedom to do what we want when we want to do it to avoid crowds. We both run online businesses. We can – and do – travel indefinitely to virtually anywhere.

But we only experience long term freedom because we sacrificed experiencing short term comfort for quite a while. Neither of us worked jobs guaranteeing steady pay and health benefits over the past decade. Nor did we settle in by buying a home.

Few people on earth are free to do what they want to, where they want to, when they want to do it. Such is the life of humans who design their life to experience long term freedom over short term comfort.

Short Term Comfort Comes at a Steep Cost

Imagine you seek short term comfort. Make sure you:

• pay your bills
• put a roof over your head
• put food on the table
• save a few dollars for a rainy day

Working a job is the most popular, easiest vehicle for experiencing short term comfort. But receiving a steady paycheck comes at a steep cost; you trade most of your freedom – near and long term – for the short term comfort.

My wife and I note a massive spike in folks hiking travels on weekends because most people do not have the freedom to hike at any time of the day on any day. Employees have Saturday and Sunday for free time in most cases. People who work jobs generally have 1-2 weeks of vacation time PER YEAR until becoming established employees.

Someone tells you:

“Work here at these set times to get steady pay.”

But experiencing this short term comfort means:

• not having unlimited freedom
• trading 40 to 50 hours of your week – or more – being in one spot for a set time to make a living
• dealing with crowds, lines and borderline chaos on Saturdays and Sundays as you rush to take hikes, to go for rides and to run errands with the millions of other human beings who choose short term comfort over long term freedom

I cannot comprehend engineering my life based on someone telling me what to do, these days at least. I chose a different reality 10 years ago the moment I began building my online business.

Follow my lead if you value long term freedom over short term comfort.

Prepare for Uncomfortable Moments

Letting go short term comfort involves facing fears as you walk toward long term freedom. Feel uncomfortable. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Take the path less traveled to experience long term freedom.

Imagine being able to work when you want to work. Imagine loving how you make a living. Picture shopping at 8 PM on a Wednesday night to avoid lines. Picture yourself hiking on a Monday before dusk in a silent, serene forest.

Freedom, peace of mind, serenity and calm greets people who choose long term freedom over short term comfort.

Being free requires ample work, time, patience and a willingness to face fears but wouldn't you rather be liberated than enslaved by your fears and love of short term comfort?

Humans live to thrive, not to just survive.