fbpx

Do You Choose Short Term Comfort over Long Term Freedom?


by Ryan Biddulph

All products and services featured on this site are independently selected by our authors and editors. If you buy something through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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.

About the Author 

Ryan Biddulph

Ryan Biddulph helps you learn how to blog at Blogging From Paradise.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

I've read thousands, if not tens of thousands of books over the years. I am the owner and CEO of a multi-million

Read More
Will Reading Books Make Me Successful?

This analogy sounds strange. But hear me out. Most people seek a home run, swing wildly, miss and live their life without

Read More
Do You Fish for One Great White or a Million Guppies?

……discomfort awaits. I spent the past 30 minutes scanning my email to handle stuff. Typically I spend 5 minutes in email. Nothing

Read More
No Matter How Much You Grow…..

Every human being reflects you back to you. Every person mirrors how you think and feel about yourself.  All sentient beings are

Read More
Why See People As Mirrors?

People often say that a clean desk is a sign of a tidy mind. While I’m not sure that’s always the case,

Read More
How I Achieved Success by Keeping My Office Space Clutter-Free

My wife and I visited our niece yesterday. She is an energetic 5 year old who enjoys spending time with her aunt

Read More
Do You Forget Now to Worry about the Future?

I see a massive blogging problem on a daily basis. Bloggers make the common error of trying to convince: skepticscriticsnegative reviewersdoubtershaters versus

Read More
Why Convince Skeptics When Fans Await You?

On my drive this morning, my mind was a million miles away, and I took a wrong turn. As soon as I

Read More
Making a U-Turn in Life

Our book of the month is Balance: Creating a Well-Balanced Vision for Your Life. Have you ever found yourself working so hard

Read More
Book of the Month – Balance: Creating a Well Balanced Vision for Your Life

If you’re in your twenties, it’s possible you feel torn. Some people are telling you that you have “all the time in

Read More
The Importance of Personal Growth in Your Twenties

When did you last encounter a pressing problem? Think through the obstacle. What was the problem? Guess what? You created the problem

Read More
Every Problem Begins in Your Mind

My wife checked flight tickets to Costa Rica yesterday. We intend to spend 3 months in the Land of the Ticos beginning

Read More
Mind Blowing Lives Are Rooted in the Mundane

SUBSCRIBE

Get new articles and course discounts from leading providers every Friday in your inbox with your free subscription!

>