How to become Happily Jobless

      





A lot of people want to be happily jobless but few actually achieve that. There are many rich people in the world, but being rich alone is not being happily jobless, if that wealth comes with responsibilities and lack of personal, quality time. Many rich people lack time to spend with their family and loved ones, because they cannot afford to be absent from whatever that they do.

So what is a happy jobless life?

Taking myself as an example, I consider a happy jobless life one that exhibits the following important characteristics:
  1. You are fulfilled and satisfied with your life.
  2. You can afford all the things you need.
  3. You have no debts.
  4. Your income is not directly linked to any form of work.
  5. You work from home, at your own time and pace, doing things that you enjoy.
How do you become happily jobless?

Becoming happily jobless is not something that comes on its own. You have to work your way towards it. You also have to recognize what it is, or else you will simply pass it by it without knowing that you did.

Let's tackle the characteristics I have listed out above.
  1. Achieving fulfillment and satisfaction in life
    Some people get no satisfaction in life, no matter what they are given. Such people will never be happy, regardless the situation. If you are regularly unhappy about things you cannot control (ie politics, traffic, unfairness, cruelties), you should refocus your attention on things that brings satisfaction.

    One way to achieve fulfillment and satisfaction is to be kind and charitable. Reexamine your daily actions. When was the last time you said something kind or courteous to a stranger? When was the last time you said "thank you" to someone who serves you? When was the last time you show love to your family members?

    The source of happiness often comes from within us. We should be mindful that the world will simply continue as it is whether or not we are happy. So it is up to us to decided daily that it is going to be another happy day.

  2. Affording the things you need
    The things you need, not the things you want. How much do you need to get by? If you are not sure, list them down. How much do you spend for food, utilities, rental and transportation.

    One of the sources of unhappiness is that we allow our wants to cloud our needs. A big house, an expensive car, vacation to exotic locations - are those wants or needs? Would you die if you don't live in a big house or drive an expensive car or take an exotic vacation?

    Basic necessities do not cost that much, and if they are still too costly to you, then plan to further deduction of your needs. If driving is too expensive, can you take a bus? If taking a bus is too expensive, can you cycle?

    How much do you want to be happily jobless? If you say, very much, then you should do whatever necessary to reach that goal.

  3. We are debt free
    Most people get into debts because of their wants, not their needs. It is their bad habits, which may include uncontrollable spending/shopping, as well as addiction to drinking, drugs, gambling and other vices that are not part of daily needs.

    If you wish to be happily jobless, never get into debts related to wants. The only debt you should allow yourself is the one related to needs: for example, you need a roof over your head, so you buy a home and have a mortgage for it. Having said that, you should clear that mortgage as soon as you can, so that you will become debt free once more.

  4. Your income is not directly linked to any form of work.
    A millionaire was once asked, "How many streams of income do you have?"
    He answered, "Not enough."

    Like the millionaire, the Happy Jobless Guy never has enough streams of income. He has a built-in radar to look for new opportunities to earn passive income. Passive income may come from online and offline source.

    The traditional forms of passive income include bank interest, dividends, rentals, investments, royalties, etc. Today you can also derive passive income from the web, from advertisements, affiliate programs, e-books, sales, etc. Sales are passive income only if they are carried out without your manual involvement.

    To be happily jobless, concentrate on increasing passive income - even if you have to work hard to build up the system that generates it. The best systems to generate passive income are those that require minimal investment and minimal input of time and maintenance.

  5. You work from home, at your own time and pace, doing things that you enjoy.
    You time on earth is limited. You want to spend as much of it doing the things you enjoy. There's more money in this world than you can earn. Instead of trying to be rich for wealth sake, focus on increasing the quality of your life. Make it a life well spent.

Remember this: it's easy to be jobless. It's not impossible to be rich. To be happily jobless requires personal discipline. Are you the material for it?