Effortless Investing

What is a mission?

A mission isn’t just a goal; it’s a fire in your soul. It’s that burning desire to achieve something, no matter the obstacles. Dismissal? Bring it on. Doubt? I’ll fuel my fire with it. It starts as a whisper – a ‘what if?’ – a seed of possibility.

But watch out, because this seed has the potential to explode. It grows, relentlessly, dominating your thoughts, consuming your every waking moment. Suddenly, it’s not just something you want to do; it’s something you must do. Driven by an unwavering will, you forge your own path, defying the skeptics and the naysayers. You’ll reach your destination, not because the world told you to, but because you willed yourself to.

My Mission: A Journey of Discovery

My mission has been in motion for all my life, before I even realized.

Sometimes your mission isn’t a choice, sometimes it comes from your past. They can be forged in your childhood, often lying dormant until you realize your purpose.

When I was younger, my family, like lots of families, didn’t have much money. My parents divorced when I was young. I went to live with my Mum and my Brother. We were happy. I stayed in contact with my Dad, visited often and still have a good relationship with him to this day.

Still, being supported by a single mother makes things a financial struggle. One income between a family of three can quickly become stretched thin.

Seeking to earn some extra money, I started working as soon as I could. Beginning with a paper round. Eventually working as a cleaner in my school after hours. I didn’t earn much but it gave me the power to visit friends, buy things I wanted. A little slice of freedom, just a taste.

A Taste of Travel

My Mum always strived to give us the best lives possible. Give us fond memories to look back on as adults, as I often do now.

My Mum would often look at travel sites, sorting by the cheapest. Finding which destination would cost the least for a family of three. We travelled to a lot of places many people would think unconventional for a family holiday. Vilnius in Lithuania, Frankfurt in Germany and various locations around the UK. While the travel was budget-friendly, the unique destinations awakened a sense of adventure within me.

I didn’t notice it until I had moved out of home. I was working my first full-time job after University. I had very little money. I was critically underpaid. I was also saving for a place to live with my girlfriend. It was around then I also realized my dislike of working for other people. Wanting to forge my own path, not having to answer to managers and supervisors.

Near the end of my first year of working I realized I had a lot of time accumulated as holiday. I had to use it within a month or so. Otherwise, I would lose it as I couldn’t carry it over to the next year.

A Taste of Adventure

Spontaneously, I decided I was going to travel. I wanted to travel, see the world. There was one issue. I had never travelled as a adult, and I didn’t know where to start. My last holidays had been the ones I had taken with my Mum and Brother when I was younger. I had no destination, no real plan and not a lot of money to spend on a holiday. On a whim, I suggested a trip to a group chat with some friends I had made at University. Expecting them all to be busy and unable to take a spontaneous trip due to the short notice. To my surprise one of them agreed.

We both did some searching to get the biggest bang for our buck. Both of us wanted to explore as much as possible. Eventually we discovered interrailling. Getting trains to various destinations in Europe, all under one ticket.

Luckily due to our age we were able to get the ticket at a heavy discount. We found flights to the cheapest destination as my Mum once had. Found return flights from a nearby country we could travel to within a week. Figured out which countries we wanted to visit along the way, booked cheap hostels or AirBnb’s. Triumphantly, we bought our interrail tickets, eagerly anticipating our first journey out into the world.

The trip was relatively short, a little over a week. But it felt like a lifetime. When I came back I felt changed. I had an amazing experience. I’d recommend interrailing to everyone looking to experience the world. You can see more about it here.

I got to see sights I didn’t know existed, experience a side of life I never thought I would. I met people with entirely different experiences of life and what it meant to them. People with entirely different life goals, different dreams, different expectations of what life can give them.

I got to see the Alps for the first time in Austria, I had never seen anything so breath-taking. Up until that point I had only seen them through photos, which definitely don’t do them justice.

I got to walk around Lake Bled in Slovenia. A sight that now occasionally graces me from my desk in the form of a screensaver.

Crossed the famous Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana! I got to swim in Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe, in the height of winter. Yes it was as cold as it sounds! I got to experience the expanse of Budapest from Gellért Hill.

Freedom as the Ultimate Goal

After I got home and returned to work, I struggled to focus. My mind stuck on the places I had been, the places I wanted to go.

It was around this time I finally realized my mission, freedom. Freedom at any cost. I didn’t want to be tied to one place, I wanted to travel. I wanted to have my life in a backpack, able to travel when and where I wanted. Something that a traditional 9-5 couldn’t give me.

I wanted to work when I wanted and if I wanted. I didn’t want to worry about if I was going to afford a bed for the night. I didn’t want to worry about if I could afford to eat. I just wanted to travel, full-time, with little to no worries. All I wanted was freedom, all I needed was money.

The Path to Freedom: Investing

According to a Bank of America study, over 55% of millionaire’s wealth is invested in stocks, mutual funds and retirement accounts. Over half their wealth is used to generate more wealth.

I had already experimented with investing. It was around this time that I realized this is a life I can really achieve. I experimented around with making a minimal effort, passive investing portfolio. One that I didn’t need to constantly monitor. One that maximized dividend payments, earning enough passive income to replace my salary.

I started investing portions of my income into this portfolio each month. Every month taking another step towards freedom. Another step towards no more 9 to 5. Another step towards exploring the world.

To this day I still invest into the portfolio, the portfolio is largely the same. A few stocks trimmed out to maximize the growth of my investments. While I haven’t completely achieved my mission. I have taken great strides towards my goal.

I don’t worry about money the same way as I did. My outlook on life feels drastically different to how it did all those years ago. For me money isn’t about buying fast cars. It’s not about buying nice clothes. Going on extravagant holidays to impress your Instagram followers. For me money is a ticket to true freedom.

If you can make your wealth work for you. You can have as much freedom as you want. No matter how it looks to you.

Making the Mission Believable

To make my mission reality, I had to make it actionable. Turn it into something I follow, no matter the circumstance. I had to make it specific. I had to have a specific plan, a way of getting there. I knew most of the steps before I had taken the first. While the plan can evolve, the steps can change, the route stays largely unchanged.

Your Mission:

So, now I have some questions for you. The reader.

• What is your mission?
• What is your dream?
• What is your route?
• What is your first step?

Please let me know in the comments your mission. Also please let me know what you thought of this post. This blog is new, an unexpected part of my mission. I’d love to hear your feedback.

Thanks for reading, and in the meantime. Stay profitable!