Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Events
    • Shop
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Events
    • Shop
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
👤

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR EXPATS, DIGITAL NOMADS, AND DREAMERS.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Your Escape Plan

Escape to Freedom #1 – What Is Your Freedom Lifestyle?

  • BY Pete Sisco
  • June 1, 2021
Total
2
Shares
0
0
2

Escape to Freedom #1:  What Is Your Freedom Lifestyle?

“I just don’t know where to start.” 

That’s a phrase I’ve heard hundreds of times from clients with whom I’ve worked. 

They know they want to make serious changes in their lifestyle, they know they want to make money outside of their 9-to-5 job, they know they want to have a sense of freedom — but they literally don’t know where to start. 

 

Freedom’s Just Another Word For . . . having choices.

With apologies to singer Janis Joplin and songwriter Kris Kristofferson, the concept of freedom is pretty closely aligned with the ability to have more choices. Freedom’s just another word for having choices. 

When choices are cut off we feel trapped. 

Trapped in a job we don’t enjoy. Trapped in a country with high taxes we oppose. Trapped in a financial system of relentless surveillance and confiscation. Trapped with co-workers who are a drain on our life energy. Trapped in a recurring schedule that gives us so little discretionary personal time.

And the reality is, every individual has his or her own priorities, values, and circumstances that shape their concept of personal freedom. On top of that, those elements are not static. They change at different times in our lives.

Sifting through all of that requires some clear-eyed introspection. 

Here’s a podcast from The Expat Money Show where Mikkel and I talk about safely leaving the rat race by starting an online business!

 

The Real Reason Most People ‘Don’t Know Where to Start’

The hidden obstacle to not knowing where to start is that people don’t first think about where they want to end up. Once you define that, the ‘getting started’ part is much easier.

There are a lot of elements to knowing where you want to end up, which I wrote about here. 

The two broad categories most people need to define are: 

  1. how they want to spend their time and, 
  2. how they want to make money. 

The first is very personal and completely individual and there are basically no wrong answers. One person’s #1 priority is spending time with family, another’s #1 priority is avoiding time with family. Ha! 

As to the second category — how you make money, there have never been more choices available than there are now. And remember, choices equal freedom. 

So you need to spend time thinking about where you want to end up in terms of what you actually do week to week to make money. 

Once you have a clear vision of your preferences, it makes it quite easy to know what you want and therefore where to start.

A man standing on the beach
The author on the island of Crete overlooking the Aegean Sea and thinking about the distant Battle of Salamis. Just as he visualized doing in his hammock.

The Hammock Test

In my family, we devised what I call The Hammock Test. The idea is to find a comfortable place to relax for a few hours and then ask yourself what you would want your life to be like if you had no restrictions or constraints. 

If you had millions in the bank, no ailing parents, no kids in university, no fear of change, no disapproving friends and family, etc. What would you really want your day to day life to involve? 

What work would be so satisfying and fulfilling to you that you’d do it for free? Who would you spend time with? Who would you avoid? What would you avoid?

Paint a vivid, detailed, granular image in your mind of what you really want to do with the rest of your life if you could. 

To be honest, this takes a lot of time in the hammock. But it also doesn’t cost you a dime. 

And it can change your life.

Because once you know exactly where you want to end up, you can immediately see that ninety percent of your options would send you in the wrong direction. 

The other ten percent send you toward exactly what you really want. And that provides it’s own motivation to get started. 

Your constraints and restrictions might not go away, but there are almost always ways to work around them and get very close to what would be ideal. And very far from the rat race you want to leave.

 

There’s An Online Income Model That Delivers Your Freedom

Escape Artist is all about transitioning to the life you really want. I transitioned a long time ago. And it was pretty easy for me because I had a portable online income. 

Options abound. There are proven business models for introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between. There are models for people with high-level knowledge of any subject, and for people with no special knowledge of anything in particular. There are models for people who want to be anonymous, and for people who would like to be famous. 

You just need to decide what you want your own personal ‘freedom lifestyle’ to look like. Once you know that, getting started is easy. 

Next time you catch yourself saying, “I want to escape, I just don’t know where to start,” remember to ask yourself where it is you want to escape to; geographically, emotionally, and financially. Because all the solutions are right here waiting for you.

Some quality time in the hammock will bring you those answers. 

 

Ready to Escape to Freedom?

Are you ready to live life on your own terms – create your own online income? Reach out to us at Safely Leave The Rat Race. We are committed to helping you get from whatever point you are right now – to the point of earning regular, predictable online income.  

Here are two really great articles for you to read, What Defines Your Freedom?  and The Freedom You Didn’t Expect. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed Escape to Freedom #1: What is Your Freedom Lifestyle. In case you missed them, here is

#6 – Freedom To Travel

#5 – Freedom Of Income

#4 – Freedom to Create

#3 – Freedom of Time and

#2 – Three Levels of Expat Online Income 

 

If you’re interested in buying a home abroad and want to weigh up your options, visit ECI Developments, who specialize in creating exceptional residence and resort communities across the world.

Total
2
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 2
Related Topics
  • expats
  • Freedom
  • online income
  • safety and security
  • starting a business
  • travelling
Previous Article
  • Packing List

The Bermuda Expat’s Survival Guide

  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • May 2, 2021
View Post
Next Article
  • Finance

A Sneak Peek into the Way the World is Moving

  • BY Charlotte Tweed
  • January 3, 2022
View Post
You May Also Like
Buying a Property abroad
View Post
  • Your Escape Plan
Why More Investors Are Buying Homes Offshore
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • October 8, 2025
Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
View Post
  • Spain
Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • October 8, 2025
Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia
View Post
  • Second Citizenship
Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
  • BY Ethan Cohen & Learn Hungarian Anywhere
  • October 1, 2025
The Tale of the Tael - A timeless store of value across centuries
View Post
  • Finance
The Tale of the Tael’s: A Hard Lesson about Hard Money
  • BY Michael Checkan
  • September 24, 2025
Craggy cliffs and quiet harbors frame life in the Isle of Man
View Post
  • Your Escape Plan
Life and Opportunity on the Isle of Man
  • BY Aneesa Marufu
  • September 19, 2025
Central America’s strategic position is reshaping the global offshore banking map
View Post
  • Plan B
The Future of Global Finance Runs Through Central America
  • BY Luigi Wewege
  • September 17, 2025
Tokyo's infamous cherry blossoms.
View Post
  • Japan
How I Built a Life in Tokyo in 3 Months
  • BY Annie Nagel
  • September 8, 2025
Global Diversification Tips from Experts
View Post
  • Plan B
Staying in One Country Could Be Your Biggest Financial Risk
  • BY Isha Sesay
  • September 3, 2025
Trending Posts
  • 1
    • Mexico
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Mexico
    • September 26, 2025
  • Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia 2
    • Second Citizenship
    Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
    • October 1, 2025
  • Abkhazia jewel of Soviet summer escapes 3
    • Field Notes
    Secrets of the Soviet Riviera
    • October 3, 2025
  • Summer in Lapland: Lapland’s wild landscapes glow under the endless Arctic sun 4
    • Field Notes
    Before the Snow Falls in Lapland
    • September 29, 2025
  • Onu building with flags under a blue sky in New York 5
    • News
    Latest News: Fault Lines, Flotillas & Frontiers
    • September 25, 2025
Advertise
Know Before You Go
  • Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025 1
    • Spain
    Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
    • October 8, 2025
  • Expat Child Syndrome 2
    • Wellness
    The Untold Story of Expat Kids
    • October 6, 2025
  • Abkhazia jewel of Soviet summer escapes 3
    • Field Notes
    Secrets of the Soviet Riviera
    • October 3, 2025
  • Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia 4
    • Second Citizenship
    Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
    • October 1, 2025
  • Summer in Lapland: Lapland’s wild landscapes glow under the endless Arctic sun 5
    • Field Notes
    Before the Snow Falls in Lapland
    • September 29, 2025
Learn More
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Why Subscribe

The newly imagined Escape Artist brings you fresh content with a global focus, and sharp, up-to-the-minute coverage of the joys, challenges, and opportunities of life abroad.

For a limited time, we’re offering a special discount on all subscription deals, so be sure to lock-in these incredible savings and start receiving top-notch travel and expat content today!

Sign up for the EA Newsletter

Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Escape Artist
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Newsletter Subscription
Our Spring Sale Has Started

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/