How Can I Achieve Financial Freedom and Security?
The past few years have been tough for most of us. The impacts of COVID, lockdowns, rising prices, and now conflicts across the world have affected us not only financially but emotionally as well.
A few months ago, I decided to give myself one last shot at pursuing a long-held dream: to live a life outside the norms of routine and commitment while still being financially independent. I threw everything I had at it—everything!
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as I’d hoped. For a time, I felt angry, disappointed, and even a little embarrassed.
But then something hit me:
just because something doesn’t work out the way you expect, doesn’t mean it’s over.
There are many ways to reach a destination.
If you know where you want to go, sometimes the path you thought would take you there won’t. That doesn’t mean you should give up—it just means it’s time to take a different route.
For me, giving up is never an option.
Self-Reflection and Breaking Old Patterns
One key thing about me is that I’m always reflecting on my life.
I dissect my actions, focus on my decisions, and deeply explore what drives me to take certain routes.
I see life as a long list of lessons—each one serving a purpose, but only if you’re willing to look deep enough and learn from them.
After some reflection, I came to a few conclusions.
One was that I needed to let go of certain beliefs that clearly weren’t serving me anymore.
I also realised that I had a tendency to "throw myself under the bus"—whenever I encountered a sense of routine or safety, I would unconsciously look for ways to disrupt it. So, I asked myself: Why do I feel unsafe when things are stable?
Then it dawned on me—I’ve been repeating behaviours I learnt in childhood.
Hadn’t I just written a whole book on this topic?
Don’t I already know that we’re often products of our childhood experiences?
Seriously, Anna, isn’t it time to change that?
Let me give you some context (and for more on this, you can always read my book How Did I Get Here?—in fact, I might need to read it again myself!).
I grew up in a family where stability was almost non-existent.
My father was a gambling addict, and my mother had a compulsive spending habit. This sent a strong message about money: it isn’t meant to be held onto.
Later, in my marriage, I absorbed another damaging belief—that having money was "dirty" because rich people were greedy. I internalised my ex-husband's money stories.
Through all this reflection, I realised two things I needed to change.
First, I needed to learn how to make myself feel safe—and more importantly, how to keep myself safe. I’m not physically reckless (although that has happened), but I’ve been reckless with my life.
Isn’t that what gambling is all about?
The risk and thrill of it?
Message received, universe. I’m working on that!
The second realisation was my unhealthy relationship with money.
It’s almost as if I don’t even want to acknowledge that money exists or that it’s important. I recently ended a friendship with someone who was always tight with money, and I remember breaking up with a boyfriend for the same reason—his fixation on not spending a penny.
It was starting to dawn on me:
I have a deep-rooted dislike for money and everything it represents in my life.
At 62, it’s time to repair that broken relationship.
My Journey to Financial Freedom: Lessons from Mel H. Abraham
So, I did what I always do when I need answers—I turned to books. That’s when I came across Mel H. Abraham’s Building Your Money Machine.
I decided to download the audio version so I could listen to it during my drives.
The first thing that struck me while listening to Abraham was when he said it’s never too early, and it’s never too late, to start building your financial freedom.
According to Abraham, thinking it’s too late just means you take no action, which guarantees that nothing will improve.
He also pointed out that even if you only save £5 a week, it’s still money in your pocket. At first, I thought, big deal, but then I caught myself—that was my old habit around money surfacing again.
Abraham went on to say that you shouldn’t focus solely on paying off debt—you should also be saving. That was interesting to me, as I’d always been told to pay off any debt first, then save. Apparently, that’s not always the case.
The most important lesson for me, though, was when Abraham explained that most people think affluence comes from earning more, so we’re constantly chasing the next pay rise.
But, as he pointed out, it’s not always about earning more—it’s about making better use of your resources.
This reminded me of all the times I left good jobs for higher pay or to climb the career ladder, only to end up in awful situations or, worse, being made redundant.
The lesson here is to recognise when you’re happy in your job, even if you think the grass is greener on the other side.
Remember, earning more isn’t always the solution.
And for me, the biggest takeaway:
Just because something becomes easy or routine, doesn’t mean it’s time to ditch it and move on.
My greatest challenge now is to stay put, just for once!
In case you need me to summarise the points I’ve learnt (and will continue to learn) about how to achieve financial freedom and security, here they are:
Identify your childhood stories around money and change the ones that are not healthy.
You are entitled to financial security—it’s your birthright (as Abraham says).
Save even before you clear your debt.
Know your destination, and adjust your route when obstacles appear.
You don’t have to chase more money—just learn how to use your money better.
Message to self:
You don’t have to love money, but you certainly need to learn how to respect it more!
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Additional Resources:
- How did I get here? A guide to letting go of your past & living in alignment with your true self, Anna Zannides. Get Your Copy Here.
- Building Your Money Machine, Mel. H. Abraham. Get Your Copy Here.
And of course, if you need any one-to-one support with any of the above, feel free to get in touch and let’s discuss how I can help. Email: anna@annazannides.com