Joy (My wife) and I started this blog with the main topics of all about food, travels, and hobbies. Later the topics evolved to personal finance, investments, trading, and business.
Hence, the site name Explore With Joy. This is joint blog together with my wife.
Our intention changes and now we want to focus more on sharing our experiences as we navigate this exciting journey of achieving our potential.
Robots, Degrees of Freedom, and the Start of our Journey
Back in my engineering school days, one subject we studied in university is “Robotics”.
Did you know that the concept of Robots or Robotics was based on a science-fiction stage play back in 1920? Alright! We’re not going to talk about those trivia for now.
In robotics we were taught about Robot’s Degrees of Freedom.
I assume we are familiar what robot is, so no need to explain it further. Degrees of Freedom or DOF on the other hand is robotics concept which describes the degree of robot’s freedom of motion in three-dimensional space.
Gets? If not no need to worry. Let’s carry on…
The higher the degree of freedom the robot has the closer it is to function like humans.
I started my journey to financial freedom back in university years.
That was 2008 and at the high of global financial crisis. In one typical lunch time at the engineering library, I came across of Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad Poor Dad.
That book changed the way I look at money and rich people forever.
Having that paradigm shift and aha! moment I decided to write my own concept and list of DOF (Degrees of Freedom), but I added the word “Financial” so basically,
I now call it Degrees of Financial Freedom. Here are my first 3 Degrees of Freedom.
First Degree: Earn a living
First Degree is the start for most people, unless you are born in rich family and no need to worry about paying your house rent and other bills.
For me to achieve financial independence, I need to be independent first from my parents or at least financially.
My first degree will look like this:
Second Degree: Find Flexible Job
The Second Degree is having a flexible time doing your work.
I don’t know about you, but for me having a freedom to choose what time of the day you do your job felts like you’re more in control and it’s less demanding.
I hate the monotonous routine of waking up early in the morning and be at work at 8AM then finish at 4PM.
8-4 jobs or 9-5 jobs seems okay for a lot of people, but I think having a flexible time when you want to start and end your work is better.
Being late is out of the equation. You can do your bank appointments and other errands in the morning without affecting your shift.
Way back 2020, I got a time flexible-home based online job in a Digital Marketing Company based in California USA. I still work 40 hours a week as required. But how I spend 40 hours will depends on me.
I can work 10 hours from Monday to Thursday or 5.7 hours each day from Monday to Sunday. I can start in the morning or afternoon or even in the evening. It’s all up to me.
My second degree will look like this:
Working in the pajamas they said? Well, since I’m in the Philippines that time so I said “I’m working with only a boxer short on” (gigles)
Third Degree: Be Self-Employed
The first degree and the second degree are just warm-up for next challenge.
The Third Degree of Freedom is becoming Self-Employed. Being Self-Employed is not easy, at least for me. The discipline and skills it will require is in whole different level. Your 40 hours work week can either turns to 70 hours work week or 4 hours work week.
In my current situation transitioning to become Self-Employed is more like a trial and error and it will be going to take me a huge risk.
Both my parent works in the government, and I don’t have close relatives that is Self-employed or into business. However, by far I find this the most exciting part of my journey.
I am still in progress on this part. Join me as I continue.