Financial Freedom Does Not Depend On The Amount

Fanni Bartanics
3 min readMay 3, 2023

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I have talked to many with money, who did not seem free from the emotional bondage of it, and also, I saw many who didn’t have much but experienced complete freedom. And everything in between. So it got me thinking;

What is financial freedom?

Let me start by saying, that this is just one viewpoint from many, not a universal truth. However, I would love to share what I believe the answer is.

Financial freedom seems to be a mindset, an emotional state. It is true of all thoughts though, not just for money. If you keep reactivating the bad feeling from a past breakup, an accident, or a work disappointment, you are not free from them.

Just like when you are having a nightmare and wake up from it suddenly, you can feel how your heart is pounding, you feel more sweaty and maybe short of breath. Your body does not know the difference between reality and fantasy. It just reacts to the signals from your brain. Your body is living the nightmare, therefore creating a stress response, therefore changing the chemistry of your system, therefore acting like it is reality.

When you are worried about money whether it is because of a perceived threat: “what if”, or a real threat: collectors are ringing your doorbell, the body will have very similar reactions. And the human body is not designed to keep itself in constant fight or flight mode. It cannot handle long-term stress without serious consequences. Practice stress long enough, you will create the perfect chemistry for pain or illnesses.

So as long as we imprison ourselves in worry, we are not free from our own emotional bondage. And worry is not going to help clarity of the mind. When under the influence of worry, stress, anger, or blame, we are most likely not going to be able to see beyond the condition that caused it, or look beyond the problem toward a solution. The foggy googles of low emotion are holding us back from seeing the situation from a point of view, where there could be opportunities for solutions.

Financial freedom I believe is a state of being, not an amount. But being free is not the only component of prosperity. Being free-flowing will contribute greatly, but if I block myself with limiting beliefs, then money can’t come. As long as I feel:

I don’t want money, otherwise, my family will be jealous

People will try to take advantage of me

Money changes people and it is dirty

I must hold onto it desperately because maybe I won’t have it in the future

Money is the only way to get things done

I never had enough, why would that change

My family struggled, so I must struggle as well — it is the only truth that I’ve seen

Those others don’t deserve it — it is easy for them, they inherited it, and they should have worked hard like I do

and the list goes on. Most of the limits are subconscious, but I’m sure some already rang the bell within you as you are reading, so maybe it is worth discovering what else would be holding you back from financial freedom on an emotional and mental level.

Once the beliefs align with the desire and thoughts, then money must be. From clarity, inspired action can be taken. From clarity, we are more open to new ideas, and people. We start to notice opportunities, not obstacles. We stop listening to naysayers and start to dream. Because every single invention started with a dream. Every single new was born in someone’s mind first. Everything starts from within.

Feel better first, and then allow the perspectives to show you new ways toward prosperity.

Fanni Bartanics

Business Coach & Personal Development Coach

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