Feeling Financial Independence in Taiwan

The one word to describe my first week in Taipei: harmonious.

I feel safe here. It’s a lot quieter than I thought it would be. It’s very organized and clean, and I recommend it for solo travelers. People leave their unlocked bikes out and their helmets and umbrellas outside stores without fear of them getting stolen. It reminds me a lot more of Japan than it does of China.

I have had a great time staying with my @couchsurfing host. He is a French teacher living here and who I’ve been helping with his Spanish. He’s been helping me brush up on the French I studied ten years ago. He’s also helping me with Mandarin. Just like a 🍄 trip, this trip is helping me use parts of my brain I haven’t used in YEARS. It’s rejuvenating.

I’m so grateful to have the financial independence to even BE here. To be able to say that I’ll leave here when I feel like leaving (before the 90 day visa is up) instead of feeling like I have to rush home to work at a job that pays me so I can go on vacation for two weeks a year (I am American, fyi 🤣). When I decide to leave, I’ll probably go to the Philippines to get that beach zaddy life again.

This is the first time I’ve taken a vacation from my business in the two years since starting it. I had to get a lot of business coaching on it because I realized that I was waiting to ask my boss for time off, but then I had to remember that I AM the boss 🤣 and I can literally decide to take time off whenever I want. I definitely will be taking time off more intentionally now.

Every time I decided to invest in the stock market, or my business, or meal prepping instead of ordering takeout has allowed me to be here. In my 20s I was on a much tighter budget and would camp in the backyards of hostels and cook A LOT more. This time, I’m going out to eat a lot more and for the first time, I paid an extra $300 to change my flight.

Financial Independence takes discipline, some sacrifice, and re-prioritizing of things you truly think are investments in yourself. Financial freedom to me today means being able to wake up without an alarm on a Thursday and ask myself: which museum will I see today? 🔮🦄