This is part of an ongoing series on happiness. I’m going to continue sharing everyday moments, experiences, and activities where I feel most happy. Since I believe the pursuit of happiness is something that binds humanity, and since one of the major reasons to attain financial freedom in the first place is to improve one’s happiness, I find it important to share aspects of my life where I feel like the pursuit of happiness is most successful. I hope to show through these regular insights that not only does it not take much (or any) money to improve one’s happiness but also that financial freedom provides additional opportunities (via more time) to boost happiness.
Blue sky. Yellow sunshine. Green water. White sand.
The colors of happiness, no?
One reason (among many) I moved to Southwest Florida back in 2009 was because of the beautiful beaches we have access to down here.
Although my home state has its fair share of wonderful beaches in West Michigan, along the coast of Lake Michigan, these areas aren’t necessarily easily accessible when you’re spending most of your time in larger cities on the east side of the state. Moreover, the weather unfortunately prohibits the use of these beautiful beaches for much of the year.
But while the accessibility of beaches here along the Gulf of Mexico is certainly greatly improved relative to where I grew up, I found myself not visiting these amazing displays of nature very much when I was working 50-60 hours per week in my career. Add on the time it took to manage a fairly large website – and one just doesn’t have much time to hang out at the beach.
However, it’s quite different these days.
I’m now able to spend almost unfettered time at any local beach I please.
That’s not to brag but rather just to discuss one benefit of financial freedom.
If you’re a beach bum, you can beach bum it up all the time, if you so please.
I personally don’t like being at the beach 24/7, but I also didn’t enjoy being too tired and busy to really enjoy it very much before, either.
There’s definitely a balance to be had, just like with everything in life.
You need to find all that which makes you happy, and then try to experience as much of all of it as possible, with balance.
Well, enjoying the beach here and there is definitely something that makes me happy.
And what’s really great about financial freedom, besides the additional time and energy necessary to maximize one’s pursuit of activities like hanging out at the beach, is that you’re able to visit the beach on off-peak times, like during the middle of the week.
Want a beach all to yourself?
Well, you can actually have a large stretch of sand all to yourself on a Tuesday afternoon at some local beaches here along the Gulf.
Is that paradise? It sure feels like it.
Perhaps best of all, this paradise comes at practically no cost.
Other than whatever it costs you to actually get to the beach, there’s nothing to pay.
Just imagine that.
You’re sitting there on the warm, white sand, staring out across the horizon, witnessing the vast stretch of water slowly kiss the horizon. The sun is overhead, providing warmth, light, and life. Seagulls are squawking. The warm breeze gives you goosebumps. The palm trees sway to and fro. Warm Gulf water slowly splashes against land, two aspects of nature pushing against one another.
All of that is… free!
Free, I tell you!
Slowly falling asleep to the noise of the breeze, water, and birds is honestly one of the greatest experiences in life, yet it costs nothing.
They say the best things in life are free. Well, this has to rank pretty high up there as one of those things.
There are so many things in life that we spend so much money on.
Yet we have nature putting on one of the most stunning displays of awesomeness that you’ll ever see – and it’s there for the taking.
Moreover, there’s nothing to consume here. Nothing to throw away. Nothing to feel guilty about. Nothing to work hard for.
It’s just… there.
Every single time I cross over a boardwalk or walkway of some sort and see the sand, water, and horizon, my heart skips a beat. And I’m reminded of how great life really is.
The beach allows me to slow down. Rest. Recharge. I’m able to clear my mind. Be one with the world. And be me.
I’ve spent (and wasted) a lot of money over the years.
Yet I’ve spent almost nothing to enjoy one of the world’s greatest gifts. The beach is like an extremely undervalued stock. And the dividends the beach pays… oh, my!
Maybe you also enjoy the beach. Maybe not.
That’s not really important.
What’s important is that you find whatever it is that does make you happy… that drives you… that brings out the best in you… that calms you… that allows you to simply be you. Then you attempt to spend more time at that and less time at everything else. Prioritize. But still seek balance so that you’re able to pursue happiness in the most robust possible way.
How about you? Enjoy the beach? Does it make you happy? Why or why not?
Thanks for reading.
I absolutely love the beach as well! I love your insight about how much we spend for so many things and yet this free source of beauty and entertainment, sits right in front of us. Many would refute that ocean property is expensive, tickets to the ocean are expensive or time off of work is expensive….Yet, with your lifestyle you disprove all these common complaints.
It is such a beautiful example of how our choices create expenses or lack there of. As many will agree we vote for businesses with our dollars and you were able to vote for the beach with yours (metaphor courtesy of incessant election verbiage in my mind)!
Nicki,
Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Oceanfront property certainly is expensive. But one doesn’t need to own an oceanfront condo to enjoy some of the finest views in the world. In fact, I imagine there are many people out there that probably spend too much time working to pay for their oceanfront condos, missing out on most of the benefits. Meanwhile, I rent cheaply just a hop and a skip away. 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Jason, I love the beach as well. I just returned from a trip down to Florida but didn’t get any beach time in unfortunately. Next time! There is definitely something about it that recharges the batteries. Florida is awesome, are you sure you want to relocate someday? 🙂 Take care!
Mr Defined Sight,
Hey, that’s unfortunate you didn’t get to enjoy some of the beaches. But next time for sure! 🙂
Thanks for dropping by!
Cheers.
Great read Jason!
I love the beach too! It makes me incredibly happy for a lot of the same reasons you so whimsically described in this post. I enjoy reading on the beach, taking the occasional swim to crash the waves, the sounds, and the beauty.
Unfortunately I don’t live close to the ocean or the palm trees though. I dream of one day being able to spend the harsh Canadian winters in Costa Rica or somewhere warm. I do have to say, though, that the best beach I ever visited was at the Tulum Ruins in Mexico. Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing the positive post!
Graham,
Thanks so much, man!
I’m with you all the way. And the beach is really nice in the sense that you don’t even need to go all that often to reap those benefits. I mean, I love it out there. But I’m not there every day or anything. Even just a handful of visits here and there can do amazing things. It’s just that I’m so much more physically and mentally prepared to enjoy it nowadays, not to mention equipped with so much more time.
Getting out of town during those winters would be really nice. That alone would be something that would drive me to become financially free ASAP. You’d be a very young snowbird, if you could line that up! I moved away from Michigan years ago in part to live somewhere that was “vacation-like” all year. I certainly miss the changing of the seasons, but I could do without the period from about January 15th through the end of February. If I were to ever live up north again, being able to escape the depths of winter’s grip would be an incredible gift.
Best regards!
Graham, why have you talked about the Tulum ruins beach… now I want to go back there once again. In fact I could really picture myself kicking every tourists out of the site and make it my own private property and live there forever lol The Tulum mayan ruins site is one of the most beautiful places in the world for sure… at least one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.
Another great post that speaks straight to me, Jason. As a youngster, I basically lived at the beach, as did all my friends. I definitely took it for granted, and didn’t realise how lucky I was until I had to move away from the beach for work after university.
I find the beach really manages to simplify my life. When I haven’t been for a while, I start to get noticeably anxious. The surf in particular has a way of stripping life back to the bare essentials. I find the ocean to be incredibly calming and I’ve always done my best thinking floating in the water.
It doesn’t hurt that I have some of the best beaches in the world (well, in my opinion, anyway!) on my doorstep!
ADI,
I hear you. I think a lot of people have that love for the beach and ocean. Most of our population still lives along one of the coasts, in urban environments. So urbanity and the coast is where it’s at for a lot of people, which is why I think the last two articles I’ve written on happiness go well together. 🙂
Simplifying life is a great thing. We all tend to overcomplicate things. And it’s really needless. Stripping away the unnecessary and just enjoying the small things brings about profound joy in my life. And that’s one of the big messages behind these articles.
Thanks for stopping by!
Best wishes.
As an Australia, I approve of this message. The beach is a very grounding place. We have lots of positive associations with the beach – warmth, holidays, happiness. It’s a good place to be 🙂
Tristan
Tristan,
I hear that!
I find that even just a visit here and there does an amazing job of recharging the batteries, allowing me to kind of achieve a better balance and harmony in my life. The problem is that I didn’t even have the time/energy for many occasional visits before when I was working like crazy.
Australia has some amazing beaches, along with some amazing cities. Urbanity and beaches all in one package out that way, along with pretty good weather. You guys have it made. 🙂
Best regards!
Although I am more of a mountain guy at heart, I do enjoy the beach on occasion.
You hit the nail on the head in that it is more fun and freeing to live there cheaply vs having a mansion on the beach with the high property taxes, upkeep and threats of a big storm damaging the property. You’ve really got that message dialed in and internalized well.
I like the photo shot but is the horizon tilt intentional? That aspect kind of triggers my mild OCD to want to fix it but on the other hand I wonder if it is meant to be artistic. I’d appreciate your thoughts!
-Mike
Mike,
Ha! No, the tilt was unintentional. To be honest, I didn’t even notice it.
The mountains are beautiful as well. The message here isn’t really that beaches are better than mountains, or that beaches are better than anything else, but rather that financial freedom gives one more time and energy to enjoy that which drives happiness. It’s also important to note that happiness is usually driven by that which costs little money. I have a few dozen of these articles in mind, with each idea being just one facet of a really balanced and happy life. While it looks different for everyone, the key is really being in a position to maximize each facet within your own life. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Best wishes.
Country living is where it’s at. Wake up in paradise each morning. Peace, tranquility, nature, etc. All of the same benefits as the beach. Except I don’t have to leave my house to be in such a state.
Kyle,
Boy, I couldn’t disagree more. Tried rural living. Hope to never have to do it again.
But, hey, the great thing about this country is that there are so many options. You can literally live in just about any type of setting you like. And financial freedom makes it much easier to make that happen without the usual constraints/drawbacks. It’s really all about being in a position to pursue happiness as much as possible. 🙂
Take care!
The mountains, though not quite as relaxing, for sure belong up there on the list as well
Ronald,
Well, it’s all in what makes you happy. These articles are obviously quite personal, as I’m writing them. I’m not attempting to convince anyone of anything here. Rather, I’m just connecting the dots between financial freedom and having the opportunity to spend more time on hobbies/pursuits/activities that actually have a meaningful and long-term impact on one’s happiness. So if spending time up in the mountains makes you happy, financial freedom should allow you ample time to do that. You’re able to customize your life, which is an incredible benefit.
A lot of readers wanted to know what financial freedom looks like. Well, this is it. For me at least. It’s just everyday moments that add up over time.
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers.
I lived in a couple different beach cities for a year and half and it was a wonderful experience. My issue was the shortage of jobs in said beach cities, and the long commute was getting to me. Beach living sounds great during a financial freedom phase of life when you don’t have to worry about something like a job commute. You certainly don’t have to live on the beach or in walking distance to the beach, but to be close enough to spend the day down there is such a great experience – and where I live now is still close enough to do that on the weekend at least.
TJ,
That’s funny. I actually had the opposite experience. I came down here from Michigan back in ’09 only to find that jobs were much more plentiful. Of course, I was coming from Michigan. So YMMV. The economy down here at the time (and probably to this day) was much healthier and more robust. I ended up making more, paying less in taxes, and spending less… right out of the gate.
I definitely agree that you don’t have to live on the beach or within walking distance to experience the benefits. I was actually just at Siesta Key earlier today, but it did take a bus ride to get there (and back). Not really a big deal. Totally worth it. And it’s not like we get out there every day or anything. I enjoy it, but I find that just a visit here and there is more than enough to recharge the batteries and fully immerse oneself for a while.
Thanks for dropping by!
Best regards.
Jason,
Living by the beach must be incredible. I love how the ocean makes me feel (relaxed, grounded, happy, filled with hope and optimism about my future).
Being an American citizen sure makes things cool. You have access barely to every kind of climates and ways of living that one could ever want or hope for.
Here in Quebec I have to say that moutains, forests and lakes do have to replace the beaches. Fortunatly enough. Being in front of a lake in a cabin deep in the forest makes me feel almost as happy as I can get sitting on a beach. But I honestly need both and a sunny beach in front of the Atlantic ocean with the gulf stream is really hard to beat… So I guess that once retired I’ll share my time between the moutains and the beach… If I can afford it.
You’ve really been able to describe how I feel when getting by the beach. Very well written.
Thanks
Allan,
We’re really fortunate as Americans in that regard. I mentioned that a few times. We’re able to live in almost any climate/setting we’d like. Super lucky. However, it’s also nice that our countries have such a strong relationship, as it makes it easy for Canadians to come down here as snowbirds in the winter. That’s not too bad at all. 🙂
Happiness is many things to me, including spending occasional time at the beach. Fortunately, most (or all) of these things cost very little. Once you realize that, financial freedom becomes pretty easy to attain.
Glad you enjoyed the article!
Best wishes.
Haha any sipping of pinacolada’s on the beach Jase?
Being an Aussie, yes I do love the beach although must admit I’m about 50km’s away from the closest one.
We were lucky enough to head to a beach down the coast on the weekend for a bit and it was great
All the more reason to keep on moving towards FIRE 🙂
Jef,
I understand you guys have some really solid beaches down that way. What’s great about Australia is that the vast majority of your society is highly urbanized near the coast, so you have that really unique mix of urbanity (which I love) and beaches (which I also love in doses). Plus, your cities have some great weather where the beaches can be enjoyed for much of the year. Our wonderful, large, urban cities here in the US are mostly located in the north. So you have undesirable weather for a good chunk of the year and beaches that aren’t necessarily all that accessible from the city.
Fortunately, it’s a big country. Lots of places to live. And I live just a few miles away from one of the best beaches in the world. 🙂
Cheers!