Money Doesn't Guarantee Happiness, but Freedom Does

Before I turned 18, I already felt like an independent woman, even though I wasn't working or hadn't started university. I wanted to be self-sufficient. I began doing small jobs here and there during the summers and my vacations, sometimes selling things, saving every Sunday's allowance, and every cash gift I received in my piggy bank. I've always seen myself as an independent person.

Then came the moment all teenagers await: choosing a university, deciding where to go, what to study, and how to start an adult life. At that time, my mom worked at Ibero University, and we were offered a 100% scholarship; however, I decided I wouldn't study there. I chose to go further away – not too far – and chose to study finance at Tec de Monterrey, Monterrey campus. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

This decision led to months of family discussions; back then, I didn't understand why they wouldn't let me decide where I wanted to go. Now, as an adult, I understand it, and it still surprises me that they eventually let me go.

Once I moved to Monterrey, I knew I wouldn't be a traditional woman or follow societal rules. I always sought to make my own decisions. Wherever I went, I was always thinking about where I could do business. I started some ventures, realizing that it wasn't easy to study and start businesses living as a foreigner in a city that wasn't mine. I chose to enjoy my university years: falling in love, falling out of love, traveling nonstop, making more friends.

I went on exchange to Australia, facing another battle with my parents. Why did I want to go to the farthest place in the world? I always wanted something different and wouldn't rest until I achieved it. And I did. On my first day in Australia, I got a job paying AU$13 an hour. As I've always been one to save and not spend, I saved everything I earned. I lived off what my parents sent me and still managed to save. When the semester ended, the company offered me a better salary and free accommodation to stay. But my traditionalist parents wouldn't allow me to delay a semester. The only condition for staying was to continue studying, and given the time frame, I couldn't enroll in the university, so I had to return. I had money, but I still didn't have freedom.

When I returned to Mexico, I was invited on a great trip. Coming back from traveling, my parents probably wouldn't let me go, but thanks to my savings in Australia, I could afford both the trip and to continue saving. It was magical to realize that I could continue living my life by saving on things that didn't affect me in the long run. I never bought the latest model shoes or very expensive brand bags. Did I miss them? To this day, I can afford them and more, and I still think they are not necessary.

The most magical moment was when I realized that saving was not only necessary but if I invested those savings, the money would grow and grow. The money helped me become independent from my parents much earlier than most of my friends and many women of my generation or previous generations, who went from 100% depending on their parents to 100% depending on their partner. Although I always believed I couldn't and would never be a corporate employee, I ended up being one for more than 10 years. Do I regret it? Never. Not at all. Being a corporate employee not only allowed me to save and invest my savings, but it also taught me the ins and outs of a company and how it works from the inside.

Later on, money once again allowed me to become independent, now from a job I no longer enjoyed. After eight years there, I had learned what I needed to learn, and I was earning more than I could have ever imagined. Was I happy? Did I feel free? No. Six years ago, I started creating the idea to build Pilou. It took almost two years to decide to quit my job. It was not an easy decision. It was a huge risk, and I was frightened, but as Mark Zuckerberg said, "The biggest risk is not taking any risk. ... In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."

Four years ago, I decided to start my own business. I earn a quarter of what I used to, and I have less free time, as starting a business is more than a full-time job. But finally, I feel free. I am happy with what we've achieved. The day I decided to start my own business, I lost money but gained freedom. Money is a means, and we all must take care of it, and put it to work because it is the means that will allow us to decide. But what is most valuable is freedom, and there is no freedom without financial freedom. But what is most valuable is freedom, and freedom is what leads to happiness.