I've always had a thing about reading articles about achieving financial independence. I enjoy them. I especially enjoy the ones written by individuals who are working to achieve financial independence.

Uh, before I go any further, let me assure you I absolutely do not enjoy reading or advocate any of those "get rich quick" financial independence pitches out there. (Though truth be known, some of them are some of the best fiction you'll ever read.)

The stories by individuals, however; they're my favorite. Most of the time they're open and honest accounts of someone's journey to financial freedom. They're people like you and me expressing their dreams of being free from worries about their financial well-being.

Do you dream of your own financial independence? Good, because that's the secret of achieving it.

Talk to financial planners. Read up on financial planning and achieving financial independence and you'll get all sorts of good advice about achieving wealth and financial freedom. Personally, I don't think any of it is any good at all unless and until you have your own dream of financial freedom fixed in your mind.

Download and read articles about goal setting and planning. They're full of good advice. None of it is worth a hoot unless and until you have your own mental picture of your future self, financially independent.

The secret to achieving financial independence is simply to have that mental picture and to let it be a guiding principle in how you lead your life. In short, live it.

If you haven't already, formulate that mental image of your financially independent future self and think about it every day. Tomorrow is one day too late to start.