I want to talk a bit about personal freedom. Here in the US we have about as much freedom as anywhere in the world and I cherish that. But this is just the canvas that we can use to paint our own personal freedom. Because, to me, personal freedom is something that YOU have to paint for yourself. Believe it or not we actually do have the choice to be where we are RIGHT NOW! Where ever you are in your work life, family life, social life; however healthy and happy you are right now is determined by the choices YOU make. So if you are stuck in a cubicle somewhere, day after day, and are completely miserable, THAT’S YOUR CHOICE! Now you can say, “I have no choice, I’ve got to pay the bills and this is the only way.” NOT TRUE!
Now let’s take a step back for a moment. This unhappy cubicle dweller may need to stick with what they are doing for the time being so they can pay their bills and support their family. That’s not the issue. The problem is that if this unhappy cubicle dweller isn’t in the process of making the changes required to someday get out of the cubicle and start living the life they desire, they will be stuck their until SOMEONE ELSE changes it for them. And usually letting others determine your destiny is not the way to go. Usually this results in a better situation for that other person but rarely for you. So it’s not about dropping everything and neglecting your responsibilities. It’s just about DREAMING BIG, setting goals that will get you their and then keeping yourself motivated to pursue this new destination with vigor!
Freedom is a mindset. If you are free in your mind that it doesn’t really matter what’s going on around you. The bottom line is that eve if your were in prison for the rest of your life you can be free. Your body can be in shackles but your mind is yours to control. But, I would assume, that most of you have the same or similar freedoms that I enjoy each and every day. And if this is the case, you certainly need to be free in your mind, but why not take advantage of the situation your in as well? Why not live life to the fullest and not settle for anything less.
BUT KEEP THIS IN MIND! Be careful with what and how you pursue these goals. It can be very easy to get so obsessed with “Realizing your dreams” that you miss out on the wonderful people and world around you RIGHT NOW. It’s about moving forward in a positive direction every day but this involves the constant nourishment of your relationships and cherishing of your blessing that you already enjoy. I’d rather be unhappy with my job but have a great relationship with my wife and family that be doing the work I always dreamed of but at the cost of a broken marriage. So when you paint your picture of personal freedom make sure to keep these things in mind.
With that said, you will most likely find that if you let yourself settle for whatever comes your way and never truly take life by the horns, challenging yourself every step of the way, you won’t be the only one to suffer. Those around you will be the victims as well.
So what is personal freedom anyway? To me, it’s doing what YOU feel is best each and every day. It’s not being told when and where and how I am to do something. It’s being able to say, “You know what, I think I would like to take the day off today. I haven’t really spent as much time with the kids as I’d like and it’s so pretty outside, may we could go to the park.”
It also involves self control. Personal freedom is being able to say, “No thanks, I’d better not have that bowl of ice cream, I’ve been exercising lately and eating foods that give me lasting energy and just make me feel great. I don’t want to hinder that in any way.” I’m not making an assault on ice cream here, I’m just using this as an example of how deciding what to eat or what to do based on what’s BEST not what’s easiest or most desirable at the time is a HUGE step forward in personal freedom. Nothing feels more like shackles than feeling like you can’t say no to something that you feel is harmful to your well being.
So I’d encourage you to get out your personal freedom paint brush and start painting. And once you’ve created your master piece, figure out what needs to change to make this painting a reality. And then, after laying out the framework, pursue these goals with passion and vigour. But keep this painting in view at all times. It’s all too easy to loose focus on what’s important and fall back into the chains of the average.