You know… freedom is a funny thing. It is one of the most sought after states of being. History is filled with great battles for freedom. To this very day, people give up their possessions, disrupt their lives, and will fight to the death for freedom. Yet, when we stop and think about it, do we unconsciously surrender our freedoms through our actions- or should I say – our lack of action. We strive for the freedom to choose what we do, how we do it and when we do it. However, “freedom to” can only be achieved when we achieve “freedom from” those things that rob our agency and keep us from enjoying the much sought after freedom to. When we use our freedom to say “yes” to something, we have to ask ourselves, “To what am I saying No?”
An easy example is the allure of unnecessary or unaffordable debt to acquire something NOW. A decision to go into debt to satisfy immediate gratification often leads to loss of freedom for future choices. Until you have freedom from that debt, you can’t have freedom to do other things that may be more important.
What other “freedom from chains” can you think of that are imprisoning your future?
The economy; excessive taxes; bad habits; poor investment returns; no bigger future; lack of passion or purpose; health; esteem; no savings; no liquidity; partners; employment; poor time management; ceiling of complexity; too many important things to do; struggling relationships; overwhelmed with stuff; obligations without commitments; know you have loose ends but reluctant or afraid to tie them down; don’t know how to optimize your financial assets; lack of trust; don’t know where or how to start? Maybe it’s time to DECIDE to do something to achieve “freedom from”.
