The first step to freeing yourself from anything, whether it’s a job you hate, a relationship that is killing both of you, or even an oppressive government, is to get a clear image of what that looks like. Unless, and until, you have a clear picture of what the freedom you want looks, feels, tastes and sounds like, you’re unlikely to get it.
Just struggling to free yourself from a current situation, without knowing what you are freeing yourself to do, and be, often ends, as the old saying goes, with you jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire. You escape one form of bondage, only to fall into something worse.
For me, optimum freedom to choose where I go, how I spend my time and who I am with has always been a premium. I despise being told what to do, and having outside expectations set on me without my consent is the nearest thing to hell on earth I can imagine. (except of course, for those poor souls trapped in bodies that do not serve them, or attack them with pain)
So, for the past twenty plus years, I’ve been inventing my own work. That’s right. I haven’t clocked in, or followed anyone else’s schedule in over two decades, and somehow, I’ve survived, without filing bankruptcy, although I have had help from time to time. Anyway, as freedom goes in the modern world, this is a pretty good reality. So, I thought I’d share a few tips today on getting and being free!
Decide what you want and reverse engineer your life from there
Too many people say things like, “This is the ONLY job I can get” or “I’d love to do that, but I haven’t got time what with work and…” In other words, while we give lip service to these lives belonging to us, we act as if the “system” dictated our every move.
While there certainly are restrictions I have to choose to either rebel against, or comply with, I have a lot more freedom than many I know, simply because I choose it. I started with knowing that I HATE time clocks, making other people rich, and having others dictate my life and found ways around those things.
Then, I’ve gradually grown my ability to earn and manage to get more and more freedom! Steemit, in the past year, has been a big part of that.
Do without until you can have it on your own terms
Of course, you can’t do this with shelter, water, oxygen and food, but otherwise, determine what you will and won’t sell out for. Seriously. Think about it, if you knew in one more week you could have the job you really want, would you settle for the job you have? Or eat ramen?
This isn’t as easy when you have a family, but I’ve got eight kids and we’ve definitely had to make some tough choices to maintain our autonomy from the “system”. We’ve tried to pay cash for as many things as possible to reduce monthly expenses on credit. And, we live in an older home to keep a low monthly payment, embarrassingly low.
Study people who’ve gotten what you want out of life
Trust me, there are some. Even if what you want is out of a country run by a mad dictator, there are plenty of examples of people who’ve managed to do it. You’re dream of freedom simply has to outweigh your fear of being uncomfortable. You’ve got to be willing to risk what you have, to get what you want.
Find stories that inspire you and think about what it took, then find parallels in your own life that help you get freer. You may be surprised at how little change is often required to get just a little more margin in life, which allows you to move even faster toward your goal!
Start by becoming free in your own mind
I grew up in a fundamentalist background. No, we didn’t live on a compound, I don’t have more than one mother, and I was never forced to shun modern society, but we did have a lot of beliefs that led to guilt and were hard to shake off once I recognized them for what they were. You can’t be afraid to think your own thoughts and come to your own conclusions, while the whole world seems to move in the opposite direction.
Just start painting a mental image of your idea of freedom! I call it my “ideal life” and I constantly suggest to myself that I am moving toward living it every single day. I made dubstep music recordings with my affirmations mixed in and listen while I work out.
Something I’m free to do almost every morning. I find that over time, those things start to become a reality, without me even consciously changing, my subconscious alters my actions to fit my beliefs.
Begin to live it in small ways as soon as you can
Want to have the freedom to eat out for every meal, if you want? Pick one meal a week, or even every day and start doing it. Start cheap, if you have to. Soon, you’ll make room for this as it becomes a part of your reality. For me, I want to wear new socks every day. So, I did the math. It doesn’t cost that much, so I do it most days. Wasteful? Nope, my sons inherit my brand-new pairs when they come out of the laundry, and the others go to Goodwill.
Little things like this, start to make you believe in changing your life. Want to travel? Go to the next town over and stay with a friend, but spend your time how you want to. Find luxury that fits you and live it. Scale back other things, like expensive cable bills and spend that money on getting out of town more often, even on day trips.
Stop the scarcity mentality from ruling you
Are you limited? Only if you want to be. There are a billion ways to reach any goal and many of them are open to you if you just take the time to look around. Move one tiny step toward freedom every day, until you find yourself running full steam ahead. There is more than enough to go around. It’s just not well distributed in some places, but look, bitcoin moved 40 billion in fiat currency into an industry that didn’t exist 10 years ago.
Look around, does anyone within your reach, in your city, part of your world, have the things you want? Does anyone who came from where you are have them? Then you can too. Any excuse is a barrier you build. It’s not an inherent part of the universe, the universe bends to accept us. Don’t cut your lawn for a month and see what crops up, the universe is abundant. You just have to see it.
Don’t forget to be grateful
For what? Well, for the people who give up their time to stock the grocery store, the men and women who built your home, your car, made the clothes and shoes you wear. The public servants that make sure clean water comes to your home, whatever is in your life is there because someone traded their time, in part, to make it possible. Say thank you.
Gratitude multiplies opportunity, money, resources and happiness. Trust me on this. It is the fastest shortcut there is to an ideal life. This one practice alone, practiced daily, will lead to changes in a very short time. You’ll be amazed.
Be generous with others
If you’re going to achieve your ideal life, then all of the people and things around you will become a part of it. So, be generous. Don’t just say thank you, act on it. Tip big. Buy from people when you know it can help them, give when you can and don’t expect anything in return, but mostly, help others see the path to their own freedom.
Without inspiration, none of us even attempt big things. So, be that for someone else. Share what you know and what you learn. It’s important. As we give, we attract more of what we want in the way others treat us and from the universe itself. We open ourselves up to be a healthy, flowing stream, instead of a stagnant pond. Trust me, it’s better.