Webster’s online dictionary defines freedom as “A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious.” Sovereignty can be defined as “Freedom from external control : autonomy”. As a child growing up in the United States we are taught from a young age of freedom and what it means. We may form our idea of freedom through song, life experience, the education system, and we are even able to develop our understanding of freedom through knowing the ways of life in some of the different areas across the globe. In doing so, do we truly get the whole picture?
Would you agree that most everyone wishes to be free? I am prone to believing that is true in one form or another. Now strictly speaking of personal freedom, after having reviewed the preceding definitions, are we entirely free? Consider writing down a list of the ways in which you experience the influence of power or control from external sources. After having taken a few minutes to do so you may review that list. Are you satisfied with what you see you’ve listed? If not, why and is there anything that you would change if you could?
Odds are high that you are truly able to change quite a bit of the items that appeared on your list, some of them more easily than others. A majority of us work regular, full time jobs which add up to forty hours a week and sometimes even more. Today quite a few people in the United States alone are working more than they ever have to make ends meet. Take a moment to think of how different your life would be if you removed some of the heavy hitters on your list like your conventional job, if you’ve got one. You might even write down a quick projection of the differences and what you might like to spend that excess time doing after you cut the cord.
Quite often its easy to remember the highlights of our lives. These may even exist in our minds sometimes like movies that play back on a reel for us on demand. If you put aside some time to mull over these you’ll likely find times of achievement amongst them. You may notice a commonality in the feeling of deep seated satisfaction coming after a bid of hard work or dedicated effort over time. As human beings we gain the deepest, most lasting sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from the things we put our hearts into. These things might include raising a child, saving or making enough money to be financially stable & secure, or developing a hard earned skill to the level of master.
Depending on the case, these things are the ones that can help us leverage ourselves in a bid for more personal freedom. We don’t have to wait to get the ball rolling, we can start today and move toward a more sovereign lifestyle. I encourage you to take the call to action and I will leave you until tomorrow with the following quote.
I wish for you health, wealth, and happiness.
“The levers are here. The proof is here. The power is here. The only thing holding you back is your own fear. Not easy to admit, but essential to understand.”
Seth Godin
Jordan Hutchison 