Freedom: what it (really) is – and how to get it
I think we all agree that having freedom is the cornerstone of any good quality of life.
What does freedom really mean?
Freedom is defined by Merriam Webster as the quality or state of being free, such as: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. Liberation from slavery or from the power of another. The boldness of conception or execution. A political right.
There are many types of freedom
- Freedom of association.
- Freedom of belief.
- Freedom of speech.
- Freedom to express oneself.
- Freedom of the press.
- Freedom to choose one's state in life.
- Freedom of religion.
- Freedom from bondage and slavery.
My personal definition is that freedom is simply the ability to choose.
It’s also been my experience that people don’t actually have the ability to choose unless they have financial freedom.
Financial freedom is what makes many other freedoms possible:
- Freedom to not have to go to work or hold a job
- Freedom to take a lower-paying or non-paying job to do something you love (for me, it’s coaching!)
- Freedom from debt
- Freedom to live where you want
- Freedom from relying on others
- Freedom to travel
- Freedom to give to charities or help other people directly
- Freedom to pursue your interests
- Freedom to leave a bad situation (job, relationship, neighborhood)
What is financial freedom?
Financial freedom usually means having enough savings, financial investments, and cash on hand to afford the kind of life we desire for ourselves and our families.
The key part of this definition is “life we desire” – and the answer is different for everyone.
When you have the means to pay for the life you desire, you truly have freedom.
The first question to ask is:
“What do you want? What is a good quality of life for YOU?”
One of the first exercises I do with my coaching clients is to help them answer those questions by creating a Life Success Plan.
A Life Success Plan is a deep dive into what matters to YOU.
- Your core beliefs
- Your core values
- Your vision for your life
- Your personal mission
- Your strategic priorities for the various parts of your life: your health, your family, your career, your finances, your personal development, your community, your social life
When you have clarity about what you WANT in life, you can calculate how much it would cost to have it.
That becomes your financial freedom number.
Then it’s simply a matter of setting goals, making a plan, and taking the right actions to achieve it.
As a business owner, you have many choices and opportunities for building wealth so that you can have personal and financial freedom.
I am a firm believer in this quote:
“Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve.” – Napoleon Hill.
If you don’t like what you have – YOU must change. The world and other people won’t change for you
While you can’t control everything – you can control your thoughts, your plans, your actions, and your reactions.
You can build new habits. You can set goals and make plans.
And you can get help.
If you’re struggling to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself, try getting some outside perspective and insight from someone who has walked the path you are now walking.
As one of my clients recently said:
“The ROI (return on investment) I’ve received from working with Howard has been tremendous. He makes me think differently and because of that, I’ve grown by leaps and bounds and made financial decisions I wouldn’t have considered without his insights.”
If you’d like some support improving your business and life, book a call to talk about coaching.
Freedom may be just around the corner.
Feeling stressed out? Overwhelmed? Frustrated?
I wrote this little guide for my clients. It contains detailed instructions for the most powerful exercise I have in my toolkit.
I call it the Serenity Method and it has created the biggest breakthroughs with the business owners I've coached. Increased profitability. Increased productivity. And most importantly: increased peace of mind.
If you'd like a copy, enter your email address and I'll be happy to send it to you.