Freedom – What Does It Mean to You?
If you could do anything —
Who would you be?
What would you do?
What would you have?
We will all have different answers and sadly some people do not know what they want.
I have witnessed many people become so caught up in the “rat race” they forget to ask themselves these important questions (and I have been there too).
I was a part of a year long mentoring course some years back now. Part of the course was that we had to design what our perfect life would be. You can find it here at Living a Life that you Design
It was amazing to watch many of the people there really struggle with the concept and be so out of touch with what they wanted.
Freedom – Helping clients plan Financial Freedom
In my days as a financial planner we began our interviews with new clients with a questionnaire. The first questions were about their goals. It never ceased to amaze me how many people did not have goals!
Even more surprising for me was that if they did have goals and were in a relationship, often they had not discussed them with their partner.
I had many occasions where one person would say they wanted “x” and the partner would say in an accusing tone “you never told me that!” Often that would lead to an argument. One of them wanted to travel and the partner did not. On many occasions I felt like I was a relationship counselor!
It is important for us all to know what we really want.
For much of my life I did work that no longer made my heart sing. I was on a treadmill and did not believe I could get off it. This is such an erroneous belief and never serves us in the end. All the time I was craving more freedom.
What do you want? – I mean really really want?
I know for me for years I would begin the year with a new goals list of “things” I wanted, how much money I wanted to make, cars, and so on, and it was all pretty material.
Then I started to add things like relationship goals, family, personal growth and spiritual goals. I got to a place where I realized many of the “things” goals were not really top of what my heart really wanted. I craved freedom. I craved more time for me and the people I loved.
You can have a life of your dreams and the first step is identifying what you really want. Do you want to? :
- Work from home
- Be your own boss
- Have more time with your family
- Have flexibility in what you do
- Be fit and healthy
- Travel more – or travel at all
- Own a new house or car
- Live a life of significance
- Help others
- Give to charity ??
There is no correct or right answer – it is just do you know what you really want in life?
For me while I have a list of “things” and places I want to see I can sum up what I want by saying “I want the freedom to do what I want when I want”.
Freedom – What Does It Mean to You? What do you really want?
Please leave me your comment below. I would love to know what freedom means to you and do you know what your really want?
If you found this information valuable please share it with your friends.
Sue Price
Skype: sueprice
Click here to work with me personally
PS
Check out this free video showing how ANYONE can make $150-$500 per day online!
Mayura says
Hi Sue,
Freedom is what we all want, no? 🙂 But it might not inherited for most of us in the first place and we need to work on it to gain more freedom through our goals. A competitive environment, yeah a RAT race and that’s where we need to be careful. That’s how I believe 🙂
I can see what you imply that some folks just stuck with the race and move on… ah not move on but go where it takes ’em, with others without giving any effort to turn back or find the life they want 🙂 I was there for sometimes too thanks to procrastination 🙂 But not now.
The most important things for me is work from home while helping others, financial freedom and having more time with family Sue. Yeah, things might change on the way but I stick with primary goals. I’ve initiated and what matters is keep on doing what needs to be done to achieve our goals without interfering others, no? 🙂
Wish you all the best with your goals Sue 🙂 I’m sure you will achieve more than you aim for.
Cheers…
Sue Price says
Hi Mayura
Now that is an interesting question you have – freedom is what we all want? I guess it is but when I observe some people I think they do not. What I mean by that is I know a lot of people who stay in jobs they hate because they think it gives them security. So I think maybe security is more important to them than freedom. Not sure really? The thing with that is that there is very little job security anyway in our current economy.
Your mention of you procrastinating I am sure is another reason many people stay stuck.
I am sure you too will reach your goals – and like you said to me achieve more. I wish you a wonderfully successful year Mayura. Thanks for your comment here.
Sue
Louise says
Hi Sue, how are you? Love this post about Freedom. I spent nearly 20 years working in the corporate world, with barely a second to plan my next holiday, let alone my life. It’s really difficult to make life changing decisions and even know what it is you want from life when you are caught up in the rat race. For me, it took a six month stint in Africa to re-group, ground myself and get real perspective back into my life, before I could move on. I’m glad I did as my life is now far more fulfilling than it ever was before.
I love to have the freedom to travel and my goal is to reach complete financial freedom, and be in a position to make a difference in the world. But as you suggest, freedom means different things to different people, and for some having the security of a job is more important, although I would question if that actually exists in today’s world!
Louise
Sue Price says
Hi Louise
Lovely to see you here. I am well thanks. How are you? Let’s have a Skype soon.
You are an example of someone who has made huge life changes. Imagine if you had not had the time in Africa and made the changes you would not be living what many people would call the dream lifestyle. I think the hardest thing when we are caught up in that whole corporate rat race is to even have the space to know what we want.
I am sure you will reach your goals. You already have the travel one handled 🙂
I am with you I do not think there is such a thing as job security anymore but I think many people are clinging to the old idea. Sadly it is when people lose their jobs they often have no choice but to find another way.
Thanks for your comment Louise. I am looking forward to hearing what life is like in Telluride this year.
Happy Australian Day for tomorrow. 🙂
Sue
Carol Lynn says
Good question, Sue! I always knew one thing for sure: I could never work in an office or commute to work or have one of those 9-5 jobs. And I never did! I was a teacher, which of course meant I had to be on a schedule and plan for my class, but I had summers off, and holidays. Then when I got tired of that I started my own business. That meant I worked where I wanted, on my own schedule, by my own rules.
So now there’s this conundrum: now I need to have freedom to get away from my business, lol. So I’m working on having some systems so I can take more time off!
Great food for thought here.
Sue Price says
Hi Carol
I never knew you were a teacher before. I love learning more about people. There are advantages with teaching for sure. My brother, sister in law and daughter are all teachers. My brother is now a principal of a school (is that what you call the boss person in the US?) Anyway I see him now dealing with much more stress than he did when he was teaching. The holidays are very good though.
That is quite a move from teaching to having your own business. I do think that teachers have a lot of skills though that are transferable.
I am sure you will get the systems in place to get some of your life back. It takes time but as you are working on it you will get there.
At least Carol you were never one of us in the corporate rat race commute stuff. I used to waste 2 hours every day and sometimes more sitting in traffic. What a waste of life!
Thanks for sharing your experience Carol.
Sue
Donna Merrill says
Great question Sue!
It is pretty easy for me to answer because I already have it. But, it takes a lot of thought to what “freedom” means to each individual person. To me, freedom is running my own businesses. Yes, I have 3….One online and 2 off line. I’ve been doing this for so many years and that was my motivation to get on line. To help others obtain freedom.
Freedom to me is having control over my own life. My mindset is to live comfortably and learning something new every day. I have the freedom to take off when I want, do what I want, and live how I want to live.
But here is the catch: With freedom comes responsibility. If I go on vacation for 10 days, I will have a back-up of work. So I have to keep in mind that freedom comes at some what of a cost. Being responsible!
Donna
Sue Price says
Hi Donna
It is great you have achieved a life that you want. I think the fact you can do what you want when you want is so important. Knowing the hours you keep I do not think working a 9 – 5 would be your idea of happiness. 🙂
Yes there is responsibility in having our own businesses and the freedom we have. The whole online thing backing up when we are off is a concern for many of us. I think the answer has to be in outsourcing. I am not sure how you would do that with your psychic business though. When I was working in the Event company my PA used to do my email and a whole bunch of things when I was on tour. That was heaven.
Thanks for your input here Donna and have a great weekend.
Sue
Adrienne says
Hey Sue,
Up until 2007 I just lived life the way I did because I thought it was required of me. I didn’t know I could have or even be more then I was.
Once I did step outside my comfort zone and embrace life all I’ve ever wanted was to just be financially free. That doesn’t even mean being filthy rich, just enough so that I never have to worry about money being an issue ever again. If I chose to not work, fine. If I want to go on a last minute vacation, great. If I want to sit and do nothing for the day, do it. I love what I do and I’m more of a planner but just knowing that I could is total freedom to me.
So now I’m working toward that and it will be mine some day! I believe that with every ounce of my being. 🙂
~Adrienne
Sue Price says
Hi Adrienne
Oh I am so happy your life turned out as it did. The internet and blogging world may never have your smiling face here if you were still in Corporate America. H
I am sure you had not imagined you could live the way you are living now. I think when we are caught up in the rat race we are just caught up in it. Anyway for much of our working lives there was no internet so this would not have been possible. I love that we live in these times.
I am absolutely certain you will attain financial freedom. I am with you on the same goal for me. I think knowing that you have money there no matter if you have time off will be very nice.
Thanks for your comment Adrienne and you have a lovely weekend.
Sue
Raena Lynn says
Hi Sue,
Tony Robbins quoted, “Success is doing what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want.” I substitute the word “success” for “freedom.” The only way to achieving true freedom is having time and money freedom. There are so many variances of why this quote does not apply to some people. A few that come to mind are:
Some people are wealthy, but may not have as much time as they want.
Some people are wealthy and can buy time by paying others to take care of their responsibilities.
Some people have time freedom, but may not have enough money to enjoy it.
Some people have time freedom, but may not have goals to do anything with it.
I want both, along with taking care of my responsibilities.
Freedom, to me is the most important thing to have as a human. I participated in a self development course which we discovered and aligned our top 10 values. You guessed it. My number one value is freedom. I think freedom is so important to me is because I had an extremely controlled childhood. I think some people truly want freedom, and they think material things are one way of being free. Overall, I think most people want freedom. I will live Tony Robbins quote represents my freedom goals. Thanks for your post Sue!
Raena Lynn
Sue Price says
Hi Raena
Oh wow thanks for sharing that Tony Robbins quote and it does work well with the word freedom.
I am with you on time and money. I have been in a few of those categories you name. I have had money and zero time or life, lost the money (through a business that went wrong) and had time. In short I have never had it in balance. I am working on it though.
I have met many wealthy people in my life as a CPA and financial planner and so many of them are not happy. I think the personal development is a part of it too so you know what you want and who you want to be.
You and I have that value in common as mine has always come up first too when I have done courses including doing my values. It is so important to me. I too had a very controlled childhood. I was always the wild one though 🙂
Thanks Raena for adding to the conversation here. Have a wonderful weekend.
Sue
Sylviane Nuccio says
Hi Sue,
Lovely post. Well, I DO KNOW what I want and I have it all written down too. Here is a glimpse of it.
I want to be able to teach about the law of attraction and the subconscious mind to large crowds in seminars all over the world. I want to do it in the three languages that I speak, English, French and Spanish to be able to reach more people.
I want to purchase my childhood house and I’ve written down all the renovations that I want to do in it. I want to have enough money that whoever owns it now, will say, YES I’m selling it to you.
I want to live half of my time in France and half of my time in the US. And, yes, I want to go to Australia one day. Do you know I have an aunt (sister of my father) who have lived all her life in Australia with her family. I have two first cousins there that I’ve met only once in my life in France some 30 years ago.
So, here you have some of my desires. I have NO problem knowing what I want.
Sue Price says
Hi Sylviane
Wow that is clarity and they are awesome goals and vision.
Speaking those three languages means you can teach in many parts of the world. I can see you doing this Sylviane.
Wow purchasing your childhood house is an interesting one. Do you love the house or is it sentimental to you? I have a house we once owned I feel like that about. To be able to just make an offer the new owners could not refuse.
I too would like to live in more than one country. It makes sense that you should do that between France and USA. I think you will like Australia. No you never told me you have an Aunt here. Where does she and your cousins live here?
I think the clarity you have in the way you want to live your life is awesome as so many people are so blurry in what they want. I can see you teaching people to have clarity in what they want.
Thanks so much for sharing this Sylviane. I support you in achieving all of this and more.
Sue
jenny leather says
Interesting question Sue. Freedom for me has changed as I evolve. Freedom to be ME is number one priority without judgement or expectation! Which would see me experiencing joy, happiness, being able to laugh at life while picking up the lessons that are offered. To BE financially unencumbered. To BE able to trust life to serve me the situation that enable me to live my dreams with Ease and Grace. To allow life to flow in a way that I get to experience the magic that is presented on a daily basis while adding value by sharing my insights along the way. Exciting time ahead.
Sue Price says
Hi Jenny
Awesome to see you here and happy new year.
Are thank you for sharing that one – the freedom to be YOU. Very important of course. Joy and happiness are up there for me too. I love the way you have said being able to laugh at life while picking up the lessons. I can aspire to that one too.
That is a awesome list of how your life is or will be. Thanks for sharing it here Jenny and I am with you on the exciting time ahead.
Sue
Viola Tam says
Hi Sue,
Thank you for sharing. Mu definition of freedom is the same as yours! Ironically, my freedom also means more time to do voluntarily work!
I am proud to be a professional network marketer who has the ability to help others to see how life can be, not just how it is. I use Tom ‘Big Al’ Schreiter’s ‘painting a picture’ technique a lot. For example, I was saying to my new team member this: When you join our team, by 31 July, you will be qualified for the reward trip to Malaysia in October, for you and your husband, all expenses paid for…. (describe the trip)
Tom also mentioned that ‘time freedom’ means very little to our prospects. Yet ‘having dinner with the children’ or ‘staying home and being there for them while they needed you most’ do paint a picture for them!
Thanks, Sue!
Viola The Business Mum
Sue Price says
Hi Viola
Thanks for that great advice. The painting of pictures is perhaps one of the most important things. I agree time freedom would not mean anything to anyone unless they are like us and have it:-)
David Wood is so good at that. He was number one recruiter in several companies. Now having seen him in action in EN he is masterful at painting the picture. He grew up with a family in Amway and that is where he started so I think it is now in his DNA. He even goes into (in your example) smells so adding can you smell the tropical flowers bla bla. I am sure you do that anyway.
Great that you can do volunteer work. I have met many people in network marketing doing it to give back. Awesome reason I think and also keeps people going once we have all the material things we want.
Thanks Viola for your contribution here.
Sue
Barbara Charles says
I love your article Sue. Freedom is a many faceted word. For me it means relief from financial stress. It also allows me time to be with family. Freedom allows time for traveling. It also means to me helping others who need help either financially or being able to provide whatever they need. Your final list can be applied to anyone of us. Your list is my list. 🙂 Thank you. A great read!
Sue Price says
Hi Barbara
You are spot on as freedom is a multi faceted word and does mean different things to different people. I think that we live in blessed times even though the economy is not so hot now we sure have it better than our ancestors did and we have so many choices now with the internet. I am with you also on helping people out financially if they need it. That is a wonderful thing to be able to do.
Thanks for your comment Barbara and have a successful week.
Sue
Justin says
Hi Sue,
To me freedom means the ability to do what I need to do when I need to do it. I know it may seem rather vague but I think it works well for me.
Less have to’s and more get to’s in life. More fun and play and less work.
Take Care.
Sue Price says
Hi Justin
I like your definition and hey isn’t that part of freedom – having our way of doing it. If everyone did my definition then it would not be freedom. Oh this could get deep 🙂
More fun and play and less work – such a cool thing. I have often heard it said that no one on their death bed says they wished they had worked more!
Thanks for your comment Justin and have a great week.
Sue
calvin says
GReat!
Paul says
Being able to make a choice in my own life no matter what it takes. That’s freedom for me 🙂
Sue Price says
Hi Paul
I like what freedom means to you – me too.
Sue
Annual dinners says
I think “Freedom” is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants. It’s the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. Everybody loves freedom and everybody wants it.We want freedom in everything. A free society contains individuals who are free to do what they do, whilst respecting the freedoms of others. Freedom is the liberty of the individual coupled with concern by the liberated individual for the liberties of others. Freedom cannot be defined, except through an analysis of the restrictions on human action. It can be defined only in terms of the restrictions on freedom Therefore, the area of freedom available to the individual in any society is a residuary one.
Sue Price says
I do not have your name to call you by. Thanks for your comments on freedom. I am not sure everyone does want freedom. Some people have said they value security more. I am with you though freedom is very important to me.
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your thoughts.
Sue