Social Freedom
Ask yourself who your friends are
Your friends and family tend to be your biggest supporters – and your biggest stumbling blocks. When you express to others the things you want out of life are they acting as cheerleaders or naysayers?
Lack of support from the people closest to you is one of the most frustrating and hurtful situations to be in. It can lead to quitting before you even begin. If you are experiencing this, it might be time to re-evaluate your relationships.
It’s part of exercising your personal freedom to set boundaries, and even remove negative influences from your life. This can feel hard but replacing the naysayers with people who encourage you to follow your own path can make all the difference in reaching your preferred level of personal freedom.
Choose personal freedom friends
It is often said that you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.
With that in mind, make a list of the five people you hang out with most. Think about their qualities. If there’s any truth to this adage, what does hanging out with these individuals, say about you? Do they have the qualities you wish you had? Are they the people you want to emulate?
Your personal freedom here is found in carefully choosing the company you keep. Choose to spend your time with others who believe that personal freedom is a way of life.
Be accountable to the people around you
Personal freedom means you own your actions. If what you are doing reflects your thoughts and conscious choices, you need to take ownership of the situation when you make a mess of things. On the other hand, when you do it all right? Don’t be afraid of taking the credit.
Quit trying to control other people
By acknowledging the only person you truly have charge of is yourself, you let go of the idea you can remake the people around you in ways more satisfying to your tastes.
Just as you should not be allowing yourself to be controlled by others to satisfy them, you shouldn’t try to control others. Instead, remember personal freedom is used to control your life, your situation. There is great freedom in allowing others to choose their path.
Family Freedom
Redefine what freedom means
Having kids might mean a lot of responsibility, but they don’t have to mean giving up your personal freedom.
You take back control when you refuse to let a perceived schedule involving endless rounds of lessons and school activities rule your life.
Choose the activities beneficial to both you and the members of your family.
Exercise freedom in deciding what your child’s education looks like. Don’t be afraid to embrace non-traditional solutions, like homeschooling your kids so you can take them places if you love to travel. After all, the world makes an excellent classroom!
On the flip side, if you’ve never cared about having children, don’t feel you have to just because society expects it. Having children or not is a huge part of living life on your own terms.
Determine where and How You Live
It’s so easy to embrace the “Keep up with the Jones’” mentality. Worrying about whether you have all the latest gadgets, live in the best house, and are maintaining a particular lifestyle means you’re giving up your personal freedom.
The downside? You’re no longer living your life, but someone else’s. Beyond that, you’re losing your financial freedom. Paying for that lifestyle could keep you from having the carefree retirement you hope to have.
Taking back your freedom here means deciding for yourself just how and where you want to live.
Maybe you prefer renting, so you can move whenever you want a change. Perhaps you would prefer to embrace a more simplistic lifestyle in a tiny house or living off the grid. Maybe you want to live as a nomad, working remotely across the globe and exploring the world with your family in tow.
[picture – Renato Augusto -Unsplash]
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