The Importance of Finding Freedom in a Fast-Paced Modern World
Freedom enables us to make choices. We often take this granted. Of course, freedom means many different things. Freedom means feeling less bogged down and less burdened. Having the time to focus on a new hobby, to focus on developing good health, and to focus on building relationships. Freedom means not being bound to current habits and routines. Most importantly, freedom means choosing our own path, or changing directions, if necessary, to escape the drudgery.
Freedom is about living simply with all of the benefits that today has to offer.
While freedom doesn’t mean reverting to a simpler time, it does mean finding the quiet amidst the chaos of our modern world. It is about staying present. It is about living a more meaningful life.
We have the ability to start over every single day. We don’t need to follow the same patterns, habits, or routines that we followed yesterday if they are no longer working for us. In addition, we have the ability everyday to wake up and do something different. But where do we start?
Finding freedom requires an honest evaluation of ourselves.
We have to start somewhere and there is no time like today. Without evaluating ourselves honestly, our busyness, stress, and debt can get out of control and can easily control us. So, we have to look at, and identify, the choices we are making every day.
Once we are aware that we are making these choices in the first place, we can begin to improve our well-being, find simplicity, slow down, and live a more meaningful life. We can start to make small and subtle shifts to improve our lives which ends up improving the lives of those around us.
We can improve our well-being by finding simplicity.
How much better would you feel without a stack of credit card bills, without a car loan, without a mortgage payment? To actually have these things paid for? How would you feel to wake up in the morning to get ready for the job of your dreams? Not a job just to pay the bills.
By simplifying our schedules, we can make room for the things that we really want to do. By decluttering our homes and our work environments these spaces can energize us in positive ways rather than add to our stress levels. And by budgeting our monthly income we can reduce unnecessary expenses and pay down our debt.
If we want freedom, we may have to make some changes.
If we want freedom in our lives, we have to manage our time effectively. We have to budget money wisely. And make an effort to focus on our physical and emotional health.
Habits no longer serving us well can be changed. New habits to improve our lives can be established.
Maybe we turn our phone off when we are at the dinner table and fully engage with those around us.
Perhaps we stay at work at any extra 30 minutes so that we don’t have to bring anything home; leaving work at work.
Freedom doesn’t just happen one day, we have to cultivate or grow this freedom within us over time.
So “growing our own freedom” is about recognizing if how we’re living right now is where we want to be and proactively changing some things if that answer is “no”. It is about recognizing habits, routines, and patterns, for better or worse, and making small changes. Most of all, it is about taking personal responsibility for things within our control and not worrying about things beyond our control. What is the worst that can happen? Even if most of the things we try don’t work out, or habits we intend to change or create don’t stick, my guess is that we will still end up a little better than we were when we started.
Growing our own freedom is about finding ways in which we can simplify in our fast paced modern world in order to live a meaningful life with greater well-being.
