How Do You Define Freedom?

I came to the United States nearly 20 years ago, in 2001. The first thing that genuinely struck me about this country was the unbelievable opportunity that exists for upward mobility with the right attitude, a little creativity, and some resourcefulness. And today, I think that opportunity is even better. This is an amazing place to build a life for yourself. 

And what’s even more exciting, is that the opportunity that I saw in the US back then, I see now globally. Things have changed, and the world with it. And that’s why I want to talk about my perspective on freedom. Really there are a few things that I’m thinking about when I think about freedom. The first is the freedom of perspective.

Changing Your Outlook

Yes, I’m saying this even in 2020. It’s been chaotic and crazy, and yet you have the freedom to choose how you view the world. Because life will happen in ways we can’t control. However our mindset is something we can always control. As a nation and a globe, we’ve been taken on a hell of a roller coaster ride this year. And we can choose to get sucked into the negativity, and the hopelessness, or we can choose to take a step back. Once you do, you may find that there’s more opportunity than you could believe. You have the freedom to do that, if you so choose. 

Choosing this worldview doesn’t require you deny what’s happened to you and others. It simply means that in spite of it, you choose not to be bogged down. Many companies have rallied in the face of COVID-19 with amazing innovations, where they could have backed down. Instead we’ve seen schools and businesses adapt quickly to online accommodations, and a surge of delivery and curbside pickups. Companies started producing masks and sanitizer overnight. Entrepreneurs took care of their clients and followers with podcasts, books, webinars, and more. 

In the end, value is created when problems are solved, and right now there are plenty of problems just waiting for solutions. When the dust settles after 2020, I believe the people who are innovating now will usher in this incredible new world. 

The Four Freedoms

My coach, Dan Sullivan, advocates for the four basic freedoms we all strive for: the freedom of time, money, relationships, and purpose. We all want aspire to be free to spend our time doing what we wish to do, as well as having the money to live the sort of lifestyle we desire. Everyone wants to have the freedom to pursue meaningful relationships with people that matter to them. And of course we all want to have a purposeful life, one that we choose to develop, rather than settling for a career or having it chosen for us. 

All of these freedoms intermingle with each other in a way that allows us to live a full life. When we can freely pursue our purpose, we can create more value, in turn allowing us more freedom to spend our time and money with the people we care about. It all balances out. 

Each day, we all have the opportunity to make a commitment to pursuing these four freedoms and build bigger and better lives for ourselves and the people we encounter—friends, family, clients, and more. And these freedoms are the same things that should and do motivate us, for different reasons. We live to have these passionate lives, and it’s only once we stop pursuing these freedoms that we decline. When people retire they gain time but often lose purpose. Friendships fade away when the people you know pass on. Health dwindles as time ticks on, as does money. These four freedoms begin to fade. 

Freedom is life. It means something different to each of us,  and yet I think that these base principles ring true for us all to a degree. I personally define freedom as the ability to live my life in the way that I choose, where money is no longer the reason why I do or do not pursue something. It means spending my time with people that enrich my life, and choosing not to pursue other relationships out of necessity. And ultimately my freedom means that I get to wake up and follow my passion each day. 

I’m grateful to live in a world and a place that, regardless of who we are and where we come from, we can wake up every day and make a decision to pursue these freedoms. I hope that, however you define freedom, that you choose to be free mentally. 

You can listen to my new podcast, Cashflow Investing Secrets here.

Live your Freedom, Live Your Legacy, On Your Own Terms,

M.C.

M.C. Laubscher is a husband, dad, podcaster & Cashflow Specialist. He helps business owners and investors create, recover, warehouse & multiply cashflow. You can learn more about exclusive cash flow strategies in M.C.’s new video series at https://www.yourownbankingsystem.com/