Charting Your Course to Greater Freedom: A Comprehensive Guide
Envision your journey through life as a vast map, teeming with features and challenges that demand careful consideration. Regardless of the time of year, this guide is designed to help you navigate through the landscape of your goals and aspirations. As you embark on this adventure, you possess a broad understanding of the terrain, a general direction of where you wish to go, but perhaps lack the clarity needed to make the journey fulfilling. To address this, a thorough check-in process awaits, offering seven effective strategies to cultivate more freedom and ensure your dreams and goals stay on course. Let’s embark on this journey together!
Mapping Your New Adventure
This systematic approach is crafted to maintain your trajectory and prevent deviations from your path. Begin by working from the end result to the beginning, assessing the features on your map and considering the landscape. While it’s crucial not to get bogged down in details, maintain a strict focus on the end result. Correct your course as needed, acknowledging that detours may arise. Remember the purpose behind your journey, even if reaching your destination takes longer than anticipated. Setting a timeframe is crucial, offering both flexibility and a firm framework to guide you toward your desired destination.
Embark on a Journey Towards Greater Freedom
Let’s go on a journey together where I’ll outline seven ways to attain more freedom through a systematic approach I call the FREEDOM Formula. This formula serves as a step-by-step guide to help you stay on track with your monthly and quarterly goals and plans.
The concept of FREEDOM extends beyond a mere notion; it’s a mindset highly valued by all. It serves as a constant reminder to keep your dreams and goals aligned. Before delving into the specifics of freedom, let me pose a question:
“What does increased freedom look like for you?” and “What does it feel like to have more freedom?”
Your dreams and goals act as a navigational map, guiding you toward your desired path. Without these goals, progress becomes elusive. It’s akin to embarking on a journey without consulting your map – you might eventually get there, but the path becomes convoluted.
Feeling confused or unable to contemplate the concept of more freedom? This often stems from a lack of defined goals or a clear path forward.
The essence of freedom, as I see it, is simpler than one might think. I’ve crafted a formula to provide structure to the concept of freedom, aiding you in keeping your goals on track every month.
Freedom, in various forms, could involve travel, remote work, or exploring new territories. It might manifest as the courage to start a long-dreamed-of business, negotiate remote work with your boss, or transform a hobby into a business venture. It could be a commitment to a personal passion, or as simple as dedicating time daily for meditation, yoga, writing, or any activity that brings you joy.
Whatever more freedom signifies to you is perfect.
Freedom is not merely a concept; it’s a way of thinking, a mindset that empowers you to have more of what you desire and enjoy. It provides the opportunity to explore and discover new facets of yourself throughout the process.
Mindful Navigation: Taming the Fear Beast
Venturing beyond your comfort zone, exploring uncharted territories, is the essence of true freedom—until the fear factor threatens to imprison you once again, self-generated and lurking behind bars. Feeding the fear beast once makes it hungry for more, establishing a cycle that’s easy to perpetuate. To maintain genuine freedom, stay focused on your desires and let go of the undesired.
Remember, the decision to feed the fear beast or channel your energy into self-support and belief lies entirely with you. Opt for the exhilaration of new experiences. When you shift your mindset to focus on your wants rather than succumbing to the naysayers (that persistent voice in your head, merely trying to protect you), you can confront the beast head-on. Acknowledge its presence but refrain from investing any energy into it. Similar to acknowledging daily dangers, focus on your belief that you can and will overcome.
So, what is it that you truly want? Acknowledging this can be one of the most challenging questions to answer. Don’t worry; deciphering what it means to you takes time. This is why I’ve included these questions in the FREEDOM formula—to encourage honest contemplation. Standing up for what you want requires courage, as we often lose sight of our desires amid the hustle and bustle of daily life.
For those working on goals and feeling the pressure to perform, the insights shared here will keep you on track, ensuring regular check-ins on your dreams and desires.
Defining Freedom for Yourself
The term ‘freedom’ elicits various emotions for each of us, representing a universal desire in life. However, we often unintentionally create a world with diminishing flexibility and increasing self-imposed restrictions. Suddenly, we find ourselves trapped in a pursuit that may please others but fails to nourish our souls. Interestingly, what we believe will bring more freedom sometimes demands more effort than ever, especially for entrepreneurs.
Have you ever considered the precise definition of freedom?
- The power or right to act upon, speak freely, or think for yourself.
- The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
How do you personally define freedom? Generally, it entails the ability to act or change without constraints, allowing for unrestricted movement like a bird. Freedom has diverse meanings for each individual.
For me, freedom is the ability to travel and work from any corner of the world, continuously exploring.
Take Madam Barbe Nicole Parsadin Clicquot, a courageous entrepreneur and French Champagne Innovator. Widowed at a young age with a daughter, her version of freedom involved maintaining full control of her businesses. To achieve this, she chose to stay a widow, ensuring autonomy over her Champagne business. In the 18th/19th century, if she had remarried, the business would have transferred to a male heir. Her pursuit of freedom meant having a voice, innovating, and growing her business, eventually establishing the renowned Champagne house known today as Veuve Clicquot. Madam Clicquot also contributed to Champagne production with her invention of ‘Riddling.’
“Save water, drink Champagne” – The Champagne Region
Albert Camus, a celebrated French author, journalist, and philosopher, defines freedom as “nothing but a chance to be better.”
What does freedom mean for you? Whatever it is, it’s perfect for you, ensuring it provides more freedom.
Let me elucidate how to utilize this Freedom Formula to enhance your goal-setting process.
Unlocking the FREEDOM Formula: A Monthly Check-In
Effectively utilizing the FREEDOM Formula involves integrating it into your routine as a monthly or quarterly check-in process.
1. Focus:
Channel your focus on what you want, leaving behind what you don’t. Learn from your mistakes and concentrate on the desired outcome. Crafting a quarterly execution plan, as outlined [here](link BIBF), can offer clarity and a targeted focus.
“What is your focus?” Decide and outline the steps needed to reach your goal. Embrace the words of Bruce Lee: “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
2. Reassess and Redirect:
Regularly question what’s working and what’s not, then redirect your energy towards what aligns with your goals. If past goals fell short, reevaluate where you’re investing your energy and adjust your efforts toward desired results.
Engage your senses in this process. Envision what you want to see, hear, and feel when your goal is achieved. Pay attention to any tastes and smells associated with the outcome. By focusing on what works and redirecting energy toward the desired outcome, you can navigate through challenges effectively.
“If it’s not working, reassess your action and redirect your energy toward where you want to go.” – Linda McCall
3. Energy:
Evaluate your energy levels. Are they high or low? What steps can you take to enhance your energy? Prioritize self-care, ensuring your health is a top priority. Amidst the hustle, remember we are human beings, not merely human doings.
Consider four basic survival skills in this order: Breath, Water, Rest, and Food. Acknowledge that maintaining robust energy levels requires attention to these fundamental needs.
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” – Aristotle
4. Exploration:
Ask yourself if you’re exploring all available options and looking at situations from every angle. Exploration, whether in trying new approaches or experiencing different aspects of life, is synonymous with growth.
Leonardo Da Vinci emphasized that exploration and experience are the greatest mistresses of all. Seeking new perspectives can bring fresh ideas and insights to your challenges.
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot
5. Discovery:
Delve into what you’ve discovered about yourself through your experiences. Learning from exploration is essential for genuine discovery. Embrace positive lessons and carry them forward to foster personal growth and prosperity.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
6. Observation:
Reflect on what you’ve observed about yourself and others. Observation, when free from judgment, provides valuable insights. Take moments to stop, observe, and be mindful, avoiding hasty judgments.
Haruki Murakami aptly notes, “I think that my job is to observe people and the world, and not to judge them.” Practice observing your thoughts, words, actions, reactions, and emotions without judgment, recognizing that you have complete control over them.
Be kind to yourself and others, cultivate compassion, and practice the art of mindful observation, a skill that offers profound self-awareness.
Cultivating Observation and Embracing Freedom: A Practical Guide
To develop the skill of observation, vital for recognizing your values in life and business, follow these steps. Identifying your values provides a compass to navigate both personal and professional domains, helping you stay focused on what truly matters.
How to Observe & Identify Your Values:
- List Your Top Ten Values:
Jot down ten things that hold significance for you, considering each area of your life separately (e.g., Health, Hobbies, Family, Relationships, Business). - Narrow It Down to Five:
Refine your list to five essential values. This process offers clarity on what holds primary importance to guide you towards a more liberated life. - Honesty and Potential Repercussions:
Understand that honesty about your values may lead to disagreements or even strained relationships. Living authentically isn’t always easy, but it’s crucial for personal growth.
In my role as a Mentor and Coach over the past decade, I’ve observed that adhering to your values and principles, unwaveringly, can prevent heartaches and even safeguard your business. Values act as guiding lights, aiding in making challenging decisions both in personal and professional spheres.
7. Momentum:
Ask yourself, “What impedes my progress toward realizing dreams? How can I eliminate these obstacles and maintain momentum?” Persevere, noting what works and what doesn’t. Focus on building momentum in the most crucial area, one step at a time.
“Commitment is the ignitor of momentum.” – Peg Wood
Bringing It All Together:
These questions are prompts to propel you closer to your goals. If you answer them truthfully and sincerely introspect, understanding your operational dynamics, you’ll find yourself moving effortlessly towards your dream goals, unlocking a life of greater freedom.
Be mindful of the ripple effect your choices create. Ensure that the changes you make benefit not only yourself but also those around you. Stay close to your values, align with your mission, and you’ll stay on course.
Keep a keen focus on your ‘why’—if dissatisfaction creeps in, it’s a signal that you might be deviating from your core values. Regularly reassess and redirect your energy toward your desires and priorities. Explore innovative ways to enhance your journey, leading to self-discovery and momentum.
Courage and Commitment:
Understanding what freedom means to you is merely the starting point. Taking action requires courage and unwavering commitment to move fearlessly towards your aspirations. Living with greater freedom involves constant self-reminder of your motivations. Focus on your goals, perform regular check-ins, and realign your focus if needed. Uphold your belief in what is right for you and how you wish to contribute to the world. By embracing these seven steps with honesty, you’ll pave the way for a more liberated 2020.
Your invited! Come on this journey with us! Join our Community’s of Digital Nomads and Digital nomad Founders, connecting with a global network of entrepreneurs and gaining access to 25+ mentors as you work on your business ideas.
Adventure On!
