Freedom in life

We are all searching for Freedom in life. I believe we can agree on that point. But what is Freedom? What does it mean? …and how do we perceive it? Some people don’t want to be “free” because they would rather not make any decisions; instead, they prefer to belong to a community where the responsibility is more collective in nature.

In whatever way we try to define what Freedom really is, the most general and out-of-discussion answer would be something like

Freedom = Do What You Want To Do

Professionals studying the behavior behind “freedom” discuss “free will.”

Freedom is a word that no one, officially at least, is willing to erase from their list of desires in life. This is not the place to discuss political issues. Still, it is interesting to note that leaders from countries considered pure dictatorships on one side and well-known democratic leaders on the other extreme are both talking about freedom as a non-negotiable parameter in their societies. From a human perspective, it could be a strong acclamation.

Do Not Touch My Freedom!

Perhaps someone will now argue that there are different kinds of freedoms, such as political, financial, and religious freedoms, among others. Is it like that?

If we look into a theoretical scenario in which I am the only person on Earth, in theory, I could do whatever I want. No one should be there to try to stop me if I do something wrong. No one should tell me when I do something good or bad, and no one should be upset if my way of acting interferes with her/his personal interests.

Thus, we conclude that freedom in life interacts when a group of people tries to live together in a community. In our pursuit of personal freedom, we must consider and respect the interests of others living in the same community, who likely have different interests from our own.

Going back to the real world, where we are not alone but where almost 7 billion people have to live together, “My Freedom” can be obtained by using cruelty and other methods to take away other people’s freedom. An example of this is slavery, which still exists in certain parts of the world. I can also obtain “My Freedom” with complete respect for other people’s fight for their freedom.

The good thing about using this second method is that I will not be the one blocking other people´s development, and I will not be creating enemies in my surroundings. This path toward absolute freedom in life requires, in the first place,

Moral and ethics

However, my goal of achieving personal freedom will also require ingredients such as planning, persistence, hard work, creativity, a high level of tolerance for frustration, and a lot of trial-and-error mentality. In other words,

Freedom corresponds to true entrepreneurship.

Why be an Entrepreneur?

Many people wonder why they should become entrepreneurs when it requires so much effort and time to achieve their goals. The answer is quite simple and straightforward:

Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur.

Many people refuse to accept what it takes to achieve freedom through true entrepreneurship.

Famous entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, and Ingvar Kamprad, to name just a few of the most successful, come from different segments of the business world, but they share a common trait.

They had a vision that they converted into a plan. They worked extremely hard, had numerous ideas, and surrounded themselves with creative people. If you have read any of their biographies, you are well aware of the innumerable mistakes they made on their journey and the ability they demonstrated to cope with frustrations, never give up, and persist in achieving their goals.

Most people who admire these entrepreneurs believe that money is the primary driver behind their achievements. But how can we then explain that Ingvar Kamprad, among the five wealthiest people in the world, drives around in an old Volvo at least 20 years old and always flies economy class, when his fortune would probably be enough to buy the entire airline he is flying with?

Why did Steve Jobs not charge any salary from Apple when he was hired the second time to become CEO of his “own company”? The answer is simple and straightforward this time as well: money is not their motive.

Money is not the primary motive.

Analyzing successful entrepreneurs and how they achieved their success in life, in most cases, it all starts with an idea. The idea suddenly becomes a passion, representing the whole engine for the hard work to come, with frustrations, failures, and ultimately, success. All this is nothing but the free and enthusiastic will to do what I want. In other words, the search for Freedom.

When talking to people who have had success in their lives, they rarely discuss the amount of money they have earned. Instead, they can spend hours discussing their passion and how they achieved their goals. It is common for them to discuss their multiple failures on their road to success. They do it with pride because they know that without all these failures, it would have been almost impossible to make any progress toward the final result.

From entrepreneurs and soccer heroes

Famous soccer players of our day, such as Ronaldo, Messi, or Beckham, who now have enough money to live the rest of their lives without financial worries, did they decide to become millionaires by playing soccer when they were kids? I don’t think so.

First of all, during their lower teenage years, when they were still developing their skills, no one could predict or guarantee that their abilities would bring them to a position where their pockets would be overloaded with money. Second, if money were the trigger, I don’t think their motivation would have been sufficient to undertake all the necessary training and sacrifices to one day become a player belonging to the world elite.

The same applies to Bill Gates and his colleagues. I don’t think his goal was to develop Microsoft Windows to become rich. Instead, he had a tremendous passion for software and was one of the few who saw its tremendous need and potential. Beckham and his friends had a passion for being good players, then one of the best, to finally occupy the top places in the world elite.

Passion and freedom mark the path.

Freedom and Passion are linked closely together.

Now we shall make an even stronger statement and establish that…

Freedom always starts with Passion

Freedom can often be challenging to achieve, and the stronger our passion at the outset, the more likely we are to attain our goal of freedom. The road is long and complicated, which is why you need to plan your journey properly.

“Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”

Nelson Mandela

Along the road, we will face obstacles, challenges, and rewards. Obstacles can include failures, laws and regulations, sabotage, and running out of funds for operations, among others. Challenges can include, for example, reviewing and revising a working plan, which can be frustrating, requiring hard work (many hours per day), and competition.

Progress will be a natural result when working constantly and adequately with obstacles and challenges. Sometimes progress is slow, and sometimes it is fast, but we shall always proceed forward. During the process, rewards will start to appear.

Perhaps we’ve developed a product or service that yields a patented brand. Maybe we get public recognition for something highly valued by society. We can go on for a long time, but the bottom line is that recognition and rewards, by default, produce income, money, or whatever we would like to call it.

Being rich happens to people who achieve their Freedom by actively working on something they are deeply passionate about.