Freedom
The word freedom has been a reoccurring theme for myself COVID hit. In different ways it is something that many of us even without realizing it are ultimately in pursuit of. I am excited to see what ways freedom evolves for all of us in the future after the recent growth of remote working and the drive for many to be their own boss.
First, let’s define freedom. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant does a phenomenal job of describing how freedom has evolved for Naval and understanding it this specific way may change how you look at your pursuits. This part is also tied into his tweet thread/storm of “How to get rich without getting lucky” and how wealth may be connected to freedom.
“My old definition was “freedom to.” Freedom to do anything I want. Freedom to do whatever I feel like, whenever I feel like. Now, the freedom I’m looking for is internal freedom. It’s “freedom from.” Freedom from reaction. Freedom from feeling angry. Freedom from being sad. Freedom from being forced to do things. I’m looking for “freedom from”, internally and externally, whereas before I was looking for “freedom to.” - Naval
The way Naval describes freedom from when he was younger to now is really impactful. At a certain point in our life many of us pursue the freedom to do what we want, when we want, with who we want. Morgan Housel, author of Psychology of Money uses that as a description for financial independence. I really appreciate both of their perspectives during the pursuit of both types of freedom. One type being financial independence to gain the “freedom to” and then do the personal work to gain more of “freedom from.”
It is counter intuitive but structure and discipline set the stage for us to be more free. I believe reaching “Freedom From” is a lifelong pursuit, being disciplined with where you are spending your energy actually helps you along this journey. Being disciplined and efficient puts you in a position where you are making better use of your time, giving you more freedom outside of that work. Jocko Willink, navy seal and author, explains in Extreme Ownership the importance of discipline equals freedom. It is that simple. Do what is needed, efficiently, and ultimately you will be more free to do what you want (potentially closer to “Freedom From”)
My friend recently shared Bomani Jones’ ted talk as we discussed the importance of having a framework. Bomani Jones explains something similar to what Jocko Willink discussed. In his path as a writer, radio host, podcaster, and reporter he thought structure would limit his creativity, he disliked the word discipline as he saw it as something that would stop creativity. However, once he realized the power of structure, it turned from freedom of structure (without) to a more productive freedom because of structure (with). Structure of what he wanted people to learn, feel and the technical structure of the writing set the stage for him to be free. Unlocking the ability to be even more creative than he previously thought. Simply, Bomani Jones explained “do what you are supposed to do and then you will be free to do everything else you want to do.”
As I continue to challenge myself in this process of writing articles, newsletters, getting podcasts up where hopefully in the future I can have guests for deeper conversations I need to develop what kind of structure I will lean on. What structure gives me more freedom to be creative? What do I want to gain from this creative process? How do I want to create value for others? How that structure will actually set the table for me to be more efficient with my energy and be more creative with my freedom? As I said before, freedom is a word that continues to show up on my radar in life. This post was some insight into things that I see and think about daily, as freedom continues to grow and become one of my core values. All I need to do is better define what freedom “to” and “from” may mean to me.
Resources of Interest:
Tweetstorm “How to Get Rich Without Getting Lucky”
Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
Jocko YouTube Videos (Video Above) & Podcast
Bomani Jones TedTalk (Video Above)
Ferate
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