Introduction to Freedom of Lifestyle

“Freedom starts with the foundation of your values.”

Life is pretty easy when you do what you’re supposed to do. Everything is sublime and care-free.

That is a load of horseshit.

Life is not easy and does not come naturally to all of us. There are constant efforts that need to be expanded upon and greater challenges that await us with each and every day. It is important to keep this in mind regardless of what age, ethnic background, family & friend groups, sexual orientation, community we’re from, health condition, financial status, gender, intelligence, geographic location, skill set or even religious and cultural views we may have on the world at large. All in all, each and everyone of us struggle in one way or another.

We can all agree that life is a struggle from time to time. In fact most of the time, it seems to be. That is why we cherish the small things in life that can take us so far for the sake of gratitude and happiness. One of the greatest parts of having this happiness and where it can take us is the freedom that comes with it. That’s another thing everyone can agree upon: Everyone wants freedom in their life. Freedom in their work, relationships, friendships, rights, environment, mentality and so on and so forth.

In order to be free one must strive for it whether they claim to be free or not. Not in the sense that we are all bound by some insurmountable force of nature or some sinister omniscient presence. No, not at all. It is the fact that we all choose to live our lives differently and individually that gives breathe to the idea of freedom. The freedom to live. The freedom to be.

Funny how structure itself plays well into the idea of freedom. At first glance it seems almost contradictory, however it is not. You need a foundation and base to work with in order to function in a world freely. Ideally this is can be amalgamated through personal experience and gained knowledge. After having done so it will become increasingly easier to expand upon one’s freedom. Maybe there is a foundation that was first found in your family. Maybe it is changing today. Maybe there is a way to chart your own course. Maybe where you are in life and what you want out of it has to do more with your own actions as opposed to just your environment.

Core values pose as an important key component into your day to day life.

You can change who you are at any point in life. You can get out, drop your job, move to another country and enjoy your summer’s drinking away the sunsets with a loved one or solitary. This may sound completely unrealistic and perhaps fantastically idyllic but nonetheless it is an example of “where you can be.”

Now let’s say that you WANT to live this way. Sounds a bit odd right? Just dropping everything you have and living in another part of the world. Or maybe just switching jobs so you can do more of what you love.

The point here is to make sure that you see the difference in mindset between knowing where you are in life and where you want to be. That is where the freedom is found. That is where you can start to eliminate what is unnecessary to you. Core values can help shape your focus for foundation and filter out any distractions.

List out 10 different things you truly value in life and set them aside. They can be as simple as:

Love

Respect

Freedom

Honesty

Community

etc.

You get the idea.

Now start to question how they relate to who is in your life, what is important to you, when you want it, where you’d like to be, how it will be done and foremost why you are doing it.

These will generate the momentum necessary to fuel your drive and structure for a lifetime. Once you have declared that, you will have more than enough base to move towards the freedom you always dreamed of.

Once you have decided what you value most it will become easier to see what is important in your life. This way moving forward you can expand or divulge on what these things are so that there is clarity and options are more firmly within your grasp.

Have fun with the process in finding out what you value.