Finance your freedoms

One previous client told me in one of our sessions, that he planned to work 10 more years at a job he disliked (no mental freedom) in other to save more before quitting (have some initial financial freedom).

"..." - I didn't say anything and I paused to let him reflect on what he had just said.

"...What a miserable type of life plan is that." - He said after taking a breath.

What does #freedom means to you? Some in the African culture find the concept of seeking personal freedom as being egotistical, thinking only about one-self. Others find freedom to be a necessity in one's life, to feel whole and live their full purpose. We have learn many terms of freedom lately. In this article I will challenge the perspectives you have learned so far about freedom, and bring to you the concept of "Financing our Freedom" that I teach in my "African Wealth & Impact" program.

What type of freedom are you currently seeking?

There are many types of freedom:

1. Economic or financial freedom: the most popular one - Shradha Sharma , Indian businesswoman, founder of YourStory, stated in a recent post that "startups and entrepreneurs are today’s economic freedom fighters —every entrepreneur, every builder of the ecosystem....As entrepreneurs we are playing a critical role towards nation building and making India a tech superpower."
2. Political freedom: More than 40 countries have the word "Freedom" in their national motto (Ghana, France, Guatemala, Haiti, and many more...). Political freedom takes form in a protection of non-colonial rights for a particular nation.
3. Personal freedom: personal freedom designates the freedom of an individual within a group, and forms of personal freedom are described in the human rights' constitution (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to get education, etc...).
4. Mental freedom: This appears to be the toughest one to reach. Some people have described mental freedom as the lack of mental pressure to do something we do not want to do. A solopreneur once said: "I'm really enjoying the mental freedom of working on?SME Interviews?(their company) without putting pressure on myself to make money off it."

There is also the belief that only entrepreneurs have better chances at finding more freedom. Can professionals also claim to be truly fully free though? In his book, "Work without Jobs", global futurist Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA articulates the importance for organizations to shape cultures of work that allow for employees to have the freedom to choose between different projects, jobs and tasks opportunities they want to take or not, depending on their multiple technical and soft skills, and not just their single degrees.

Although freedom should be exercised in a "way that respects and enhances the freedom of others" as Nelson Mandela said it so well, it is one ideal that all of us are fighting for, Every. Single. Day.

We might sometimes find ourselves in a place where we have more freedom of one kind and lack more of one another kind. We see in some cases for example, some people having more financial freedom and less political freedom (E.g. Some leaders in some countries, being vastly rich, possessing many lands, but highly fearful of their government authorities). One might also have more mental freedom, but less of financial freedom to buy what they desire, when they desire it.

How are you financing your current freedoms?

If you had to take a complete assessment of your life right now, what types of freedoms do you think you are lacking the most on right now?

In my 3-month coaching program to advance people towards their african-impact goals, financial freedom is at the forefront, but not in the way that we have learned it now with the "get-rich-quick" schemes.

Financing our freedom, means not only achieving "economic freedom", but it further means aiming to achieve all sorts of freedom identified above. It is indeed in this way and this way only, that we set ourselves up for rapid, exponential growth in all parts of our life. Financing your freedoms might means many things to you, and the financing capital can be of many forms:

1. Radical change: To change radically some of your habits, in order to obtain more freedom in a place that you lack some - mental capital.
2. Skill development: To invest in learning new skills to advance more seriously in goals that would bring more financial freedom - money capital.
3. Personal development: To invest in yourself to train yourself to do the work you know you need to break off the chains that are currently preventing you to experience true economic, political, mental, and social freedom - money capital.
4. Courage: To remove the chains now, simply - some of us already have the power to remove our chains, but sometimes have not have the courage to simply remove. Financing your freedom might mean giving yourself permission to do so - mental capital,

How are you financing your freedoms now? Let me know in the comment section.

I would push the discussion even forward as a conclusion, what is also your plan to bring freedom to many people around you? For reaching freedom for yourself is not enough, advocating for the freedom of others like the Harriet Tubmans of this world, is truly what enhances and enriches our own sense of freedom.

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Feel free to schedule a discovery session with me here, to discuss about your own freedoms objectives and how I can help you achieve them much faster. Schedule here.