What is Freedom?

As we celebrate our national independence, I saw a lot of posts with the keyword #freedom.

It dawned on me that what we seek in the phrase “Freedom’ is in these three simple words: #Decision, #Develop, and #Discipline.

I look at the concept of freedom from another perspective of life, and I realized that daily, we seek freedom in different forms, say:

#Social freedom, also known as personal freedom or individual freedom, Is the notion of seeking the right and autonomy to make choices and decisions about our personal lives and behaviours without undue interference or constraint from external authorities or societal norms.

Another could be.

#Financial freedom: a state of personal and financial well-being where you can make choices and decisions about your life without being overly constrained by financial limitations. Perhaps the most common example is being #Debt-free, ?i.e., being free from significant consumer debt.

Or

#Career freedom refers to the ability to make choices and decisions about your career that align with your personal goals, values, and aspirations without being overly constrained by external factors.

And the list goes on, but then let me dive quickly into these three elements, in my own opinion, that spell #Freedom.

#Decision: this speaks about daily choices but must be executed after carefully considering the various options, alternatives, or possibilities. Decision-making is a mental process that involves assessing information, evaluating potential outcomes, and selecting the best course of action based on one's goals, preferences, values, and constraints.

The question on the table is what decisions, individually or corporately, are we making daily and how the outcome of those decisions shapes the outlook of our lives. ?

#Develop: It is certain that in some areas of our lives if not all, we need to make decisions that can impact our personal, professional, or social lives. These decisions involve planning and would be developed over time through practice and self-reflection. ?Different definitions of "develop" mean growing, progressing, or advancing over time.

#Growth is transformational, and it progresses from one form to another. The goal of development is to improve your decision-making. It speaks to daily refining your goals and aspirations in life. The questions are: How do you nurture your ideas, visions, and dreams to grow beyond the obvious obstacles that may deter you from moving forward? Are you developing the right attitude that is helping you discover those silent or hidden God-given talents or skills you are meant to hone?

#Discipline: Away from the punitive sense, the definitions that align with my thoughts here are intentionality, consistency, focus, determination, motivation, perseverance, and responsibility. To enjoy the development of your dreams, vision, and goals, which culminate in your decision-making, you must be disciplined to stay true to your goals.

Most times, this is where we tend to drop the ball. We have a well-defined vision; we decide to actualize that dream, but then we lack the discipline to nurture the development of our goal. And we continue to depend on others for what we can give ourselves. Unfortunately, we even blame others for the failure of our dream, our vision, ultimately seeking the freedom that has always been at our disposal to claim.

Please permit me to dwell on #career freedom because this topic resonates more. I have had opportunities to mentor people on #career #growth and #development. I have realized that career growth and development success are proportionate to the three Ds I described above.

As we celebrate our National Independence Day, which birthed the freedom of our great nation, #Nigeria, I implore us to begin to look within for those areas of our life, mostly around our professional line that is calling out for us to pay attention to the career freedom we need to start taking cognizance of.

#freedom starts from the mind, and how you view life creates opportunities around you that may not be so obvious to a narrow mind. ?

Finally, I will leave you with this- Start making intelligent choices. Choices that can help you navigate the right direction in life in the hope of making your dreams come true for our collective advantage.

This is what I learned celebrating this year’s national Independence; what is yours? I appreciate your thoughts.

#Happy #Independence to my Naija people.