In my first blog post about freedom, I wrote about the overwhelm I felt trying to explain what it means to me. There are simply so many levels to freedom, and it also heavily dependent on the part of the world you grew up in. In that sense, the topic can also be viewed as highly political and discussed from a moral standpoint. But that's not what I want to get into with these blog posts.
I will look at the topic of what freedom means in my personal life from different angles. And who knows, it might stimulate your inner world about what freedom means to you, and to what extent you live your definition of freedom too. Because knowing your values is one thing, but implementing them and staying true to them is a whole other topic.
Living and working anywhere you want
Working and living anywhere you want — it’s probably the most Western, millennial definition of what freedom is. Working with your feet in the sand and a coconut on the side, gaining inspiration from stunning new surroundings and meeting new people, and the ability to escape to warmer places to ward off winter blues. It's the kind of lifestyle that many dream of — the good life.
I get it. When I just quit my job and ended my rental contract without having a new plan in sight, I felt the world is at my feet! I was in Portugal, travelling in a camper van with a friend, always near the ocean, and all I could feel was peace of mind; so arrived in the here and now. And simultaneously, a great excitement for all the opportunities that were lying ahead of me. The world was like a playground, and I could just pick and choose what I felt like going after.
But the liberating feeling of this type of freedom wears off after a while, when taken to the extreme. At least it did for me, and I see it happening quite frequently with long term travellers. When many aspects in your life are for a longer period of time, open or unknown, and only up to you, you can actually start to feel floaty, overwhelmed and lost. A need for direction, focus and grounding can arise.
Because here's the crazy thing 😏:
Freedom actually needs boundaries. True freedom requires finding the right balance between autonomy and structure. So working and living anywhere you want is wonderful, but make sure to set some limitations that help you create focus and direction, and provides a clear framework for deciding whether a certain opportunity or situation aligns with your values and needs.
Journal prompts:
How important is having the ability to work and live from anywhere to me? What kind of life do I envision for myself if I had the ability to work and live from anywhere I wanted, and how can I work towards making that a reality? What would I do differently in my life if I had the freedom to live and work from anywhere I wanted?
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