So I've signed up with Medium. I figured if I'm going to share my thoughts, I might as well see whether I can reach a broader audience and monetize it.
It's early days and I don't know where it will go. But I've got to keep building. The world is my oyster!
Now all I need to do is get my first 100 followers before I can start monetizing...
Feel free to follow, clap and read my thoughts on that platform.
I've been thinking a lot about my goals - "financial freedom" and "personal freedom". Financial freedom is relatively straightforward, in that it's about having enough money to be able to be, do, have whatever life throws in my direction. At least, I think that's my thinking anyway.
Personal freedom is more nuanced. I'm not even sure where I fell upon the concept or what I was actually shooting for when it resonated with me. But the more I think about it, the more I've found a new grounding with it.
Essentially, for me, it's about managing the ego. I'll never get rid of it. None of us can. But it's about reducing the amount by which I identify with it and its trappings. It's about being able to take a few risks. It's about allowing myself to make mistakes. It's about failing and then laughing at myself when I look at myself in the mirror afterward. It's about throwing off judgment when things go wrong. It's about chilling when I hear the praise when things go right. It's about embracing the idea that I'm a small grain of sand in the bigger scheme of everything.
Does it conflict with financial freedom? I don't think so. The nothing wrong with having earthly desires and a financially liberating environment. Personal freedom is about the internal story which needs to align with the external realities of financial freedom.
So I'm looking for congruence in my being and alignment with my values for the internal and external. It's about accepting what it's like to be human. It's about having the courage to not get bogged down by ego. It's about allowing yourself to look stupid. It's about having the courage to be rubbish.
I love the principle of "finding your why", espoused by Simon Sinek. It's all about seeking out that sense of purpose that will underpin your intrinsic motivation in life. It's your reason for being, your reason for doing.
It's an excellent principle. Until it's not. The problem for many of us is we simply don't know what that "why" is. Sure, we might have some warm and fuzzy inclinations. But aren't we meant to have a rock solid reason for being? A true north?
The reality is, we all probably have a number of "whys". Or at least, ones that change with the times and our values in life. There's no point beating yourself up if you don't fit into some perfect cookie cutter role. You don't have the narrative that defines all of your endeavors.
If you're struggling with that (which we all do at some point), how about thinking about finding a "why not"? This can be viewed as a crazy-arsed goal that seems so out there it seems ridiculous (at least to some people).
But this is about dreaming big. Really big. In a way that you simply don't sell yourself short. Imagine that you are six-years old and someone asks you what you want to be when you grow up. Your response: "President or the first woman on Mars". A bit crazy, right? Well, no. It's about not selling yourself short, not limiting your potential, not falling short of what you could be. It's completely possible, isn't it. Why not?
So definitely ask about your "why". But also think about your "why not".
