This posting is about some real changes that you can make to increase your own freedom. Freedom is always a state of the heart before it becomes a reality. I’ll add some more steps to freedom in future postings.

1) Learn to think clearly

In a world of lies and half truths, the truth will set you free. To find truth, your thought processes will need to be able to logically analyse what you are told to find any inconsistencies and to determine the agenda behind each statement.

For example, if your employer says that they value results, but the people you see being promoted are the politicial game players, then there is an identified inconsistency. What is the agenda? If you think clearly, you can determine what they gain by the statement.

Clear thinking is a series of logical deductions that go to the heart of a matter, exposing and cutting away emotionalism and confusion.

How do you develop this capability? It is through making a courageous decision to face truth, no matter how bruising it is. That may involve cutting through an edifice that you have built up as a belief system.

Also, expose yourself to new ideas to challenge your thinking. The fewer new ideas in your life, the more likely you are to be not thinking clearly because you will not be seeing the big picture. Read different books, surf to different websites and explore different cultures to broaden your perspective. Always critically analyse what you learn against what you have found to be true.

2) Take control of your finances

If you are barely surviving financially, you can’t be free. In our society, freedom is often a function of money. Incidentally, that is why taxation limits freedom.

If you are thinking clearly, you won’t need to respond to peer pressure to live beyond your means. If you know who you are as a person, you won’t be trying to be someone through your too expensive car. Know the difference between wants and needs, and strip out waste. Start budgeting and take control of your money.

Think of ways of increasing your income, such as investments or small businesses. Learn about money and how it works. Build buffers and reserves into your life to protect against adverse events.

Tags: Practical freedom

This entry was posted on Monday, March 5th, 2007 at 4:24 pm and is filed under Practical freedom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.