The Ego

Why would a blog about freedom deal with the subject of 'ego'? Does this mean that we have now entered the realm of psychology? Absolutely!

The reason why I am going to touch upon this subject is because it is our ego that causes us so much destruction and turmoil in our lives. I found that freedom is given away piece-by-piece simply because many listen to the ego. If they were able to control this animal, their lives would be enriched to a much greater degree.

Wealth

Everybody needs to decide for themselves what it means to be wealthy. For many, it means having all the nice cars, houses, and art collections. This is something that is wonderful to attain if one is able to keep it in the proper perspective. Sadly, most do not. Instead, they allow these items to own them. The possessions become the most important thing. This is the ego at work but few realize it.

To me, wealth equates to freedom. That is how I imagine it in my mind. Therefore, one who is not free is not considered wealthy by me. Sure that person might have a lot of money or things but the truth is that most are working their pants off to maintain it. People of this ilk are often over stressed, leveraged, and walking the fine line of economic collapse. They spend long hours trying to maintain their standards only to realize at the end they cannot take it with them. Few spend time in their dying days wishing they spent more time at the office working. Regret is commonplace among these people.

Wayne Dyer writes in many of his books about detachment. Now, I am not going to get metaphysical with you because personally I find it a waste of time. My preference is for the basics of the here and now. Regardless of that outlook, My. Dyer brings up some valid points. The essence of life is not wrapped up in things, achievement, or 'stuff'. Certainly those things are all nice. However, it is when one allows the ego takes over that those ends start taking control. And, the danger lies in the fact that enough is never enough for the ego. More is the mantra of this motivator. No matter what is achieved, the ego needs to be fed a larger quantity. Happiness can never result. This leads to an unsatisfied life.

That is why I believe a wealthy person is one who attained freedom in his or her life. This is a concept that holds true without regard to the amount of money attained. It is vital to point out that this is not proclaiming that poverty is the means to this end either. Hear me clearly when I state there is nothing wrong with material things or assets as long as they are held in their proper perspective. And, the only way to do this is to remove the ego from the situation as much as possible.

Self Esteem

A healthy self esteem is one of the major components of living a free life. When you consider the things the ego makes us do, you quickly realize that is the path to slavery. Consider all the creditors the average person is responsible for paying. How many of those purchases are made by the ego? Do you think a person with a healthy self worth needs a 'McMansion' that he or she cannot afford? Does a person of this nature buy an expensive foreign sports car amassing a large monthly payment for the next 60 months? The answer is NO. Someone who is healthy in this manner makes smart decisions based upon economic reality.

Personally, I could care what my neighbors think. My life is not lived according to their viewpoints. Recently, I realized that many of the people in my neighborhood purchased new vehicles. Now, I am a realist which leads me to believe these people did not pay cash for these automobiles. Instead, the finance these purchases. This is exchanging their time for a new asset. Sadly, it is one that will not appreciate. New vehicles depreciate the minute they are driven off the lot (that means goes down in value). Therefore, these people have years of payments for something that is going down in worth every month. Their car will be used long before the payments are completed.

This brings up the question, did these people need to purchase these cars? In my estimation they did not. From what I could see, they had vehicles that worked. In fact, some of the ones they got rid of are newer than the cars I have. Thus I surmise that ego was a factor in these purchasing decisions. Since I am not concerned with what others think, I am quite content to drive around in my automobiles that total 23 years of age between the two.

Please bear in mind the ego will use every tactic to take control. If you asked my neighbors if ego was the factor in making the decisions, they would deny it. They would state a host of other reasons for purchase like the reliability of a new vehicle (warranty), the deal they got, or the fact that their older car needed work. Whatever the reasoning, it never can justify the freedom sacrificed. Simply put, if it weren't for the ego, these purchases most likely would have not been made. But, few ever think of freedom until it is too late.

Therefore, I believe it most important for us to realize that our ego is a powerful mechanism that will only create misery and pain. The solution to this outcome is to continually work on our self esteem. The truth is that what you drive is not a reflection on you in any manner. Madison Avenue would like to make you believe that it is but that is incorrect. The qualities that reside within you are not contingent upon what you wear, the brand of show you wear, or any other material object. If you are a worthy person, it is because of the qualities you exhibit in your daily life. There are a lot of jackasses living in wealthy neighborhoods. At the same time, some of the best people are routinely overlooked because they don't exhibit the material wealth. Instead, they are people who are comfortable with themselves. They understand that things do not make them better people.

Understand this concept and begin to make purchasing decisions accordingly.

1000%

This is a concept that makes so much sense but is rarely applied in most people's lives. Looking around at the way the average person approaches his or her life, it is easy to realize that most operate on only a few percent. What do I mean by this? Basically, those who live exceptional lives approach everything with 1000% effort. They give all they have to the task they are confronted with.

Getting Results

One of the major factors in determining the results we get is the energy which we approach a particular task. Those who are able to summon the motivation to give all effort attain a greater degree of success than those who do not. This is an idea that has been around for ages. Those who give it their all achieve more. It is that simple.

Of course, I am preaching to the choir since everyone experiences this in life to one degree or another. Have you ever noticed how effortless it is to be totally committed to a task when it is something that you love? There are times when we have 1000% effort and are completely focused upon what we are doing. During those intervals, we experience a greater degree of success and happiness. Some people call it being in the zone.

However, success in life is not determined by how well we do those things that we love. The truth is that the level of achievement we attain is a direct result of how well we do those things that we dislike. Life mandates that we engage in certain activities which are not pleasurable in our eyes. Paying bills is something that comes to mind. Nevertheless, this is something that all of us have to do. Approaching this task in a lethargic manner will result in us making mistakes. It also indicates how we engage in the other tasks in life that we detest. Operating at 1000% means that we approach everything with the greatest amount of energy and enthusiasm we can muster.

Getting results sometimes means getting past the 'chores' in our lives as quickly as we can. It also means that we do them to the best of our ability. Certainly many of these tasks are not life and death. But as I said, they are an indicator of our overall outlook.

Go As Far As Possible

Most people settle in life. They adopt the outlook of a slave because society establishes it. People follow the edicts of our culture by believing in what is promoted. We enslave ourselves financially with our purchasing decisions. Career paths are followed even though they are detested for fear of changing. People spend their lives married to a man or woman they dislike simply because dogma says to split is a sin. The bottom line is that living exceptionally is not in the plans for most people. Instead, they opt to sacrifice their freedom in every manner.

A 1000% mindset means that all is going to be attained. We live in a world where you have 360 degrees of possibilities. You can do whatever you want. When you adopt the principles that I write about here and seek to implement them with all the effort you can muster, you will see far different outcomes. The world literally can become your oyster.

I often write about the importance of having the minimalist mindset. Here is an example of how you can do something at 1000%. Approach the stuff in your life with the outlook that you are going to declutter to the max. Get rid of all the excess you can with the knowledge that this is one major step to your living a free life. Seek to control your spending by only purchasing that which is truly needed. Seek the least expensive approach to those things that you do require while saving the excess. Start studying, learning, and implementing ideas for investing to enable your money to grow. Find those things in your life that are enslaving you and eliminate them immediately. A change in outlook is often all that is required.

Quantify

The idea is to quantify your level of effort and motivation. While doing this in every situation is a bit neurotic, the point is to start to focusing on increasing your level as you approach things. Of course, statistically speaking we knowing that 100% effort is the maximum. Thus, 1000% is unrealistic. I use this number to emphasize going all out in everything.

Which brings up the next hindrance: we know that 100% effort in all we do is not feasible. There simply are times when we are tired, frustrated, or bored. It is these moments that a system to quantify our efforts is helpful. If, for example, we are approaching something that will we give 10% effort to, is it possible to go to 20%? Notice how we didn't move to 100% but, rather, simply tried to double our efforts. Certainly giving 1/5 of our abilities is not something that is too out of line. This is something that most of us can handle in every situation, wouldn't you agree?

Since we believe this is possible, recognize the happened. We just doubled the amount of effort and motivation we normally had. How do you think this will affect our results? I tend to believe, that over the long haul, we will attain a better outcome because of this. That is how powerful a quantifying system can be.

Therefore, whatever you are doing from now on, simply ask yourself what level am I at presently. Determine a number and seek to improve on it. If you find you are at 30%, seek out ways to make it 40% or 50%. Any increase will result in a more positive outcome for that particular task. However, the big payoff comes when you develop the habit of continually raising your life to another level. This is where you start move from the average life to the exceptional.

Begin using this tactic today.

Freedom From Procrastination

Here is a universal truth: No success is every achieved without action. This is a statement that needs to be implanted firmly in your mind. Too many seem to believe that success is a matter of luck. However, few realize the action that is required to get to the point where 'luck' occurs. There is an old saying that holds true: the harder I work, the luckier I get.

The Archenemy

Do you know what the archenemy of success is? The title of this blog post ought to give it away. Procrastination will never lead to success. In fact, this single trait does more to destroy one's chance of advancement than any other quality. Procrastination is cunning and powerful. Most who are afflicted with this disease are rarely aware that it exists.

Success is a result of action. Usually, it is continuous action extended over a long period of time. Procrastination is the archenemy of this because it breeds the exact opposite. The result of procrastination is inactivity. Naturally, as is seen, procrastination, by its very definition cannot create success.

3 Ways To Overcome Procrastination

1. Make a list:

Many procrastinate because they do not know what to do next. A list is a helpful way to create a 'blueprint' for the action taken. Unlike some of the 'experts' who write on this subject, I find that the best list is the simplest. Instead of trying to determine the most 'important' activities (also called 'large stones'), just write down 5 things that you need to do. Then start doing them.

To show how simple the list can be, here is what I wrote that I need to get done this evening:

-walk, workout, stretch, write blog post, and shave head

The first few items were completed without waste. My tendency to procrastinate was removed since I know what the next action is.

2. Give yourself a deadline

Many believe that the operate better under pressure. While I am not here to debate that point, I will state there is plenty of research to the contrary. Nevertheless, if you are one who is convinced you excel only when getting close to 'crunch time', then I suggest you set a deadline for whatever you are faced with. For example, if you use the aforementioned list, give yourself until 8:00 PM to complete it. Instead of allowing circumstances to dictate what you do, create the 'pressure' yourself.

3. Tell someone else

Accountability is something that we all need. Sadly, most of us fail at holding ourselves accountable. My own personal experience is that we will let ourselves off the hook by buying into the excuses we create. These excuses are the rationalizations that we use to uphold our inactivity.

Involving another person helps us to create that accountability. Thus, if you are faced with something that requires action, tell someone what needs doing and when you will complete it by. Insist that person check up on you to make sure you did what was intended (this might require some explaining but most serious people will applaud your efforts). I found this type of accountability will remove procrastination in most instances. The reason is simple: the fear of losing 'face' is a more powerful than the internal mechanism that is making us procrastinate.

Freedom

One cannot be free unless he has control over himself. Whenever we are allowing our internal fears to control us, we are a slave. My entire existence is dedicated to the elimination of the chains that bind me. While it is easy to mention the external ones like a job working for someone else, the truth is that my own mind is my greatest jailer. Anything that I can do to overcome the obstacles it puts in my way helps to free me from bondage.

Procrastination steals time and energy away. I found that most actions take less than 30 minutes (in fact most less then 10 minutes). Yet, a person will put that activity off for days, dwelling upon it the entire time. The simple fact is that it is often easier to take action immediately and move on. This affords one the opportunity to utilize time as he or she sees fit.

Long term success is the result of a series of steps in a particular direction. Like DeNiro said," it took me 10 years to become an overnight sensation". Freedom is something that each of us needs to work for on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we are our own worst enemy in this pursuit. Of course, the advantage to that is we can do something about it. Overcome your personal limitation in an effort to achieve this end.

Start by kicking procrastination to the curb. Take a couple activities you are putting off, write them down, and go do them. Use one (or more) of the techniques above and watch your results increase immediately. This will help you break free from the bondage of procrastination.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is the day to give thanks in the United States. I commented earlier in the week to something that I found it intriguing that we have Black Friday the day after we assemble to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Consumerism penetrated all aspects of our lives. Holidays lost the original intent and, thus, are simply another reason to hold a 'storewide' sale.

I am so thankful that I am at this point in my life. The next few weeks will be interesting. I wrote yesterday that the batch going Goodwill is expanding. I talked with Kitten today and she added another couple bags full of clothes. We both are adopting this life. It is wonderful to be with someone who gets it also. She wants the freedom that I described to her. Together, along with anyone else we implement, we will get there.

Earlier, I read a blog which really struck a cord with me. In it, Everett Bogue wrote that he met a friend of his and discussed this lifestyle. Through their conversation, the secret was revealed which was shared in the post. Fortunately, I am going to pass it along as freely as it was given to be. The secret is: You need to lead a lifestyle that you want people to live. In others words, as was states, lead a really cool life and blog about it.

That really hit home with me. This is what I was always seeking. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to lead a cool life yet simply did not know how. Now, I am really starting to understand. Freedom is the most important things in my life. The minimalist mindset is only the start. This is an outlook that I feel certain will lead to all my goals. It is the key that I sought for many years.

So, on this Thanksgiving Day , my life is leading in a different direction. I have established a drop dead date to exit my present prison and step into total freedom. The clock is counting. It is exciting while also instilling some fear. But overall, I know I will succeed.

Happy Turkey Day everyone.