How Free Are You?

Or maybe a better question is "Are you free at all?"

I think quite a few American would say the answer is "No."

Ask anyone and they'll tell you they're a slave to their job, or their debt, or whatever life situation they find themselves unhappy with. You know, it's the man holding you back, as they say.

And that defeatist notion 100% incorrect.

It's not your job or your debt that you're a slave to; it's yourself.

If you hate your job, there are only two people to blame. 1) The person who accepted the position and 2) The person who chooses to stay there.

If you're up to your ears in debt, it's the same two people: 1) The person who ran up the debt and 2) The person who hasn't paid it off.

Oh wait, all of those are the same person. You.

So I'll use your job as an example, but it's the same for any situation you're in. You are the one enslaving yourself by keeping yourself in a miserable situation. And the only way out is to find out what it is you'd rather be doing--and then quit screwing around and just do it.

Let's say you're in IT, but you'd rather be a personal trainer. So what stops you from getting your PT license and picking jobs on nights and weekends? No don't bother telling me the answer. I already know it: You're too busy for that. After all, how could you possibly find time to work on your real passion when there are so many hours of reality TV to watch? So many hours to spend on the latest Zynga Facebook game.  So many weekend mornings that you want to sleep in until noon.

So remember next Monday when you show up to the job you hate that you are not slave to it. You're a slave to the distractions in your life that are keeping you away from chasing your dreams. They are what keep you tied down to the situation you hate being in because you're just too "busy" to take the time to change it.

The only way to true freedom is to figure out a way to spend your life living your dreams--and getting paid for it. Everything else is a distraction.

So put away the distractions and take your first real step toward freedom.