Why Freedom Can Never Be Free

"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."
—Gloria Steinem


Freedom is delicious—intoxicating, really. It tastes like ice
cream, and feels like abs of steel. It sounds like seagulls,
crashing waves, laughter… adventure, and looks like an
overflowing bank account. It sounds like generous and peaceful
conversations with family and colleagues, and it feels like a
million kindhearted hugs.


Who wouldn’t want that kind of freedom? Freedom to be who you are
unapologetically, to buy what you want, to travel where you want
without concern for a budget, to do work that’s meaningful to
you, and to take all the time you want to think, process, and
recharge as needed.


Yes, freedom is yummy. And, such a delightful taste is made
possible by the combination of specific ingredients… not all of
which taste good in isolation.


If freedom is one side of the coin, responsibility is the other.
Responsibility for a specific result puts us on the hook, and
leaves us vulnerable to the possibility of failure. It’s easier
to avoid responsibility, and then complain that we don’t get to
do work that’s important to our soul. It’s easy to complain about
politics, and it’s a whole other thing to get involved in making
a difference.


—We want to feel peaceful, but then we fail to include
peace-inducing activities in our everyday lives. (Meditation,
yoga, laughter, prayer, and chanting, just to name a few.)
—We want a President who embodies the values this great nation
was built upon, but then we fail to find a way to get involved.
(Bashing the system or people who are stepping up to the plate is
hardly a way to build toward a political infrastructure that
holds our values.)
—We want to buy food that has been grown/raised with a focus on
nurturing our bodies and strengthening our environment, yet don’t
want to go out of our way (or spend more) to get it, or to
strengthen the people who are producing it.
—We want to support the people who are doing work we believe in,
but we avoid making promises when it comes to raising funds or
awareness.
—We want them to like us, but then we fail to uncover the many
reasons to like them.
—We want our family to accept and appreciate us for who we are,
but then we hold tightly to our negative opinions of their
decisions and actions.
—We want a healthy body, yet we fail to discover the motivating
factors for our eating and exercise decisions.
—We want to be wealthy, though many of us don’t even know what
that means, or what we’d do with the money. In fact, few of us
have taken the time to understand our relationship with/story
around money.
—We want our employees to bring their A game consistently, to
work hard, and demonstrate enthusiasm, but then we rest on our
laurels when it comes to sharing an inspiring vision, learning
about the hopes, dreams, and future aspirations of our team, and
finding ways to help them grow.


"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to
live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
—Nelson Mandela

Freedom is free, so long as we step up and own responsibility for
the results that matter to our soul. Freedom will always be an
inside-out game. The greater the responsibility we take for
connecting to our own joy, the freer we are to see and seize the
opportunities that present themselves, and create freedom in our
lives.


Here’s to your greatness,


Misti Burmeister


NEW! Ready to reconnect to the excitement of—


• Your work/career
• Leading your team
• Growing your bottom line, along with your people?


Grab your 40 minute Gearing for Greatness session with Misti
today—http://mistiburmeister.com/GearingForGreatness


“Working with Misti Burmeister will be one of the best decisions
you have ever made as a leader. She helped me integrate new
behaviors and thought processes to bolster my overall leadership
presence.” –Kevin Frick, Professor and Dean, Johns Hopkins Carey
School of Business