What does freedom mean to you?

What does freedom mean to you?

‍

A few years back, I went through the very Brene Brown process of defining my values and came out with these as my top three: adventure, peace and freedom.

‍

These values make a hell of a lot of sense when you consider that I felt drawn to working for myself.

‍

Some might argue peace is questionable, given it can be really hectic to run a one-woman band – banging those symbols, tapping the high hat, strumming the guitar. It’s all a lot – especially when you’re technically not a musician and you’re on stage feeling like someone pulled your pants down. Am I doing this right?! Help?!

‍

But peace comes to me by knowing I am pursuing the highest vision for my own life (that is, my hard work, instincts and gifts are not being wasted building someone else’s dream). I garner peace knowing my mental health is not in the hands of an organisation (if I need a day, an hour or a week off, I will find a way to take it). I have peace feeling unconstrained by corporate or archaic structures (cough, the law, cough) – things as simple as waking when I want to wake, wearing what I want to wear and speaking to clients in a way that feels natural to me, all feels like peace. Even writing a very personal Substack and publishing it to the WORLD WIDE WEB, gives me an enormous sense of peace, because I’m not worried about some future employer reading it and making judgments. I’m free to express myself creatively, in whatever way I see fit, and this feeds a deep sense of peace to my soul.

‍

This leads me quite neatly to freedom. On the most existential level, I’m free to be who I am. This is one component of freedom. But I’m also free to live where I want to live, which right now is Mexico City and one day I hope it’s Paris or Tokyo or Sydney. Before I left the law, the idea of living in far-flung places felt like dreams I had to try and squeeze into plans that a workplace might, by some miracle, allow (a sabbatical, perhaps? Could I learn Italian and practice law in Rome? Could I be posted on secondment to Hong Kong?).

‍

Now that I have a family, it’s a little more complicated to just up and live anywhere. But my husband is Mexican (met him while living and working in Mexico!) and self-employed, so it means we can bounce between Australia and Mexico for extended trips without negotiating the treacherous leave calendar. Freedom, freedom, freedom. 

‍

So if you’re longing for a freelance career, or already have a business up and running, I think it’s worth asking yourself what freedom means to you. Is it a morning surf and starting work at 10am? Is it long weekends with family and friends?  Is it ridding yourself of the Sunday scaries and Monday team “hustles”? Is it throwing away those ugly court shoes? Like I did, do you long to pack a bag and your laptop and be able to work from anywhere?

‍

On the other hand, for some people a monthly salary and working within the structure of a traditional workplace is their definition of freedom. There is nothing wrong with that. Self-employment might in no way align with your values. Or freedom might be expressed very differently in the lexicon of your life, than it does in mine. To this end it’s important to know the difference between what looks bright and shiny (someone else’s dream) and what feels like freedom to you (your dream).

‍

Freedom, to me, also means knowing my own mind and being free from the perils of comparison and self-doubt. As the famous old proverb goes, you do you boo. 

‍

In my humble opinion, if you can define what freedom means to you it will make it not just a nice-to-have but an imperative. It will form part of the highest vision you hold for your life. 

‍

Hold it tight. Stay the course. Anything’s possible. 

‍

With love, 

‍

Tessa

‍