What Does Freedom Mean?
The following post is from Comeback Kid: 101 Short Stories, Essays, and Insights to Improve Communication Skills
I often hear the phrase “freedom” getting thrown around.
It’s a phrase that unites different groups of people.
-Entrepreneur’s leave their jobs for freedom.
-Oppressed groups fight for their rights to gain more freedom.
-And societal norms are pushed to have more room to breathe.
Each of the groups above has a different definition for how they view the phrase.
In my opinion, one of my core staples of freedom comes down to ‘saying whatever I want to say.’
Not in a malicious way.
Instead, in an explorative way.
That’s one of the key staples of why I built this business in the first place.
Twitter, YouTube, blogs, podcasts etc.
I love those.
It gives me a chance to introduce new people to the ArmaniTalks brand.
But the heart of the business comes down to this email list.
It’s where I don’t have to play games with the algorithms & write about topics that are already being searched for.
Every now and then, I’ll make a newsletter about a topic requested by one of my readers.
But that’s not the norm.
The norm is for exploration in the sea of soft skills.
I think it’s a bit ironic that a lot of business coaches never ask you what you want.
They immediately go to the tactics.
But how long can the tactics be executed when there is no underlying narrative?
Analogy time…
Let’s say a plus sized man is trying on skinny pants.
Can it be done?
Sure.
But how long can this plus sized man keep sucking in his gut for?
Not long.
That’s why when someone says they do what they do for freedom, it is always more than the tactics.
It’s more than something that is measurable.
It’s subjective.
Saying whatever I want to say is my version of wearing the right pants that fit.
That’s my kind of freedom.
However, the advice is not black and white.
Your idea of freedom can be something completely different.
Like having an office at work.
I had a coworker like that.
Ketan was his name.
One of the most charming guys on the floor.
He knew how to make you feel empowered.
Only problem?
He was very antisocial.
He had one of the biggest rooms on the floor.
Every now and then, he would come out to use the restroom.
Other than that, he would stay inside his office.
He’d eat lunch by himself.
Since Ketan was a man of power, others would come to his office.
They would come for meetings or just stop by to say hi.
I was working with Ketan for a small project.
We formed a small bond.
He is Indian and I am Bengali.
So our skin colors sped up the rapport.
During our interaction, he said that it was always his dream to have a big office like the one he had.
He jokingly said:
‘That’s why I rarely leave it, haha.’
Not only was the office designed nicely.
It also smelled great.
He took care of it.
The office was more than a physical location that he worked in.
It was his symbol of freedom.
When I looked at the office, I saw a manager sitting in a managerial room.
When Ketan saw the office, he saw:
-Moving from India to the US
-Taking a bet on himself
-Hard work & persistence
-A career that commanded respect
-A career that had others coming to him
And much more.
His definition of freedom is not ‘being able to say whatever he wants to say’ like mine is.
For him, it’s about having a piece of real estate that he can call his own.
His kids aren’t bugging him.
Nor his wife.
Nor his In laws.
Just Ketan.
I wrote a tweet recently that said, ‘don’t associate with people who shit on billionaires. These are people who are more focused on others than their own lives.’
I know people who despise billionaires.
That can’t be me.
I respect anyone who takes a bet on themselves and tries to obtain their version of freedom.
Tons of people will never have the guts to take that bet.
They will just resent from the side.
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