The Difference between Freedom and Freedom

The difference between freedom and freedom 

Holidays are always amazing – one has no schedules to adhere to, no strict bedtime or wake time, no to-do lists, no strict meals or meal times. The epitome of freedom, right?

Well…

Holidays do allow us certain “freedoms” for a brief time, but stay on holiday too long and those “freedoms” leave us lethargic, nutritionally (and financially) poor, and rolling off the couch.

The value of holidays lies in the fact that they end. They remind us to rest and recover, and will do more harm than good should they continue indefinitely.

With this in mind, I recently came across the concept of positive and negative freedoms:

Negative freedoms are holiday-style freedoms: I can go to bed when I want, eat whatever I want, do what I feel like doing (or not doing). They are the freedoms of low-hanging fruit. They are the pleasures that leave us feeling good now but don’t necessarily leave us in a better position going forward (even 10 minutes into the future).

Positive freedoms, comparatively, sound a lot less like freedoms. They sound like:

• Getting up when your alarm goes off because you want the freedom to start your day on a good note,
• Eating the healthier meal because it serves your goal of looking after your body now – so you can enjoy a long, vibrant life,
• Hitting the gym or putting on your running shoes because they give you the freedom of a healthier future self,
• Saving your extra money now, so you have some buffer stored away for those unexpected events (PJ: like our washing machine breaking two days before Christmas),
• Working hard when you should and recovering well so you can live sustainably and enjoyably.

Positive freedoms can sound restrictive because they require us to do something now that will allow for enjoyment, growth, and freedom later. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s all about knowing where you want to go and doing the things (or not doing things) that will help you get there.

To kick off this year, think about your intentions. Think about the freedoms you would like to afford yourself in the future. List them.

Once you have your list, start noticing which habits or changes you need to make so you can grant yourself those freedoms down the road.

Small changes, intentional choices, bigger future freedom. Happy New Year!

If you need some help getting your list of positive freedoms done, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.

At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.