do it yourself FREEDOM

Impacts: Mind, Community

“It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” – Henry David Thoreau

When we stop to really listen to the people around us we give ourselves the opportunity to truly engage with and participate. If we choose to remain closed or focused on our own stuff we inadvertently miss the opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with others. We chop-off what might have been the easiest way to open doors and create opportunities.

It’s not surprising that a culture built on concepts of individualism would produce so many people that find it hard to listen. As a teenager one of my favorite quotes was, “Opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one and most of them stink.” In hindsight, pun intended, this simple sound bite actually tells a much larger story about our culture and begs the question, why do we take opposing positions so quickly. Why not just take other peoples’ opinions with a grain of salt, appreciate the person’s point of view, and glean what we can?

I’m not sure that anyone can become a perfect listener but those that try will find themselves opening new doors and taking great strides toward a happier life.

Take Action

• Begin with family and friends. Stop to listen and carefully consider what they have to say.
• Engage in discussion. Avoid arguements. Instead focus on exploring and discovering why others feel the way they do. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Impacts: Mind, Community

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” – Buddha

United we stand divided we fall, right? Sounds good on paper and in speeches but unless we live it, freedom doesn’t work, for anyone. Our diversity makes us stronger. In fact it is arguable that America is as strong as it is due to our cultural and religious diversity. Some on the fringes seem to prefer to disagree with that statement but the vast majority of us will point to all the evidence and prove them wrong.

Embracing diversity also means you are choosing to find ways to focus on the things that bind us together. This is not easy and many people find it difficult to take the first steps. An easy place to begin is to try to accept people for who they are, see past the differences and look for commonalities. Our differences are what make us interesting. They give us something else to bring to the table. If we let them divide us we all become weaker.

Exercise

• Make a list of controversial issues you feel strongly about that involve other people.
• To the left of each item mark the items you feel strongly opposed to with an X.
• Now ask yourself why.
• Reflect on the reasons that involve another persons culture, race, religion, or lifestyle.

Impacts: Mind, Community

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” -
Henry David Thoreau

“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends… Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. ” – Henry David Thoreau

Extreme examples teach valuable lessons. Avoiding throwing the extreme out with the bath water. Wring what you can out of the towel. Henry David Thoreau lived a life that exemplified this and now serves to inspire many. But there are many examples around us of people who are testing the edges of what most consider the norm.

A good example is the freegan movement. Freegans are people who put their values where their wallets were. They use alternative strategies for living and participate little in the conventional economy. They consume few resources and embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, and cooperation. They are opposed to materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.

At first their radical lifestyle would seem so foreign that many people would disregard them all together. When you choose instead to pause and withhold judgment to consider their point of view you may actually take something away that helps you grow and think differently. But this is just one example and no example has to be so extreme to offer value.

Take Action

• Visit freegan.info to learn more about freegans.
• Look for similarities instead of differences.
• Look for lessons instead of of passing judgment.
• When others around you cast judgment on extreme examples try to avoid taking part. If possible start a dialog to see the lesson.

Impacts: Mind, Community

“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.” – Ronald Reagan

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Abraham Lincoln

“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.” – Martin Luther

Participating in democracy, your community, and all relationships with other people and even the environment that surrounds you protects your freedom. Ideally it means you take time to consider all choices before you vote with a ballot, choice or action. Subscribing to a political party or belief system is our natural tendency but allowing these affiliations to divide us and tell us how to choose can cause serious trouble. But it’s not easy to always be engaged and aware. Most of us just don’t have the time to stay informed on all the issues and we often end up relying on TV news sound bites. In politics its also really easy to just fall into the blue state and red state role.

We each have a vested interest in moving our communities in the right direction and although our individual votes and impacts may seem almost valueless, each little bit adds up. Any small step you can make toward increasing your awareness of the issues moves us all toward a better world.

Take Action

• Stay informed on political and community issues.
• Learn about the people irregardless of their affiliations.
• Vote by ballot.
• Vote with your wallet.
• Stay informed on the decisions your elected representatives make on your behalf. A complete list is available on USA.gov.

Impacts: Mind, Health, Community, Time

“If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins to them.” – Francis Bacon

“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.” – Buddha

Focusing your time and energy on anything that doesn’t move your forward is often a waste of time but more importantly it’s a mental distraction. The only thing you might benefit from is learning something from another person’s mistake. If you can leave it at that you’ve done yourself a favor. If you spend time dwelling on them, judging them, it does no one any good. It also leave you feeling negative. It might even make others feel negative which is definitely counterproductive if you have need to maintain a relationship with them.

But none of us are immune to passing judgment on others. We all do it from time to time. The trick to moving this out of your life is to simply recognize when you’re doing it and choosing to slow down and stop.

Gossip is usually one of the most common ways we get sucked up into judging others. Gossip might bring one group of people together but drives a division between you and the judged. The glue used to form the relationship with the gossipers is not very lasting either and often leads to more trouble. Choosing to judge less brings people closer together, empowers everyone, and increases everyone’s self esteem.

Take Action

• Avoid gossip in conversation and publications.
• Avoid tabloids.
• Watch for situations where other people are being judged and try not to take part in those conversations. If possible try to redirect the conversation.
• Be mindful of your own thoughts and catch yourself when you begin to judge.
• Find a way of staying on the right side of the thin line between having an opinion and casting judgment.
• Remember the person who benefits most from judging less is you, then the judged.

Impacts: Mind, Health, Home, Work, Money, Community, Time

“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

The space you occupy will bring you more peace if it’s clean and organized. This can be physical space like your home, metal space like your calendar, and virtual space like your computer. In fact you can apply the concept of space to anything around you that you have some control over. If you spend time in places you have no ability to control it’s even more important to focus time and energy on spaces that are not in chaos.

When your space is chaotic it’s much harder to focus and you’ll find it more difficult to relax and feel at peace. Organizing more helps you think clearer and be more proactive in moving your life in the direction you want. Chaos will work against you.

Time is well spent when you organize more because it pays you back dividends in quality time. You’ll find yourself working more efficiently. You’ll find yourself wasting time less. You’ll feel better and be able to think clearer.

Take Action

• De-Clutter -  It’s easier to organize when there is are fewer things to deal with.
• Downsize – We’re like fish, we grow to the size of our tanks. Unlike fish we can shrink our possessions and fit into more efficient spaces.
• Organize – Find a place for everything. Put you stuff away after every use.
• Avoid Storage – Even free storage comes with a mental tax.

Impacts: Mind, Home, Work, Money, Community, Time

“Remember, time is money. He that can earn ten shillings a day by his labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle, one half of that day, though he spends but sixpence during his diversion or idleness, ought not to reckon that the only expense; he has really spent, or rather thrown away, five shillings besides.” – Benjamin Franklin

When you choose to live life strategically you quickly realize that time is not on your side. In fact if you’ve ever taken economics in school one of the first things you learn is that time is our most limited commodity. Once you realize that achieving any goal requires a plan, action, luck and time, you’ve already burned up one of those ingredients and there’s no way to get more of it. Since much of our lives are spent doing things that don’t move us forward, making the most of every moment should be a priority.

As you go through your day take a moment from time to time to ask yourself if what you’re doing is moving you forward. I’m not suggesting that you run yourself ragged being proactive all the time; I’m simply suggesting that you take the occasional reality check. I personally find it useful to kick myself in the butt when I’m slacking off. My usual answer, to myself, is that I’m relaxing, or this is important. Sometimes I give in but lately I’ve been realizing that if I really want to accomplish my goals I need to spend more time moving forward.

Take Action

• As you do necessary work let your mind drift to brainstorming ways of working more efficiently.
• Consider the end goal of every task and the actions required to complete the task. Do only what is needed, cut your own red tape.
• If tasks involve multiple people make an effort to improve communication. Red tape and procedure often surfaces due to a lack of good communication.

Impacts: Mind, Money, Community, Time

“The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.” – Theodore Roosevelt

The desire for instant gratification may be our biggest cultural weakness. Americans love it fast, especially when it is money. In fact that may be why we like to gamble and the idea striking it rich. No wonder it’s so easy for us to fall victim to things that offer quick rewards for little effort and why its hurts so much when it’s finally time to pay the piper.

Schemes take on a variety of shapes and sizes. A simple scheme might be something like buy one get one free. In fact that simple phrase is a marketing tool used so commonly we often mistake it for something other than a scheme. But if you widen your definition of scheme to include all things that promise a quick benefit for what seems like little effort, you’ll quickly realize that schemes surround us.

Should all schemes be avoided? You should definitely be on the lookout for them all the time, avoid the gimmick and reap the rewards when it makes sense. For example, should you avoid buying stuff on sale simply because it’s a marketing scheme? No, of it’s something you need then by all means buy it on sale. If the sale is buy one get one free and you don’t need two then pause and carefully consider the purchase.

Get rich schemes are the easiest to spot because they make outlandish claims and promise gigantic rewards. Avoid these at all costs. The only people with any chance of getting rich quick are the people running the scheme.

The most important reason to avoid schemes isn’t the money you loose but the mental distraction they create. They will cause you to loose focus on your real pursuit of happiness and replace it temporarily with an artificial instant gratification high. If you find yourself getting caught up in schemes often you should try asking yourself some tough questions about instant gratification and what really makes you happy.

Take Action

• Watch out for anything that promises quick rewards for little effort.
• Watch your wallet. Schemes are easily spotted because they always ask for money up front.
• Avoid buying lottery tickets.
• Avoid gambling.
• Focus on long term goals and make every step count.

Impacts: Health, Community

“The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer… form the great body of the people of the United States, they are the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws.” – Andrew Jackson

Eating local provides several life improving benefits. Locally produced food tends to be higher quality and competitively priced. You also end up supporting the local economy which in the end makes the entire community stronger. Many communities have local farmers’ markets that operate year round support local small farms and not large corporate or foreign farms.

Another good source of local food is often local markets and independent grocery stores. But it’s important to ask the people that run the market about where the food comes from since out of season produce often comes from overseas.

Eating local also implies eating less manufactured food products which in turn means fewer preservatives and ingredients. It also implies you’re saving money on less packaging since the local farmer isn’t likely to shrink wrap their fresh produce.

Take Action

• Find the closest farmers market and try to visit it as often as you can. localharvest.org
• Find small local markets that sell locally grown foods.
• Find other people who like to garden and share your harvests.
• Start a little garden yourself, even if it’s just herbs in the kitchen window.

Impacts: Mind, Health, Home, Work, Money, Community, Time

“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” – Mark Twain

I don’t think anyone can honestly say that smoking has more benefits than draw backs. When you choose to smoke less you instantly remove several external limiting forces.

Your bank account will instantly have more money in it. Your health with start to improve. The second hand smoke you are not exhaling will also help to improve the health of people around you. I could go on but you get the point.

Like most addictions smoking is hard to kick, but like most addictions, overcoming them tends always seems to give us back something we’ve lost. Any addiction for example, no matter how mild, will always have an affect on the decisions we make. Some are grosely visible to the naked eye, others more subtle. But on our minds they all take a huge toll. Smoking less is simply one of those things that can instantly improve life.

Also notice that I’m not saying quit smoking. Sometimes going cold turkey is the only way we can really change ourselves but I think more often slow change works better in the long term. So the next time you light up think about that cigarette and smoking less. Try choosing to smoke it later. In any case every small step you take that moves you forward is a step worth taking. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t take big steps, just keep taking small ones.

Take Action

• Cut back. If you smoke two packs try one. If you smoke during breaks, try doing something else during breaks like a walk around the block.
• Pick up cigarette butts you see on the street. Don’t forget to wash you hands. Yuck!
• Get professional help.