do it yourself FREEDOM

Before I dive into the chewy center I’m going to outline some guiding principles or foundational ideas that seem to make this approach more successful.

Any Step Forward is a Good Step

Too many people try to tell you how to live, as if there’s a perfect way to live. We get fed it on television, we try to live up to it, and we levy it on others without thinking. The truth is that there is no one size fits all way to live. Each of us is different and has different needs, goals, beliefs and values. So in an attempt to be inclusive to everyone I’ve found it really useful to leave my personal bias out of this book and stick to logical and practical ways of looking at how each choice helps move us forward.

Nobody’s a Hypocrite

I’ve also noticed that people tend to judge themselves and others when they fail to live up to expectations. It’s almost like we’re paralyzed by the fear of becoming a hypocrite. The best example that most of us are familiar with is dieting. When people choose to eat better and exercise they’ve chosen to make a positive impact on their life. But when they cheat and give into a momentary craving the tendency is to give up the diet entirely. Don’t get discouraged and give up just because you aren’t perfect. No one is.

Stay Bias Lite

I’ve also really tried to leave my political, religious, and social bias out of this book and focus on how each choice impacts freedom. I don’t think it makes any sense to write a book on freedom and exclude anyone. I think it makes more sense to keep it focused on ideas that benefit anyone no matter their political party, religious beliefs, economic status, level of eduction, ethnicity, weight, height, or even favorite color.

Keep Our Ears Open

Along the lines of being bias lite I wanted to through this simple idea. Liberal doesn’t mean open minded and conservative doesn’t mean close minded. Some of the most liberal people I know are the most close minded people I know and some of the most conservative people I know have the most open minds.

I think this little idea can help us heal as a nation because it reminds us that we can hold tight to our beliefs while keeping our ears open. When we close ourselves off to other opinions we do ourselves a huge disservice and we become the old dog that can’t learn new tricks. It’s the tricks that make life fun and give us the tools to make life better.

You Choose

The last thing I want to add before you dive in is to keep an open mind and take a few grains of salt with you. Remember not every idea here is for everyone in the same porportion. Try to listen with an open mind, see how my logic works, and feel free to agree and disagree, I just ask that you don’t throw the idea out with the bath water.