This is the question you should ask yourself right now: Do I want Freedom, or do I want Control? This might be the biggest life choice that we face on a minute to minute basis, every single day. We have a choice to make in how we handle every situation in our life and our business. It comes down to Freedom or Control.
Freedom or Control
When it comes down to it, we have to choose between the two. And, it can be a bit tricky. For example, you can only have freedom to the extent that you are willing to relinquish control. Let me explain.
- Control is another form of attachment.
- Attachment to perfection, to the “right way of doing things”, to old belief systems, and old world thinking.
- Control is dictated by the ego and is impossible to satiate for any length of time.
- If we look deeply at the issue of control, we realize it is really quite impossible to control people, outcomes, deadlines, technology, relationships, or anything that is external. I cannot control the weather, and there is a freedom in not having to.
If I can accept that I do not need to have control over something, I can come from a relaxed state of acceptance and therefore have freedom.
All That You Can Really Control Is Yourself
Consider for a moment that you are sitting in your car stuck in a traffic jam.
Do you have control over the traffic?
Do you have control over who cuts you off or who jams their brakes?
Do you have control of the officers cleaning up the scene?
Can you stop the clock so you can be on time?
In this scenario, with freedom or control, the only thing that you actually have control over is you. You can choose to get out your favorite CD and enjoy your wait. You can choose to relax. Could you call the person you are meeting and reschedule? Yes. But, there is another choice, as well. You could choose to be extremely horrible and angry. The choice, as it turns out, is up to you!
Choose to Relax
Life is much like the traffic jam.
There are going to be inevitable situations in life and business when we have no control. In almost every situation in our lives that contain more than one person, we have little or no control of the outcome. External situations will rise and fall like the waves of the ocean or patterns in traffic.
The real freedom comes when we realize that the only way that we can truly reach contentment is to just allow all things to be. Just like the weather. I do not fight the weather. I prepare for it and make accommodations. I make choices under which I can control and I leave the rest to be.
Stay on the Light Side… And May the Force Be With You
On the other side of freedom vs. control, we discover that if no one else is in charge of our freedom but us, we better start working on that! If I decide right here and now that nobody is responsible for my freedom or my happiness, it Now Means that I am fully accountable for making that happen. I can no longer blame others for my situation. No person has done anything to me. I have created my life, and the good and the bad that is in it, I take full ownership. While this may seem daunting, or even scary at first, this is your first real glimpse of True Freedom. You Can Be or Do Anything You Want. Welcome to your Real Life!
