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Have you ever thought about the term freedom and what it denotes? I have often, in my quiet moments, thought about this phenomenon and how it affects us. One way of explaining this concept is the opportunity to own your own destiny, within certain limitations of course. It is when you take control of life and make your own priorities and act upon them accordingly. However, what needs to be remembered is that a balance has to be maintained in freedom. When one’s freedom costs the other person’s freedom then things will certainly get out of hand and there will undoubtedly be consequences. These at times can be harsh as well. An apt instance of this would be committing a murder followed by persecution. If there is freedom in the real sense of the word, it is in our thoughts and emotions. You are free to dwell upon whatever you want without being answerable to anyone.
Freedom for some might be an escape from everyday stress, while for others it would be freedom from office politics or freedom to pursue your passions wholeheartedly. It does not have to mean giving it all up. Freedom means you’re not stuck in service to false ambition or other people’s expectations.
Freedom is discovering you can walk away from the limits you set yourself.
A life of freedom really can be grasped by anybody who wants it. Deciding how you want to live is the first step. But I feel we tend to create our own shackles. We apply for a job, we get it, and then we moan about the boss. We take on a big mortgage and then we complain about it. We get married and then pity ourselves for feeling trapped. I’m sure most of you, especially guys, have been through this phase. But all these trappings are of our making. And if they are of our own making, then we can use our minds and our wills to unmake them, too.

Reinvent Yourself
We need to find the confidence to reinvent ourselves, and take responsibility for our choices in life. If you don’t like it, change it. Or accept it. There is no third option.
It’s true that the odds seem stacked against the freedom-seekers. The supposed benefits of hard work and high consumption, of earning more and spending more, of joining the race, have been conditioned into us practically since birth. Alternative ways of operating are rarely presented or discussed outside a sort of self-selected Bohemian elite. But really, a life of freedom can be grasped by anybody.
So many of us are dissatisfied, disconnected, unhappy at work, oppressed by money worries. But do we know what we want to do? The goal of the freedom-seeker is to create a life, in steps, where work and play are intertwined, where we do all sorts of things that we enjoy, some of which earn money and pay the rent.
To discover what it is you want to do, and to formulate the beginnings of a plan, you need to create for yourself some serious thinking time. This could take the form of a few long drives, long baths, or listening to music, all of which I have found to aid the thinking process enormously.
So the first step is, paradoxically, not to do something, but to do nothing. Resist the urge to get busy with change-your-life books and websites, and instead make time. All good ideas come from idleness.

Make Simple Plans
It also helps to talk to friends. Hatch some plans. Talking out loud and declaring your aims can be a spur to action (beware of friends who will tell you that you want the impossible - they may be scared to be left in their prison without you).
You may find you have a friend who wants to quit their job and do something independent. Maybe you can work together.
And no, a free life is not about having lots of money. It is, to most, about variety, creativity, self-determination, autonomy, in work and in life (and the aim really is to combine the two). These people value far more than money. There is a wonderful passage in a book I once read, by a Chinese philosopher, “The enjoyment of an idle life doesn’t cost any money. The capacity for true idleness is lost in the moneyed class and can be found only among people who have a supreme contempt for wealth. It must come from an inner richness of the soul in a man who loves the simple way of life and who is somewhat impatient with the business of making money.”

Time To Act
Having discovered what you want to do, you need to start taking some steps towards it. Going part-time is an option. Can you find some way of making money while you learn a new skill or set up your new enterprise? Think about pursuing a number of different avenues at once. Some will work out, others will not. During this process you can experiment with what is working for you.
After all this reflection, you may decide that actually you are quite happy with your job. You just need to change your attitude to it, or some aspects of the way you do it. And you might find that by doing something simple such as putting away the television you give yourself more time to do the things you love, that nourish you and help you feel you are living, not just existing.
The final goal is to free yourself from the goals in the usual sense.

Four steps to freeing yourself from the money and career trap:

1. Save Money
Don’t go on an expensive holiday – have fun at home instead. Don’t have a big wedding or birthday. Try to make do within your means. Pakistani society is plagued with spending exorbitant sums on weddings irrespective of the fact they can afford it or not.
2. Reclaim Your Life
Don’t pay other people to do things you can do for yourself. Find time for cooking, teaching children at home instead of sending them for tuitions, etc.
3. Rethink Work
Part time, flexible, home-based job is a good idea.
4. Decide What You Can Sacrifice
It’s simple… you can either live more freely, or you can have a bigger house/career/bank account. Take your pick.
It’s time you decide how you want your life to be; a life of freedom or a life of your self created shackles?