Breaking the Chains that Bind You - Part 1

Still out on the ocean, but today is a calmer day. Having an introspective moment as I watch the sea go by and marveling at the freedom this lifestyle gives us - the freedom to go almost anywhere and do almost anything that we would want to.

Now when I say lifestyle, I'm not talking about sailing per se. I'm talking about having the personal freedom to do what you choose. And when I say personal freedom, there is no relationship between that and the 'quest for more stuff'. Personal freedom means you are free from the chains that prevent you from living your ideal lifestyle.

What are the chains holding you back?

Sometimes we don't realise it when it's happening, but we shackle ourselves with more and more chains until we literally cannot move because we are so weighted down. Like Mr. Scrooge, we've wrapped the chains of life around us so tightly we can hardly breathe (doing little more than working and watching TV), never mind going off and living our ideal lifestyle.

These are chains we've crafted 'link by link, yard by yard. Everyone's chains will be different, but usually the big one is debt. That may be followed by other 'required' financial and personal commitments to employers, community, friends and family.

These chains are usually forged with the words, "I have to". I have to go to the best school. I have to get a really good job, buy a bigger house, send the kids to private school, buy a nicer car, make sure the kids are in all kinds of after school activities, get a promotion...the list of 'have to's' goes on and on. "I have to..."

Well, actually, you don't 'have to' do any of those things. A more accurate phrase would be "I choose to". I choose to go into debt over my education, my house, my car, my kids. Whether that choice is good or bad is up to you, but realise that each of those choices is a chain that binds you.

Often the first step in moving towards one's ideal lifestyle or personal paradise is to understand what chains we have created. Second, to decide if those are chains we wish to have. Third is to unlock the chains we didn't realise we'd put on and would rather not have.

(More on breaking the chains to follow in Part 2)

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