You long to be free:
Free of the never-ending debt.
Free of the soul-sucking job.
Free of the fat hanging over your belt.
Free of the raw, blaring NEEDS OF OTHERS clawing you from all directions.
But, common though it may be, this longing for freedom isn’t enough to move your needle… not NEARLY enough to usher in the higher life you crave.
For deep down, you know: freedom is not the endgame. It’s merely the pre-condition to what comes next.
It is the life AFTER freedom that matters… when freedom clears the path for whatever level of POWER you’re willing to shoulder.
We are not inspired to merely break chains: we want to know where we will go once the cage is burst, what riots we’ll incite once we are free.
Stop obsessing about what you’ll free yourself FROM and think instead on what you’ll free yourself FOR:
What will you DO when the cage door swings open?
What will you CREATE when the chains are off?
The cracked shackle is only the gateway:
It’s what happens AFTER that should consume your thoughts… it’s the ENSUING POWER that should inspire your actions.
Financial freedom is breaking the chains of debt and wage slavery that lock your time and energy to other men’s aims;
Financial POWER is the ability to fund your OWN projects.
Health freedom is breaking the chains of shit nutrition and stress that enslave your mind and body;
Health POWER is using your strength and fitness to lead your revolution.
Relationship freedom is breaking the chains of negativity and victimization that cloud your heart;
Relationship POWER is creating a rich, storied life with and for the people you love.
So YES, work to free yourself. One step at a time.
But for every inch of freedom gained, for every yard won, give it to power.
Don’t let that freedom sit idle and unconverted, some vain trophy of escape, lest you lose heart and purpose and slide back once more into chains.
You are one of a mass of men scaling the mountain, seeking a higher life.
As the men around you break bottles and hoot and howl at the false summit of freedom, be the man who carries on.
Be the man who continues silently up into the mist obscuring the further peak.
Be the man who pushes past mere freedom to power.
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Bryan Ward is the founder of Third Way Man and author of the LIT Black Paper
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