Optimize towards commitment
There is no real freedom without commitment.
Since I can remember, I have always prioritized freedom above anything else. I would do my schoolwork quickly so I could play all afternoon, or I would read the books I wanted instead of the ones assigned by school.
For some adults, growing up means losing a bit of that freedom, or even all of it. That wasn’t the case for me. I always prioritized the freedom to choose where to be, how to be, and with whom to be. This undoubtedly brought me many good things, and others not so much.
Because all freedom comes with responsibility. And I always neglected that responsibility and ended up leaving.
At the bottom of this iceberg lies something much more important than freedom, and that is commitment. Leaving when you shouldn’t, or avoiding commitment, will only make you a bit more miserable.
So, based on my experience, I am convinced that if everyone committed more to the things they do, say, and want, we would be a much happier and more fulfilled society.
In this era of volatile things, where a relationship can be “open,” where relationships are made and broken at lightning speed, where jobs come and go, where things are made to be used and thrown away, betting on commitment is a differentiating value.
And I’m not saying you should set aside freedom and live trapped in a dull life. No one wants that. Rather, I’m saying you should use commitment as a pathway to that freedom.
Because to have a healthy and strong body, you need a commitment to train consistently. And that commitment, in turn, will make you freer, since the absence of illness is the greatest freedom.
If you want to have a strong social environment, you must first be a valuable person with things to say and experiences lived. And, of course, you need to invest quality time with those people. No one wants someone who is always absent or who hasn’t experienced anything. This, in turn, will make you freer, as the support of those people will help you go further.
Finally, to have a job you like and where you feel important, you need to accept that not everything will be wonderful. There will be tough times. You also need to invest your time in becoming good at it. Because once you are good at something, that’s when you start to enjoy what you do. And, of course, being very good at something will give you financial freedom.
There is no real freedom without commitment. And there is no other way.
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