4 things I gave up to be free

4 things I gave up to be free4 things I gave up to be freeTrue freedom is to live as you are, to do what you want, and to spend time with people you like.For many of us, true freedom is a distant dream. Were tied down by obligations that we never wanted in the first place. So why do we still end up living a life we dont want?We live in deception because the truth is too painful. But no onewantsto live in deception, as the stoic philosopher Epictetus once observed (quote is fromThe Daily Stoicby Ryan Holiday)Who wishes to live in deception- tripped up, mistaken, undisciplined, complaining, in a rut? No one. These are cousine people who dont live as they wish and so, no base person is free.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWe all know that everything has a price. So what does it take to be truly free? If you want to live on your own terms and do as you please, you must give up the f ollowing 4 things.1. LiesThe seeker of truth will be free of deception, lies, and negativity. The seeker of truth will see everything for what it is.Remember this The truth will make you stronger. Too often, we hide from reality.We dont want to face our problems.But our problems are not problems. It is merely the truth. Why can the truth be a problem?We all have this sense of loneliness inside of us. We feel restricted. Anxious.Thats truth, trying to come out of you. Always be honest with yourself. If something is bothering you, address it. Do not ignore it.Thats how people end up in relationships that eat them up alive. Thats how people cant look at themselves in the mirror. And thats how people never take action in their lives anddie with regret.Give up lies. Instead, follow the path of truth. It will set you free.2. ComfortThis is counterintuitive at first because so much of our lives is dedicated toseekingcomfort andavoidingsuffering. Im saying that you should flip it.Why? Becau se thats the price of freedom. The idea is simple.When you welcome suffering and no longer hide from it, nothing can take away your peace of mind. No matter what happens to you, you know that you will be able to endure it.Death, grief, sadness, bullying, fear of the unknown, illness, injury, being broke, losing friends, being alone, breaking up, and physical pain. Those are mainly the things we try to avoid.We dont want to suffer through things that make us feel bad. Why? The reason were in pain is that we fear suffering. When you welcome it, you will find that suffering is merely suffering. It will not break you. In fact, it will make you stronger.Next time something bad happens, smile,say bring it onand be free. And continuously do hard things in your life. Remind yourself to give up the comfort of your safe life.3. Fear of moneyMoney makes the world go round, is what people say. Its true. You cant do much without money. But we fear that we ansturm out of money. That fear is compl etely unnecessary.To get over your fear of money, you need to do two thingsAcquire income-producing skillsSave as much as you canYoure free to do any type of work you want. And when you have valuable skills and always improve yourself, you will never be out of work.In contrast, if you have a job, and become too loyal to that job, you forget about yourself.Youalwayswork for yourself. Never forget that. You are responsible for your own career. And you need to think about yourself first. I prefer to have such an employee to someone who always does what they are told.The former is always trying to grow the latter accepts the status quo. And then finally, save your money so you can quit any job you have. Thats freedom. You work because its youwantto make yourself useful. Not because you have to.If you want to hear more thoughts on overcoming the fear of money,check out my video about it.4. Incompatible PeopleNobody can thrive on their own.Youre better with good people around you.The prob lem is that most of us surround ourselves with incompatible people. And we keep those people in our lives because were afraid to be alone. Thats the opposite of being free.The free person spends time with people who share the saatkorn values. There are millions of people on earth. Seek the ones who are like you. And say goodbye to people who are not like you.Does your partner want to complain and be negative? You will be a prisoner of their emotional energy. Dont be afraid to be alone. Its way better than being close to people who drain all your energy. Remember, you cant change people. Its better to accept that.Instead of fighting with people who are not compatible with you, create asupportsystem. The word already says it Find people you want to support. And who also want to support you.You are the ruler of your kingdomWhen you live by the rules of others, youre not free. We behave in a certain way because we think thats what weshoulddo. We spend time with people we dont like. We t ake jobs were not good at. We stay in relationships with people were not compatible with.Thats all because we dont realize we have power. You are the maker of your own life. Everything that has happened to you is because you made certain decisions.When youre unhappy, its because of your own doing. You have absolute power to live the way you desire. People who dont agree with that are fearful. They use excuses like, thats easier said than done. Or theyll cry, easy for you to say. And then they spit out one excuse after the other.Look, everyone can be free. You can decide to do whatever you want.Dont like to hang out with certain people? Ignore them.Dont like your job? Find another one.Dont like your city? Move to another one.Its as simple as that. It doesnt mean you should always quit everything and be impatient. Remember, always seek the truth and dont be afraid to do hard things. If youre unhappy, a different job or city is not the answer. But you already knew that.The lesson is th at you are the ruler of your own kingdom. Until you dont recognize that, you can never be free.So change the way you look at life. Whatever you do, do it because you want to. And live an honorable life.Give up the crap, seek the truth, suffer voluntarily, do hard things, save your money, build real relationships.Thats the price of being free. Its worth it.This article originally appeared on Darius Foroux.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people