Personal freedom means feeling in control of your life. To achieve personal freedom you have to take personal responsibility for the choices you make in every area of your life. Easier said than done? Actually, by making conscious choices in every area of your life, you can quickly empower your life. Here are some small but important steps you can take, starting today:

Privacy

With the rise of identity theft, protecting your privacy is more important than ever:

• Go to your local post office and rent a post office box for all your mail deliveries. Have large packages delivered to your office instead of home.
• Call your phone company and obtain an unlisted phone number, or have your current phone number unlisted and removed from future phone book publications.
• Create a new email address and set the spam filter to the strongest setting. This will keep unwanted spam out of your inbox.
• Find out what security firewalls your bank offers for online banking. If they’re not strong enough, switch to another bank.
• Tick the “no” box when vendors ask if they can sell your email address to others.
• Sign up with an identity monitoring service, or obtain your credit reports at least annually so that you can make sure no one else is using your credit or identity.

Health

Maintaining healthy habits will not only increase the length of your life, it will optimize your enjoyment of life. Here are some simple ways to stay physically and mentally fit:

• Stay active. By going for a thirty minute walk each day, you will not only increase your physical fitness, you will allow your mind to relax as you enjoy the outdoors. Join a local sports team and gain the benefits of social interaction, as you get fit.
• Watch your portions at each meal. Eat slowly and say no to that second helping.
• Shop the perimeter of your grocery store where the fresh foods are sold and avoid the interior aisles where the high caloric, processed foods, entice you.
• Make a habit of stretching for a few minutes every day. You’ll feel better and increase your flexibility.
• Drive safely, wear your seatbelt, don’t talk or text on your mobile phone while you are driving.

Wealth

Your financial health will reduce stress in your life and lead to greater personal freedom.

• Stop mindless spending habits. Instead of buying a cup of coffee every morning, brew your own at home and take it with you in a thermos. You’ll enjoy knowing you’ve made it just the way you like it. Figure out how much you save each month by not buying that cup of coffee and put that amount into a savings or mutual fund account. You’ll be amazed by how much money you’ve accumulated by the end of the year. For example, a Starbucks Venti Latte at $3.50 X 5 X 52 = $910 a year, imagine how nice that would look in YOUR investment account!
• Learn how to invest your money. The Internet is a great source of resources on different types of investments. You can start small; many mutual fund companies allow first time investors to set up accounts with small monthly investment contributions (like your coffee savings from our example above).
• Think internationally. Diversify your investment portfolio by investing in international stock and bond funds. This will allow you to capture opportunities in other countries, as well as diversifying your risk across different global economies.
• Have a budget. Know where your money goes. Make out a budget that shows how you spend your money each month. Look for opportunities to spend less on unnecessary expenditures, and put that money into your savings or investment accounts. That way you will have money for things you really want, like that vacation in Tahiti.
• Understand taxes. Set up an appointment with an accountant and go over your taxes. Chances are, the accountant can show you how to lower the taxes you pay each year by maximizing your deductions.
• Open your own business. Start small either locally or on the Internet.

Culture

Get out of your box. Explore your surroundings and experience places and people that are new to you. This will not only keep your mind sharp by expanding your horizons, you’ll increase your enjoyment of life by realizing how large your world really is.

• Listen to different types of music. Change the preset radio stations you habitually listen to in the car. Go to your local library and check out the free CDs of music you’ve never heard.
• Travel overseas. Probably one of the best investments of your time and money is international travel. While you’re out there, get off the beaten path, allow yourself to meet the local people and dine in their restaurants. See life from their perspective.
• Appreciate the high points of your local culture. Make a field trip to your local art or history museum. Go to a concert featuring a local musician. You’ll not only be supporting your local artists, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the rich cultural diversity of your hometown.
• Read widely. Get a library card! While you’re there, check out books in genre’s you’ve never read. If you only read thrillers, try a romance, or a biography. Expand your mental horizons.
• Check out alternative and international news sources on the Internet. If you only watch Fox news at home try an hour of CNN and MSNBC, compare how different news organizations cover the same story and then draw your own conclusions.

Security

Take responsibility for your own safety. Don’t allow yourself to become an easy target for criminals.

• Take a martial arts or personal safety course. You will learn greater body awareness, as well as how to use your body to protect yourself in dangerous situations. You can strengthen your body, your spirit and learn a useful skill at the same time.
• Don’t look like a victim. Walk down the street with an air of confidence, keep your head up and walk with purpose.
• Be aware of your surroundings and potential threats. Avoid poorly lighted or deserted streets at night. Cross the street rather than walk by threatening people or situations.
• If you are mugged, don’t try to be a hero. Learn to assess the threat situation, and understand your own capabilities. Hand over your wallet, and then run to the nearest store or home and call the police.
• Lock your house and car every time, no matter how safe your surroundings. Install a home security system.

Many of these suggestions are common sense and may seem simple at first glance. However, if you actually implement them on a daily basis, you will be astonished at the remarkable cumulative effect they have in increasing your enjoyment of life.

Tags: Freedom

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Freedom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.