Killing Sacred Cows Blog

By Chris Miles  

This is an essay I recently wrote about independence which I feel pertains to our discussion of overcoming myths and becoming financially free.

Could independence be no more than freedom from oppression and domination? Conversely, is independence merely unobstructed freedom to do anything we desire with no fear of intentional or unintentional consequences? Absolutely not! The more freedom we expect, the more responsibility we inescapably accept.

Today, we see a pandemic paradigm governing humans to blame anyone when things go awry. Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, "Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." Why do we shrilly scream for independence and utter whining whispers at the first sight of responsibility?

To many, independence means to be "in dependence." They fancy others slavishly sowing so they can slothfully reap. They "fight" for freedom, but ultimately, beg for bondage. They want what has never existed - freedom from consequence. Indisputable independence is the freedom to pioneer one's path and be accountable for the destination.

My challenge is to consider what areas of our life and finances are we not taking on responsibility. Are we blaming market events, investors, financial institutions, oil companies, politicians, etc for our problems rather than creating solutions? Why can we see so clearly others' errors which are somtimes trivial and are so blind to our own destructive faults? What possibilities would arise if we focused the energy we waste complaining and repeatedly pointing out others' mistakes towards production and creating greater happiness and financial freedom through discovering soul purpose? What blessings are we failing to see because we focus more time and energy on the lack thereof? I challenge each of us to objectively ponder these questions, journal our responses, and identify ways to further focus on our financial independence.

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The mind is incredibly powerful, yet it must be consistently trained and guided if you want to truly tap its limitless capacity. An excellent way to facilitate this mental discipline is to consistently ask yourself the right questions. 

 Your brain is designed to answer every question you give it. The types of questions you ask determine the answers you receive. For example, in Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki teaches that the poor say things like, "I can't afford it" while the rich ask, "How can I afford it?"

When things go differently than you expected, questions like, “Why did this have to happen to me?” give you answers that feed a sense of victimhood and justify a lack of responsibility. On the other hand, questions like, “What can I learn from this?” or, “What would it take to make this situation better?” result in answers that empower, motivate, and inspire you. 

Learn to consistently ask yourself the right questions and you will access power you never knew you had.

Have you ever thought something like, "If only this would change, then I would be happy?"

Our happiness and success in life have nothing to do with our external circumstances and everything to do with our internal thoughts and choices. Happiness and success are not if/then conditional events; they are internal decisions that we have control over at any given moment, regardless of circumstance.

One of the most destructive lies is that we are a product of our circumstances. This belief is an easy way out of taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions. It's a good way to live a miserable and expectant life, always waiting for that elusive "ship"ми?? to come in that will save us from all our troubles.

You are a product of your thoughts and your choices. You have the power to make your life miserable, or to make it happy and fulfilling. What do you choose to be: a victim, or a hero?

Recommended Reading:

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Do you ever find yourself wanting something different than you're getting out of life?

The only way to change what you get out of life is to change what you put into life. The Law of the Harvest is that we reap what we sow, or we harvest what we plant. We get out of anything exactly what we put into it.

Most people want to change their life's "harvest" without changing what they "plant." But the place to begin any change is with our thoughts, for that is the garden from which all results flow. A poet once said, "Sow a thought and you reap an act, sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and you reap a character, sow a character and you reap a destiny."

What will be your destiny? You can know it with certainty by looking at which thoughts you give you energy to. What you put your energy into now will manifest later as your results.

Recommended Reading:

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen