Principle I
Freedom is a very powerful word. Webster’s dictionary defines freedom in many different ways, but this is the one that really stuck out to me. Freedom is the state of being free - liberated from slavery, restraint or the power of another. When I read this definition, the Bible verse Acts 12:7 ran through my mind - And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. Can you imagine the delight in Peter’s heart as those chains released his hands and he was no longer in captivity?
You too have the opportunity to escape captivity and live in freedom for the rest of your life. Can you imagine actually being free financially, spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically? For most people that seems completely unrealistic, but I’m here to tell you it can be your reality. Remember, inside the word impossible is possible. It is possible for you to have freedom in every area of your life!
In the United States, we observe Independence Day on the fourth of July. There are fireworks exploding in the air across America in celebration of our freedom, which was made possible by the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. When that document was signed, it was “declared” that America was free. Let me ask you a question. When will you declare your independence? When will you declare your freedom? Before you can achieve it, you must believe it so say it out loud now…I DECLARE THAT I AM FREE IN EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE! THE SHACKLES ARE GONE! I AM FREE!
After you declare that you are free, you need to understand exactly what freedom is to you. If you don’t know what it is, then how are you going to achieve it? What is freedom to you? I’m going to break down each letter of the word F-R-E-E-D-O-M, and I want you to visualize what it really means to you.
The first letter in the word freedom is ‘F’, which stands for focus. Are you focused on being free in every area of your life? If not, then you need to shift your focus and become focused on your freedom. Most people don’t become truly free in their lives, because they are comfortable or simply aren’t courageous enough to stretch themselves beyond their current life boundaries. Take advantage of getting uncomfortable and stretching yourself, because to be free you have to do things differently than most people.
Just imagine standing inside of an average size circle every single day. Your current job, friends, habits and overall way of life are also in the circle. Can you feel it getting tight? Don’t you have the urge to step outside the circle? Now, imagine extending your foot, stepping outside of the circle and feeling an ultimate sense of relief. You have room to move and make decisions that you couldn’t make inside that circle. Sadly, you will never get to leave that circle because it’s the limit that you’ve placed on your life unless you make the decision get focused on your freedom and stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Whatever you focus on everyday will determine whether or not you achieve freedom in your life. One of the main objectives that you should focus on is taking advantage of every single minute in your day. If you are scheduled and plan your day, then you are forging forward towards freedom. On the other hand, if you lay in bed at night, reflect back on your day and have no idea what you did all day long, then you are allowing time to take advantage of you. I often hear people say, “I have no idea where the time went.” It’s one of those moments when I have to bite my tongue, because I want to tell that person that they are wasting their time instead of investing it.
Time is our biggest form of currency so we must spend it wisely. If you focus on freedom and invest your time wisely, then you are one day closer to being free instead of remaining entrapped. While working with one of my coaching students, I asked her to show me her planner. I wanted to know where she was investing her time, because she was stuck in a rut. Surprisingly, she had every single minute of her day scheduled. This woman knew where she was every minute of the day and led an extremely busy lifestyle. However, I looked closer at the actual activity and saw the issue. I explained to her that just because she was active didn’t mean that she was productive. She filled her day with meaningless tasks that created activity instead of accomplishment. Just because your calendar is full doesn’t mean that you are investing your time wisely. I encourage you to sit down and take a good look at where you’re spending your time and how some of those insignificant, waste of time activities are pushing you further away from your freedom.
Another determining factor in whether or not you become free is what you actually look at on a daily basis. I love to take photos with other champions at events and have built a Why wall in my office in South Florida. This wall is filled with not only pictures but also letters, art, cards and many more positive, inspirational things that I have received from people all over the world. In my home office or as I prefer to call it my “construction zone”, I have pictures of my own dreams and goals. I focus on these things every day as I sit in my construction zone and build my business. No matter the obstacle that I encounter, I’m constantly reminded of my Why in life, because I see it in front of me.
What are you looking at? If your answer to that question is “nothing”, then that’s exactly what you are doing to achieve freedom in your life…NOTHING. In my favorite book, The Bible, it states that a man without a vision will perish. Another way of saying it is that a person without focus in pursuit of his dream will fail. I cringe when see someone reading those garbage books and magazines that highlight all the gloom and doom in the world. Can you really expect to achieve freedom in your life if you are focusing your mind and eyes on that trash? I challenge you to throw out the garbage and start reading positive, inspirational material. You can also take it a step further and hang some pictures of your dreams and goals in your construction zone. You won’t believe how quickly your results will skyrocket when your focus is shifted!
If you’re saying, “That sounds easy. All I have to do is organize my planner and hang a few pictures then I will be focused on achieving freedom in my life.” YOU ARE WRONG! It’s not a one step process. It’s daily focus in every area of your life. When I say that you have to be focused, I don’t mean that you just simply think about freedom sometime during the day. You need to be focused like a sniper with a laser pointed at his target...laser-focused! If you let anything or anyone distract you, then your target (freedom) will no longer be in sight.
The next letter in the word freedom is ‘R’, which stands for regret. Let me give you an illustration. Imagine an elderly man sitting in his rocking chair looking back over his life. He has many good memories, but the regret that he has for not taking chances and stepping out in faith overshadows those memories. He wishes that he would have been more focused on his dreams for himself and his family rather than simply living paycheck to paycheck and longing for Friday. He knows that he missed out on so many things in life, because he didn’t have the courage to follow his heart instead of his mind. Now, I know that nobody wants to spend the last years of their life in regret but so many people end up in that place.
You have to understand regret as it pertains to your life now. Here’s a harsh reality for many people…If you don’t challenge yourself to get focused on your freedom, then you will be sitting in that same rocking chair pondering where things went wrong and regretting your decisions. When you change the way that you view life, stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone and become laser-focused on your freedom, regret diminishes. One of my favorite Jim Rohn quotes says it all - We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. If you don’t discipline yourself to change, then you are destined to be consumed with regret later on in life.
I see people all over the world that challenge themselves to change. They are stepping out in faith and focusing on their goals and dreams but then it happens. They encounter adversity, give up and go back to their old, comfortable ways. For most of us, our road to success is not paved in gold. As you’re walking along and forging forward, you will encounter road blocks that cause doubt and fear in your mind as to whether you can really make it. So, what do you do? I know the next letter in the word freedom is ‘E’, but I need to give you another word for ‘R’ to answer that question.
‘R’ also stands for return. When FEAR gets in the way, there are four things that you must do - Face it, Extinguish it, Attack it and Return. When you face that fear, you stand in the presence of the enemy and let him know that nothing will stop you from achieving freedom. Extinguish and attack that fear by declaring that you are free. Scream it out loud…I DECLARE I AM FREE! FEAR GET OUT OF MY WAY! The final step is to return to proceeding forward down your success path. It’s your way of letting everyone know…I’M BACK AND NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP ME!
Many times, the fear that gets in the way of you achieving your freedom is brought on by other people. When you are surrounded by people that constantly bring you down or tell you that you are going nowhere in life, you have to make the decision to leave those people behind. I know that sounds harsh, but after you have achieved your freedom you will be able to return to those same people and show them a better way.
When I was eighteen years old, I was diagnosed as a stutterer. It was official. I would never be able to speak fluently. Deep in my heart, I knew that I could speak. I made the decision to leave those doctors and other people behind that labeled me as a stutterer. It wasn’t easy to leave some of my friends, but I knew that I simply couldn’t listen to them anymore. Since then, I have returned to many of them and explained how my focus and determination led to my new label – International Motivational Speaker. I made the decision in my life to accept the pain of change and discipline rather than live with the pain of regret forever.
The next letter in freedom is ‘E’, which stands for enjoy. Enjoy your success journey and envision it as a rollercoaster with many twists and turns. Sometimes it may even flip upside down and scare the living daylights out of you, but you know when you step off the ride at the end you will see only one thing…FREEDOM. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the challenge. Enjoy the twists, turns and ups and downs and look forward to enjoying the success that you have achieved at the end of the ride.
There are actually rollercoaster clubs that come together from all over the world to ride the greatest rollercoasters ever built. These enthusiasts enjoy not only the amazing rides but also the friendships that are developed through their hobby. Think about it. You stand in line for the ride, and the anticipation builds. You climb into the seat, and you start moving forward. You hear the clicking of the tracks as it takes you to the top of the big loop. As you get ready to plunge into a downward spiral, you grab a hold of the person next to you and scream your lungs out. You don’t hold onto the person beside you, because they can stop the ride if something goes wrong. You hang on, because that person is your support as you experience the excitement of the rollercoaster. You share this exhilarating time together.
So, let me ask you a question. Who are you holding onto as you travel down the road to success? Do they support you through the twists, turns and flips? Do they enjoy hearing about your accomplishments and your plans to be free from the trials of life? If so, these people are your mastermind team. On the other hand, if you are surrounded by people that constantly put you down and have no desire to see you succeed, then it’s time for a change. You need to make the decision to stop allowing those people to influence your life.
Imagine looking back over your life ten years from now, and you are still in the same exact place because someone in your life told you that you would never make it. They convinced you to give up! They didn’t allow you to enjoy the challenge and achieve the freedom that you so desire. It’s like standing in line for that rollercoaster, climbing into the seat and your friend decides to get in a different seat. You have no one to hold onto for support. Being alone on a rollercoaster for a few short minutes is nothing compared to being surrounded by people that don’t support your dreams for the rest of your life. Make the decision to build a mastermind team that enjoys the challenge to change and gets excited about the thought of experiencing freedom in their lives.
I’m going to move right into the next letter in the word freedom. ‘E’ stands for encouragement. During hard times, it’s easy to become frustrated and let the adversity win. Have you ever heard someone say “Well under the circumstances…?” That’s a typical statement from a person that is simply overwhelmed by his current life situation and is letting the adversity control him instead of him taking control of the adversity. When you face something that seems unbearable, you need to encourage yourself and others around you that are experiencing the same hardship.
On January 2, 2007, a crew of thirteen men reported to work at Sago Coal Mine in West Virginia. As the men worked deeply in the mine, a tremendous explosion occurred and trapped the entire crew two miles below the Earth’s surface. For forty-two painstaking hours, the world watched as rescuers desperately tried to save the men. When they finally reached the crew, twelve out of the thirteen were dead. The sole survivor, Randy McCloy, was pulled from the mine barely breathing but alive. He later shared his story about the turn of events on that day that would change his life forever.
The underground explosion knocked out the mine’s electricity and left the men in complete darkness. With a limited supply of oxygen from their emergency air packs, the men hung a curtain to protect themselves from the thick smoke. Despite sharing their oxygen supply with each other, it wasn’t long before their air supply ran out and the toxic fumes made it harder for them to breathe. Though worried and scared, the men began to accept their fate. They huddled together and began to pray. Some of the men wrote letters to their friends and families to express their final goodbyes.
Though faced with death, these men continued to encourage each other to the end. Some prolonged the life of a friend by sharing their oxygen supply. Another came up with the idea to write letters to their families just in case they didn’t make it. They prayed together and were prepared to die together.
Inside the word encourage is courage. The men that perished in Sago Mine as well as the sole survivor, Randy McCloy, showed great courage as they faced the inevitable by encouraging not only each other but the families that they left behind. I once heard this quote that truly describes the great courage that these men showed during the greatest adversity that they had ever faced -
“Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength”.
It takes a lot of encouragement to achieve freedom in your life. That’s why you want to attend personal development events, listen to positive materials, and build a supportive mastermind team. I encourage you to get absolutely focused on your freedom and set a date that you want to be free. It’s called your “freedom date”. You’re no longer a slave to someone else’s schedule or lifestyle. You are now manifesting, living and fulfilling your Why in life!
The next letter in the word freedom is the letter ‘D’. It stands for dedication. Are you dedicated to what it takes to achieve freedom in your life? More importantly, are you dedicated to defending your freedom once you achieve it? Numerous wars have been fought to defend freedom, and millions of soldiers dedicated their lives to their countries during those wars. You’re going to have a mental war in your own mind while you’re pursuing freedom. The enemy will put thoughts in your head that you are not worthy of freedom, and you will begin to doubt yourself. If you are truly dedicated to achieving freedom, then you will combat those thoughts with positive affirmations. You will encourage yourself through the power of spoken words.
Here are a few to get you started:
Dedication is a powerful characteristic. Most people are not dedicated and treat their freedom like it’s owed to them. Those are the same type of people that sit around and complain about their lives instead of taking the action needed to change their situation. They are simply not dedicated to their Why. They’re not dedicated to making decisions every day that will put them one step closer to their freedom date.
It’s awesome, because I know I am dedicated. I have dedicated my life to champions. I have dedicated my life to facing the struggles, developing strength, maintaining perseverance, and achieving the freedom that I deserve in my life. Can you say that about yourself? I challenge you to stare the enemy in its face and say, “Move out of my way, because I’m dedicated to my freedom!”
The next letter in the word freedom is ‘O’, which stands for obvious. Obvious is defined as easily seen, recognized or understood. It’s obvious to me that you’re a champion. Is it obvious to you? If so, then your belief should show in everything that you do and to everyone that you meet. When you enter a room, people should automatically see your confidence. It is obvious to them that nothing will stand in the way of you achieving your freedom.
It should be obvious that you’re dedicated to going through the pain of change versus the pain of regret. It should be obvious that you are stretching yourself instead of remaining in your comfort zone. When people get to know you, are these things obvious about you? Unfortunately, most people are embarrassed to stand on faith and share their dreams with other people. They don’t want to be laughed at or ridiculed. If this is you, then you don’t want freedom bad enough. If you have to wear a mask around your friends and hide who you really are inside, then you aren’t dedicated to being free. Instead, you are letting what others think about you dictate where you will go or what you will be in life.
One of my mentors is the great Rod Parsley. He is outspoken and takes a stand on what he believes. It’s obvious that he believes in his mission and will stop at nothing to accomplish it. To no surprise, many people don’t like him. They confuse his confidence with arrogance. They often say he’s confused about the realities of the world. He’s not confused. He’s focused on achieving his Why in life, and it’s obvious to everyone that nothing will stand in his way.
When you make the decision to become dedicated to achieving your freedom, you have a different look in your eye. You have different words coming out of your mouth. It will be obvious to people that you are a man (or woman) on a mission. You will stop engaging in waste of time activities and begin attending personal development events. You will associate with like-minded people that support your pursuit of happiness. It will become obvious to everyone that you have taken control of your life.
The next letter in the word freedom is another ‘O’. This time, it stands for overcome. In order to be free, you must overcome every obstacle that gets in your way. One of the biggest obstacles that tends to destroy a person’s dream isn’t an actual thing, person or situation. It’s fear of the unknown. When you begin your success journey, you can’t be absolutely accurate in regards to what adversity you will face, the level of success that you will actually achieve or what date you will achieve your freedom. Yes, you have your freedom date in place but there is always that uncertainty of what’s going to happen along the way.
While attending services at Christ Fellowship church in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, I once heard Dr. Tom Mullins tell a story about a captain that led a very young group of troops into war. The young men were terrified about the unknown aspects such as what they would face when they encountered the enemy, if they would die, the strength of their opposition, etc. The captain knew that he had to come up with a way for his men to overcome their fears before they came face to face with the enemy. He took off his helmet and painted the back of it red so that his troops could see him and follow him through the battlefield. This decision made him an easy target for the enemy, but he risked his own life to help the young soldiers conquer their fears of the unknown by depending on his leadership to guide them through the battle.
The faith that lies inside your heart and your belief in yourself will serve as the painted red helmet that will guide you through your fear of the unknown. I believe that faith stands for Find Answers In The Heart. So when that fear tries to creep back into your life, dig down deep inside of your heart and take a giant step of faith towards your freedom.
The last letter in the word freedom is ‘M’, which stands for mountain, massive, move and momentum. Read this carefully. Massive momentum will move mountains in your life. You are almost at the end of your journey, and you can actually feel the sense of being free in every area of your life. All of a sudden, you look up and see this huge mountain blocking your path. This mountain is compiled of fear, doubt, naysayers and every other imaginable adversity. You gasp as it towers over you and wonder how you will possibly get around this thing.
That’s when you pull yourself together and attack the mountain full force. You focus on your freedom, refuse to regret your decisions, enjoy the challenge, encourage yourself through affirmations, dedicate your strength to overcoming the obstacle, and make it obvious to that mountain that you aren’t backing down. That’s what I call building massive momentum. Remember, massive momentum will move mountains in your life. So shout it out…MOUNTAIN GET OUT OF MY WAY!
A category five hurricane doesn’t start out as a destructive force. It begins as a storm, gains momentum and intensifies into a natural phenomenon that tears through the strongest structures that stand on this Earth. In contrast, you have to create this same type of massive momentum in your life by committing to daily action steps that will catapult you to the level of success. Commit to saying your affirmations, focusing on your freedom, associating with other champions and challenging yourself to change.
Now, let’s recap the acronym for FREEDOM:
Focus – Get laser focused on your freedom.
Regret – Don’t regret your decisions in life. Instead, face your fears and Return to your success journey knowing that nothing will stand in your way.
Enjoy – Enjoy the rollercoaster ride through life. Hold on tight to the person next to you and enjoy the twists, turns and flips that are ahead of you.
Encouragement – Speak words of encouragement into your life through affirmations and encourage others to achieve their dreams and goals.
Dedication – Be dedicated to achieving your freedom and remain dedicated to being free in your life once you’ve achieved it.
Obvious – Make it obvious to yourself and everyone that you encounter that you are focused and determined to be free.
Massive Momentum to Move Mountains – Commit to daily action steps that will create massive momentum in your life.
You can choose either to be free to make your own decisions or be a slave to the world for the rest of your life. I believe that you are a champion and worthy of all your dreams so take a step of faith and go for what you want in life…freedom.