The freedom cycle

Rafael Garcin / Unsplash

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, freedom is at the heart of everything you do. Financial freedom to live the life you want, freedom from the 9 to 5 daily routine constraints to work hours you set, and the freedom to take your work in any direction you choose.

Freedom is different for everyone, and people have a different idea of what freedom should be. Nevertheless, it is the primary motivation for many people to quit the standard career path and branch out on their own. So why is it that so many entrepreneurs fail to achieve freedom? The answer lies in the never-ending path to the future.

What is the freedom cycle?

The freedom cycle is an idea presented by The Strategic Coach that suggests that the ongoing relationship between your past, present and future will push entrepreneurs to more extraordinary levels of freedom and innovation than ever. To gain freedom, you may carefully balance lessons from your past and plans for your future with the ability to act in the present. This continual circular relationship between actions, strategies, and lessons is what will push you onwards. More on this later.

Creating your own freedom

First, it's essential to understand that freedom means different things to different people. Some people look for the creative liberty to decide the direction of their work; others want the choice just to oversee others. Some people want to be free to do the things they love instead of working.

As much as we hate to admit it, being free in the current day and age means having financial stability first. Having enough money to live, pay bills, feed your kids or save for your retirement is the first step in achieving other kinds of freedom. Financial stability is the basis of everything and allows you to create your own future. You can measure your success by your journey towards your ideal life.

Freedom as an entrepreneur

We have all heard the phrase "money makes money". It's an age-old idea that having money to invest is what makes more money. Well, you might be surprised that the same concept applies to freedom.

Taking the first step to run your own business is often the hardest. Many entrepreneurs succeed in creating their own business but lose sight of what they want. You might gain financial stability, but if it means you have to work non-stop, you might lose other kinds of success. This is where the freedom cycle comes in.

The freedom cycle means looking at your past to see where you made mistakes and how you can improve to help inform the choices and decisions to create a better day-to-day life. This cycle of looking to your past and your future is all about progress and improving your life.

And the great thing about the cycle of freedom is that it's easy to keep going once you start. Learning from your mistakes, acting for a better daily reality and creating more freedom for yourself makes it easy to have even more freedom in the future.

How can you start your own journey?

The first step toward planning for a better future is to look back at your past. Look at where you made mistakes and what you got right. Think about when you were happy and when you felt you were moving forwards. Think about what you would do differently and what could have gone better.

It's crucial that when you think about what you did wrong, you don't let them hold you back. The cycle is about continually moving onwards, so be aware of your mistakes but decide to leave them in the past and move on.

Next, you should think about how you see your life in one year, five years, ten years and 20 years. Think about what you want from your life, make a plan, and try to gain clarity about what's coming next.

Once you've looked both back and forward, you will find that making decisions is more straightforward, and your purpose each day will be more precise. Continual looking to your past and future can make being an entrepreneur easier. It's easier to set actionable goals if you already have clarity about what you want and how to get it.

Entrepreneurial success

Entrepreneurial freedom is about so much more than financial stability. The rewards of running your own business, being able to take time off and deciding where the company goes next all contribute to making your life better.

In the end, you have to be responsible for creating your own success and your own future. As an entrepreneur recognising that your past, present and future are connected is crucial for success. Utilising the teachings of the freedom cycle can help you to focus on your entrepreneurial journey. So, take a deep breath, don't be afraid of the past, plan for the future and decide to start today!