Lost and Found

We are always wondering how we keep losing time in our day. We search for new ways to find more time to allow us to gain more production. It seems as though everyone visits the lost and found department in search of this precious thing called time. If we went to Amazon searching the keyword “Time Management,” 40,000 books become available for purchase. Each book will offer some sound advice for helping you manage your daily life. But nothing will ever help until you gain “personal freedom.”

New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick has personal freedom, which is why he can stay intensely focused on the task at hand. So when he tells his team or the media, “We are on to Cincinnati,” he sincerely moves on. Winning six Super Bowl trophies allows Coach Belichick to gain this kind of freedom, which then allows him to add hours to his day. How is that possible? Many might suspect the winning would enable him to gain more popularity, which then stuffs his wallet, and allows him the opportunity to buy more homes, and relax. But for Bill Belichick, he can buy personal freedom. For someone like Belichick, the titles enable him to gain complete personal freedom from the outside world. We all get lost searching for more time; we all need to find that valuable commodity, as Bill Gates once said, “I can buy anything, but time.” Achieving this type of freedom in a noisy world gives you a significant advantage over the competition.

Here is what personal freedom looks like to a highly successful person:

1. DIET CONSUMPTION. When people diet to lose weight, there are programs to eliminate sugar, carbs, meat, etc. Attaining personal freedom requires a diet of information, reducing what and how you filter news into your life. People with personal freedom don’t care about what the media writes, or people outside their spectrum feel. Opinions of others less informed never gain their attention. Author Stewart Stafford claims: “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, arrogance is when you think you are better than others and act accordingly.” No one with personal freedom cares about Page 6 of the NY Post, or Bravo television, or any other mindless gossip. Having this freedom requires dieting on what information you allow into your life.

2. YOU OWN YOUR PHONE. YOUR PHONE DOES NOT OWN YOU. We all have smartphones. We can connect to the world at any given time. Today, attempt to disconnect. Use the phone for phone calls by carving out exclusive time to speak to others, whether it’s by voice or text. Being hard to reach is a pillar of people who have personal freedom.

3. GUARD YOUR CALENDAR. Can you gain access to Bill Gates? Can you get on his calendar? No chance, right? Then why should you be different than Gates? Why should anyone have access to your time so freeingly? Because you want to make others happy? Because you want to do a solid for a friend? Because you want to be liked? It might make others happy; however, it won’t make you happy when you give away time. If you want more time, you have to start protecting your time.

Roman philosopher Seneca once asserted, “People are frugal in guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.” You don’t have to be a zillionaire, or win over 300 games to achieve personal freedom. You merely need to find something in your own life that allows personal freedom to shine the brightest. Belichick, Gates, and many other successful people understand that going to the lost and found department for more time never works unless they actively manage their time while cultivating their personal freedom every single day. This power is within you to do the same!

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