What can you walk away from?
Our freedom can be measured by the number of things we can walk away from. ~Vernon Howard
What can you walk away from?
The more I contemplate this question, the more "things" I feel I could walk away from. Certain things I would not walk away from—like my family, but there are other things I could walk away from in a heartbeat.
1. My vehicles. I could ride my bike to work (especially if I worked from home!).
2. My house. Not that I have an abundance of places to live, but I could easily sell most of the stuff I own (or does it "own" me?) and live in a camper or something like that.
3. My day job. As much as I usually like my job, I could walk away from it and not look back.
4. My stuff. Like I alluded to in #2 sometimes I feel like my stuff "owns" me. Even my computer which I am using for my business sometimes owns me when I am not using it for writing either my e-books, my novel or my blogs. I can get so distracted by my stuff that I lose sight of my goals.
So what things could you walk away from? How do you measure freedom? Feel free to list them below.
Can you measure your freedom by what you "own" or by what "owns" you?
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Recent Comments
34
You are a much better person than me Karin. I have wondered about that. At the moment If I thought it would make a difference I think i would walk away from the things you mentioned. Im still thinking, thanks for helping me see a little deeper.
Ray
Thanks for sharing, Ray. Not sure if I am a "better" person than you, I just maybe have different ideas about things. What is right for me, might not be right for others. Honestly, if I walked away from the things I listed, of course, my life would change drastically, but is that the right thing? I don't know. I just think about these things sometimes.
I think about what I would miss if my house were to burn down. As long as my family and my pets were safe, there would be little that I would miss. There would be nothing that I could not live without.
Does freedom mean giving things up? I don't know. But I do know that the things that "hold onto me" keep me "trapped" in a cycle of always wanting more. "That" is not freedom, in my mind, anyway.
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Hi Karin. There are some things that I know I would not miss at all if I gave them up. For me they are the things that clutter up my life; things that I hold on to even though I haven't used them in years. I have a ton of those after living in the same place for 30 plus years.
I just wanted to say thanks for making me think a little deeper about this idea of giving up.
To be honest this season my mind is focused on non-physical things like trying to be in control when I am not. Or hanging onto the idea that I have to be popular; there are so many concepts or ideas that we think we need yet they only hold us back from being all that we can be.
Thanks again...
Ray
You are welcome, Ray! Thank you for sharing further. Letting go of some things and controlling others (like emotions) is a great thought provoking idea for me. Thanks!
Best wishes,
Karin :)
I want to walk away from money but I'm sure I couldn't eat and that's the reason I'm here, to have that regular income for me to survive.
Yeah, money is kind of important in our world! But I would love to walk away from it, too!
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Yes, we want to walk away from it but we cannot. It's part of human existence this age not like 50 years ago.
Karin,
I have only begun to realize that what I have owns me more than
what I really need it. Walking away from it makes sense when
you begin to think how much simpler you can afford to live without
all of these possessions.
Thank you for writing this post and sharing,
Susan
Thanks for your thoughts, Susan!
If we didn't have car or house payments. If we didn't have expensive insurance premiums to pay on those items... the possibilities open up.
I'm not advocating that people get rid of their "stuff" including vehicles and homes, but it sure would be easier without all those "things."
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Hmmm.... What can I walk away from? A great question to contemplate. I want to walk away from being in control. However, sometimes it owns me than I own it.
Walk away from being controlling frees me from frustrations, worries, and headaches. It is an ongoing journey. When I thought I walked away from it, I found myself holding it even closer. I guess the first step is self awareness then perhaps I can choose to walk away or not...
Thank you for posting the question.
Karin,
Great food for thought. I would like to get rid of all the clutter we have accumulated over the years. Also, the clutter on my computer and mobile devices. Can’t get rid of our 4 cats and 3 dogs. Nor my wife either. We’ve been married for 37 yeas so she’s a keeper ha!
It’s important to clarify what’s important to us and what is not. Then get rid of what we don’t need.
Thanks for making us think of this profound idea.
Cheers!
Edwin
Edwin, I love your humor! Yeah, probably don't want to get rid of the wife! I'm glad you found someone so special to share your life with!
Hoping you have a great day!
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Karin, This is something I wonder about almost everyday. I get rid of stuff all the time. I find that the empty space after I pull things out to pitch, has been refilled from what was left.
I can't do without my car. Its the last thing that I have that gives me my independence. I guess my independence is the last thing I could get rid of.
I have a rule ( that, I admit sometimes is broken): for every one thing that I bring in, one thing has to go out. It's a hard rule to keep, but it can keep the stuff level.
Hi Barb!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I have told my family that we need to have a HUGE garage sale. We'll just let people walk through the house and they can pick whatever they like and then pay me for it! I have recently told my granddaughter that she can't get anything new without giving away at least 5 things! I have to admit that we "overdid" it with toys for her. She is now putting things in the give away bag whenever she wants something new!
Now if I could get my spouse to do that!
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Very good point, Karin. Yes, I could walk away from most of what I have, though some things are so imbued with memories it would be hard. The truck is so old it might walk away from me. My house would sell easily. Fortunately, don't have a day job any more (thank goodness). My cat would have to walk away with me.
Hi Fran, hope all is well!
My cat would have to walk away with me, too. She would, even if I told her to stay! LOL
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Hi Karin, great questions. I certainly could walk away from the job that requires me to make money for someone else who hasn't given me a raise in 2 years. No problem at all. I think I might be able to do without a cell phone and most of the possessions in my house. But, I need my house to keep my internet connection and computers dry so I can work at Wealthy Affiliate.
Thanks for your post!
Cal
Yes, Cal! The job could go! I've not had a raise in about 5 years and then had my hours cut, so I hear you. That was around the time I started doing Wealthy Affiliate. I think everything is connected, so I don't see me finding WA at that time as a coincidence.
Yes, we definitely need our computers to do our work!
Best wishes,
Karin :)
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Great post. Material stuff dictates to us. Cheers AJ
Thanks, AJ. True. What do most of us work for? Things... I'm ready to work for freedom!
Best wishes,
Karin :)
Sounds like the go to me! Cheers AJ