Structure = Freedom
“The average person lives a reactive life.” Craig Ballantyne
What Successful Individuals Do
Have you ever wondered how successful people all around us got that way. They seem to have the life we desire. They have freedom - both in finances and in time. They are able to take vacations when they want to. Family time is abundant. Money is rarely a worry. It turns out that many of these successful individuals do something better than the rest of us. They live very structured lives. They have learned that structure equals freedom. They know what they desire and are very intentional about what they do and don’t do every day.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Ben Franklin
My Struggle
I am not a planner. I have struggled most of my life with trying to “get organized.” While I can be very disciplined in certain areas of my life, planning my days, weeks, and months, even years has not been something I have done well. Based on assessments such as Kolbe A™, Print® , Enneagram, etc., I understand WHY I struggle so much with planning. However, the way I am wired is no excuse for failing to do what I know to be the very thing that can help me be more successful in my life as an entrepreneur, husband and father. Recently I attended a quarterly coaching program and the coach made the statement, “Structure equals freedom.” Those words grabbed me. He went own to explain how he had struggled to plan for many years. It turns out he is wired very much like I am. We both struggled with the thought of committing to something on our calendar because we feared we might miss out on something better that might come along. He went on to share how having a detailed calendar for the year did not scare him but now gave him incredible freedom to know that he is going to be doing both what he wants and what will be most effective for his life.
In his book, The Perfect Day Formula, Craig Ballantyne shares 5 Pillars for structuring a successful life:
- Planning & Preparation: “mise-en-place” - “everything in its place.” Use the right tools and rituals.
- Professional Accountability: Find a coach, mentor or professional who can hold you accountable.
- Social Support: Surround yourself with people who inspire you and make you better.
- Create Incentive: Reward yourself when you delay gratification.
- Big Deadline: A deadline puts urgency into our actions, allowing us to overcome procrastination.
If you want to lose weight, you know you must eat healthy foods and exercise. If you want to achieve more freedom in your life - whether time or financial you simply must create the proper structure.
What first steps will you take to structure your desired freedom?