How much freedom is too much? – My Call with Paul

Freedom from Rules in a Business?

There's a rousing, oft-quoted speech in Braveheart where Mel Gibson rides his horse up and down in front of a rag-tag army of Scots. He ends with, "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!"

Paul's not a Scot repressed by English rule, but, he is a young man who likes to travel, so I think he'd appreciate the quote. In fact, I think a lot of people like Paul – young creatives who freelance – would appreciate it. But I think radical concepts of freedom are holding a lot of young freelancers and creatives back. So this week, Paul and I talked about the importance of rules.

If you're thinking of starting a freelance career, especially if you're a creative, this one's for you. Hopefully, by the end, you'll realise that rules have their place and can help make you not only more effective, but happier as well.

The importance of rules

During my call with Paul, we covered everything from mission and vision statements to the Pomodoro technique. But, when you break it down, what all this amounts to is a pile of rules: Vision/Mission statements are rules to govern your focus to make sure your choices are in line with your goals; and the Pomodoro technique is a series of rules to follow to make your work more efficient. For many young creatives, especially those who love their freedom, these rules can begin to chafe. The important thing to remember is, they're there for your benefit.

To help Paul understand the value of rules, I shared a story of a man taking his kids to play soccer, but the ref didn't show up. That means the ball, the nets, and the only person who really knew the intricate rules of the game weren't there. Despite this, the kids convinced the father they wanted to play anyway.

So, each team set up their own net, paced out by two differently-sized goalies, fouls were ignored because the father didn't know the rules, and thus couldn't enforce them. Essentially, by the time the referee did show up, the game had descended to chaos and violence.

Now, you're not a kid playing soccer, I know that. Neither is Paul. But you are both people with the brains of a hunter-gatherer. That means the rules of your life, no matter who you are or what you do, are still governed by the need to seek and find things. It's called the seeking system, and it's where enthusiasm comes from.

While that seeking system is an innate part of who you are, which means satisfying is important to creating a good life, the object of your seeking system is chosen by you. That's where your freedom truly lies.

Freedom is setting your own rules

True freedom doesn't come with the absence of rules – that only brings chaos. It comes when you become skilled at making your own rules. When you get to the point where you can choose what you really want to seek, and the things you're willing to sacrifice, then you get to start creating the right rules to get you there.

For Paul, that means coming up with mission and vision statements. It also means using various tools, in the form of rules, that will help him be more productive and more creative. Each rule he begins to subscribe to is a tool he can use to help him accomplish the goal he set.

Essentially, he's making his own game and working as his own referee. That takes a lot of time and energy, which is why I'm here helping him out. I've helped many others create their own games, and done so for myself as well. I can leverage that experience to help others more quickly build a good game – a game they want to play. If you want my help building a game you'll love, which will get you where you want to go, send me an email.

That's what I'm Thinking Thru.

How about you? How do you feel about rules? Have you considered their value in bringing joy to your life?