Slavery Today: What Are You A Slave To?

By Gnifrus Urquart | January 26, 2009

One of my friends recently committed herself to a healthier, fitter lifestyle. It started off as a very healthy change for her, but at some stage it turned into an obsession. She now spends hours a day training, documents and reviews everything she eats, yet is not training for anything specific.

Its a little bit sad really, she originally went out to give herself a better life yet now she cannot even enjoy many of its simple joys. Eating popcorn at the movies fills her with guilt. A dinner out with friends will be finished early if she has training tomorrow. She isn’t actually training for anything specific, yet her regime rules her life.

I have another friend who used to be 100% dedicated to his wife. Everything he did was about their quality of life and the time they spent together.

One day, my friend was promoted. A worthy promotion as he really was the top performer at work, both in his own right and in the way he got the best out of all the people who reported to him. When he received this promotion, something changed. Quality of life stopped being his priority. Time with his wife stopped being his purpose. Rather, he started validating himself by furthering himself at work, by future promotions and by where he was placed on the corporate ladder.

Both of these friends of mine have become slaves to their own ideas. They have become slaves as their goals, the things they were working for, have been forgotten. Now, the work is all that is left. The work which was supposed to pave the way to an end, has become the end in its own right.

In the first case, an effort to live a healthier and fuller life twisted around and on top of itself, into a situation where there is no room for the life she originally wanted. In the second case, the family which were the inspiration for success ended up being regarded as a competing interest for the time which could have been spent in the office.

Historically, this has never been a normal way of living. Historically, people only ever did what they had to do to support themselves and their loved ones. What time was left was honoured as time to enjoy, time to share. There was only one group of people for whom work was the end game in life, and we called them slaves. Its interesting that today, despite slavery being outlawed, people still live in a similar manner.

Ask yourself if there is work in your life which serves no purpose. It could be an exercise regime, a career, or even your perception on keeping your home overly clean.

If there is, have you become a slave to an idea? Are you toiling for no purpose. Remember you only have one life, so review this work and try to work out what it will bring you in 10 – 20 years? Will you look back on your toil and smile at the benefits it brought you? Or will you look back and see a landscape of opportunities missed?

Typically we become slaves to ideas when we lose sight of the important things in life. We do this when we get so absorbed in the work we are doing, we forget to look at the broader picture. The quickest way to rectify this issue is to take a timeout. Spend a little time away from everything and get your head together again. Think about the things which are and will be really important over the course of your life, not just now. Forget about what everyone else is telling you, look into your heart and find your own perspective. Because once you find that perspective, you will throw the shackles of your self imposed slavery aside and get out of your rut.

If you are a little unsure about whether you are getting perspective right, there is an easy way to check. The things you are doing, are they for a higher life purpose? If they are, you have perspective. If not, its possible you are still caught up in the idea of what you are doing. For example, working extra hard now can be part of a plan to achieve financial freedom and retire early. It shouldn’t be to get promoted to the next level in the corporate structure. The former is a life goal, the latter assumes another level of work is the end game, so you are working for works sake.

Once you get your perspective, you’ll throw the shackles of slavery which have held you in your rut. You’ll regain control on your life, you won’t be dancing to anyone else’s tune. So protect your perspective, remember what is important in your life and make sure the work you do serves your life goals. This is very different to your life serving your work goals.

Gnifrus Urquart realised a long time ago the path to financial freedom comes down to three things; increasing, managing and investing your cash. You can peruse his investment strategies today

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