Reflecting on what true freedom really means - it's not just about working from a beach, but about controlling where your attention goes and contributing to society in ways you genuinely want to.

Picture this: It's a sunny day, you're outside at the beach, banana in your palm. But you have to join that Zoom meeting. You have to participate in that online conference. Really, you have to. And while it's a very nice view outside, you just have to be in that meeting.

You see, even if you are a digital nomad, what is freedom? What is freedom really?

Is it money that matters? Is it location? Many would say freedom is ""the ability to do whatever I want whenever I want it."" That's a good definition. But sitting at the beach with that banana in your hand - is that freedom?

It depends. Is it something you decided for yourself, or something decided by others? Is it your choice? If you have to go to that Zoom meeting, is it still your choice? Is it still your freedom?

When I was younger, I pursued this dream I'm currently living. I thought that location really mattered - that if I could work while traveling, that would be fantastic. But even before I started traveling, I discovered that freedom isn't just about location.

Location is only part of the equation. The ability to decide for yourself what coordinates you're at - that's amazing, incredible, important. But something is missing here. Because if you are a digital nomad, but all day you're doing stuff you don't want to do, does it matter that you are in Thailand or Bulgaria where I'm currently located? Does it matter?

What Does Your Freedom Look Like?

Let's talk about you. How does your day look today, right now? Do you have freedom?

If I were to remove all the items in your calendar - if I gave you 20 days off right now - would you have freedom? No. Why not? Is it about money? Because you don't have enough money?

I don't think that's the problem. It doesn't matter how much money you have. What matters is how you get that money.

A job is something you have to do even if you don't want to do it in order to provide for yourself - to sustain your life. A job is not creation. It's something you have to do, not something you want to do. Maybe sometimes you want to do it, but fundamentally it's something you have to do to provide for yourself.

Even if I gave you 20 days off, you wouldn't be able to provide for yourself the way you want to. You'd have to go back to work. You'd have to go back to that job. And that's exactly the problem.

What I'm pursuing is being able to provide for myself through stuff I do want to do. This is what I've been doing for the last six years or so - even before I started my real estate company, even in my first business printing on t-shirts. I was looking to break that barrier between attention and survival, so I don't have to put my attention into something I don't want to put it into.

The Real Definition of Freedom

Some people, if you gave them 20 days off with an empty calendar, would spend it on their phone - not because they want to, but because they're conditioned to. They're addicted to the emotions that social media provides.

Sitting on a beach with a banana in your palm, but having to go to a Zoom meeting you don't want to participate in - that's not freedom.

Freedom is the ability to control space AND time. If you have to be at a certain point at a certain time and you don't want to, but you're doing it anyway, you're not free. If you have to be in front of your computer at a certain time - doesn't matter where you are in the world - and your attention has to go there when you don't want it to, you're not free.

True freedom is about your attention being able to focus on the things you want to focus on.

Finding Your Purpose Through Giving

It's a journey, but you can actualize this by being honest with yourself, being true to yourself, and giving unconditionally to society in ways you think you can help - in ways you want to help.

It takes courage because it's not easy to go after what you want to do for society. We think about what society wants from us instead of what we see that society needs from us. We think about what our parents will say, how we'll present it to others, what they'll think about us, what pain we'll experience because we chose that path.

Instead, we should think: ""I see I can give here. I can provide here."" This is purpose.

People say ""I need to find my purpose,"" as if once they find it, they're ready to go. But purpose isn't about finding your calling - it's about answering the calling.

When you walk down the street and ask yourself ""What pain do I see? What problems need to be fixed?"" - one person will see stray dogs and want to help them. Another will see homeless people. A third will see houses in bad condition they can repair. A fourth will see cars that need tender loving care.

Every single one of us is wired to see the problems we know we can help with. We can feel it in our bodies. We don't need anyone to tell us ""please help us"" - we can see the problems.

Purpose is about giving. Giving in ways you know you can give. Contributing to society in ways you can contribute.

The Path to True Freedom

When you understand this, you know what you need to do. Go out and ask: How can I help?

Don't focus on the numbers. Don't focus on how many claps you receive. Focus on giving the best you can give. That's what matters.

If you do that for enough time, for a sustainable period, eventually you will reach freedom. Because all that contribution, all that giving, was something you wanted to give. You saw you could provide. This is how you wanted to show up in the world. You decided for it.

Once you reach that point, you'll be able to provide for yourself only through honest contribution. And that's freedom. That's the path to get there.

Most people try to reach more money. And I'm not saying that's bad - I do real estate, I know how important it is. But if you force yourself to do stuff you don't want to do, you'll never be free. Even if you're a millionaire who has to go to the same office every day and doesn't want to be there, who has to talk with people they don't want to talk to - that's not freedom. That's far, far away from freedom.

True freedom is waking up on a sunny day, deciding to go outside and buy a banana, and doing so. Walking to the beach with that banana in your hand because you chose to. That's freedom - when your choices align with your desires, and your desires align with how you contribute to the world."