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Changing the way we see the global financial crisis
Our society and world is entering a new era, globalisation and our modern day life style are all adding fuel to the already fragile global economic crisis. Financial freedom is often viewed as the ability to buy expensive items, travel to the latest holiday hotspots, buy want you want, and when you want. Wealth is often associated with financial freedom.
We need to change our perception of what financial freedom is. For me, it's about where and how I choose to spend my money - not where the latest marketing ad campaign or the government try to influence me in spending. A well known luxury department store in Oxford street had a campaign a few years ago something along the lines of "buy me, I will make you happy!" No, you will simply make the store's shareholders happy and the CEO when his / her bonus time arrives.
Financial freedom means saying no to these claims that products, shoes and handbags can make us happy. Yes, they can give enjoyment and pleasure - but true happiness? No.
Our values and the way we view the world have transformed us from who we are as human beings and how we treat others to who has the latest iphone, ipads, ipods, latest luxury bags or clothes with respect, or envy. Society now expects everything by the click of the fingers, and this was evident in the recent London riots. The majority of shops targeted were branded shops - people see brands as their badge of honour in society and an ownership of who they are.
Over the past few years our lives have shifted from face to face contact to communicating via skype, mobile phones, facebook and twitter. By filling our lives with gadgets, electronic devices and material items we have in a way lost our path, our sense of who we are has gone missing, awol.
Each day for the past few years the news headlines focus on the economic crisis and add stress to our already stressful lives.
I have used this time, this global crisis to really re-evaluate who I am, how I live my life and my impact upon this world. I am beginning to view and experience the global economic crisis in a new light, bringing with it new opportunities and challenges.
A few years ago I was caught up in the material world, spending money on clothes, bags, and shoes I didn't really need. I only purchased organic food, shopped at Waitrose and the thought of going to Aldi didn't even enter my thought process (if it did it was only in horror at the thought of going into the store!).
By letting go and stop falling into the marketing trap which the major brands and even the government constantly leads us into helps to get in touch with the inner part of me and to re-evaluate who I am.
This led to many questions. Who was I without waitrose, organic food, bags, shoes and clothes? Could I exist without these things? Could I be me? But who was I?
Letting go and releasing myself from society's trap of spend spend spend was in a way like stripping myself bare of all the false things which made me feel secure and helped me to fit into society.
The space I allowed myself to have helped me to connect to who I was as a person, my thoughts, feelings and even hobbies. On my personal journey I discovered many things about myself which I didn't know existed.
Now my weekends consist of lots of country walking, cooking, meditating, dancing and really enjoying life and feeling comfortable in my space.
When I look back at the person I was five years ago, over consuming by shopping, eating out, going to pubs I no longer recognise that person, as she was hiding from herself and the world.
This may sound strange but in a way I welcome the change in me, and welcome what it happening in our society - as it gives us space for personal growth and change and an opportunity to change our society.
The fact is we can no longer continue the way we live on many layers - spending money we don't have, treating the world with little respect and losing sight of who we are as human beings. Yet the shops still try to entice us with their ever-constant sales, buy me, buy me to make more money for their shareholders.
This is an opportunity to transform ourselves, how we live our lives and our relationship with each other and start to be kind to our earth.
By having the opportunity to re-evaluated my life and who I am, I have gained more emotional wealth, happiness and more at peace within myself than I ever thought was possible.
So, here is my challenge to you - yes these times are stressful, we don't know what is around the next corner, when or what the next financial crisis will be. But take this time and opportunity to develop your own concepts of financial freedom, understand what is truly important in your life - family, friends, nature - and embrace it. Really start to live, experience and enjoy your life.
Don't just witness life, watching it pass you by - get off facebook, put down your mobile phone, stop texting and meet friends and family face to face. Who knows you may just enjoy it - and even enjoy who you are.
As Ghandi said - "be the change you want to be in the world"
Linda Connors is a Linda Connors is a London Hypnotherapist helping many people change and improve their lives by helping people to create awareness, understanding and action into their lives.
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