What does the word freedom mean to you?

Last week a reader suggested that my next column should be on the subject of freedom. This prompted an interesting discussion about what the concept of freedom actually meant. And it was clear that it has a slightly different significance to each of us.

Many years ago I remember reading an article which really made me stop and think.

It was about a piece of research which had looked into how much of a human being’s time was spent doing something that they genuinely wanted to do.

Unfortunately I can’t remember the exact statistics, but I do remember that the findings were extraordinary. If I remember rightly, the findings suggested that the average person spends less than four per cent of their time in the way they would most wish to spend it.

This seemed crazy when I first read it, but on reflection I recognised that for many of us it is probably very accurate.

The vast majority of our time is spent doing things that we are either expected or obligated to do. We go to work, cook for the family, do the shopping, spend time commuting, pay bills, empty the rubbish... and the list goes on.

Sometimes an activity can even be quite enjoyable, but our motivation in doing it is to please someone else.

For some of us, to find a moment when you are doing something you genuinely want to be doing, can really be quite rare.

That realisation changed the way I think in many ways. Ever since, I have regularly asked myself the question – at this moment in time – am I doing what I would most like to do?

On the rare occasions when the answer to that question is a genuine yes, then I know that it is a special moment and I have got something right. I have made an effort to both notice, record and repeat those moments as they are the one when I have felt completely free.

What does the concept of freedom mean to you personally?

For some people it will be the moment they get their liberty back after being physically incarcerated.

For most, though, the concept of freedom is a more subtle one. It is the freedom to make one’s own choices, do the things you most want to do and experience a feeling of fulfilment.

In my old career as a family law barrister, many clients talked about the feeling of freedom they experienced after many years of putting their own needs to one side in an unhappy or abusive relationship.

Some yearn for freedom from the shackles of debt, some wish they were freer to express their true personalities, others are stuck in a job they feel they can’t escape from.

I would suggest that the important thing is to stop and think for a moment what the word freedom means to you personally.

Maybe you feel completely free already. But if not, what would need to happen for you to experience a true sense of freedom? And if you had it, how would you most want to use it?

It might be that there are things beyond your control which prevent you from experiencing true freedom at this moment in time.

But if that is the case, it is even more important to create at least the odd occasion in which you feel free to do exactly as you please.

These moments are worth both recognising and also replicating as much as you can.

The concept of freedom signifies different things to different people and its meaning will depend on your circumstances, priorities and attitude to life.

But it is definitely something worth taking time to think about.

Once you start to consciously spot your own moments of freedom, this can be a clue as to the life you really want.

Even increasing these moments just a small amount can make a huge difference to our feelings of fulfilment and well-being.

So, to the person who asked me to think about freedom for this week’s column – thank you.