3 Steps to Personal Freedom and Career Mastery

Glenford Smith, Career Writer

We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because while others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind. - Marcus Garvey

We now live and work in an age of the mind. It is what management legend Peter Drucker popularised as the 'knowledge economy.' This is an age where knowledge is the primary tool for economic production and job creation, not physical labour.

As we celebrate our freedom and independence as a sovereign nation, let us recognise that in this age, physical freedom and national sovereignty, while necessary, are not sufficient for national or individual success and prosperity. The urgent imperative of those who yearn for career success is mental freedom.

A mind that is imprisoned by ignorance and the fear of success and failure is one in which the potential for creative thinking and courageous actions is shackled. Individuals who stymie their potential out of fear of other people's disapproval are not free. Only when you are free to think your own thoughts, make your own decisions, based upon accurate knowledge, and have the personal power to act as you will, can you be truly free. The following three ideas will prove helpful in this regard.

Get accurate, relevant, knowledge and apply it

Don't be fooled by the truism that 'knowledge is power.' It is no such thing unless it is accurate, relevant and intelligently applied. What used to be true and useful yesterday is quickly rendered irrelevant in our age of constant change. To stay relevant, you have to keep reading, studying and experimenting, independently of your formal qualifications and academic credentials.

Also, in today's knowledge-based economy, your career success isn't dependent upon how much you know, but what value you create using what you know.

Unfortunately, many don't get this. Just because they have earned a master's or PhD, they believe they deserve a job or a raise. That was 20 years ago. Today, the primary determinant of your income is how much value you create.

Nurture your self-esteem

Former Essence magazine editor, Susan Taylor, once noted that self-hate is a form of mental slavery that results in poverty, ignorance and crime. She was right. High self-esteem enables you to fail repeatedly in sales, business or in job interviews without quitting. Low self-esteem makes it hard for you to take criticism at work, or try for a new position or speak up in meetings. Nurture your self-confidence.

Live your own life

Did you choose the career you are now in? Or was it something your parents wanted you to do? Is it what you enjoy or what you think others would find cool or respectable? True freedom means you choose to do with your life what you believe to be most meaningful. Take charge of your career and your destiny. If others hold the reins of your life, you are not free.

Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and success strategist. glenfordsmith@yahoo.com