There is big-picture freedom.

I recently heard Malcolm Gladwell remark that success to him was to have the freedom of time – to do what he wanted when he wanted. This is a common goal for many: work to gain financial independence so that you do not have to work anymore.

But many people who have this kind of drive do not actually want to stop working. They want the big-picture freedom so that they do not feel they must continue doing things they do not want to do in order to live their chosen lifestyle.

Big-picture freedom then is the freedom to structure your days and months and years in a manner that brings you the meaning you seek.

But what about little-picture freedom?

What about the freedom to wake up without an alarm clock each day? To do what you want when throughout the day? To eat what you wish?

These decisions are different in nature because most of us are lazy. If we leave these decisions to choose each day in the moment, we might make decisions that feel good now but are not actually how we want to live our big-picture life.

The rebel inside us that sought little-picture freedom might not actually be too thrilled a few months into it.

Furthermore, if we make those little decisions each day, it contributes to decision fatigue.

If you are searching for freedom, are you clear about what type of freedom you seek?