Did you ever hear this one?
“Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither.”
It’s usually attributed to Benjamin Franklin, and it seems to tell us that if we look for security rather than freedom, there’s something fundamentally wrong with us.
There are a couple of problems with the quote.
First — these aren’t the words Franklin wrote (it’s possible that it wasn’t Franklin who wrote them). Second, it’s wildly out of context — the quote that Franklin did (probably) write was about a specific circumstance involving raising taxes for a militia.
And third, it’s a marker of privilege that’s downright horrible advice for most people. Let’s talk about why.
Safety as a core value
When we talk about “core values,” we mean those abstract terms that define what matters most to us. Words like “Faith,” “Connection,” or “Justice.”
Making a quick list of a few core values is a great exercise for anyone. It helps energize you, and it also acts as a compass to help you make important decisions.
(Learn more about that process here: Two EQ Hacks)
Most of us, whether or not we want to admit it, would put “Safety” or “Security” on that list.
We make money so we can (hopefully) take care of ourselves and our families. We (hopefully) put some of that money in the bank. We (hopefully) have insurance against different bad scenarios. We (hopefully) live somewhere that feels safe to us.
All those (hopefullys) point to something important: Not everyone is safe.
Not everyone can take care of themselves or their families. Not everyone has enough money to save. Not everyone can afford important protections like health insurance. And not everyone lives in a safe place.
If your immediate response to any of these was, “Those people just aren’t making it a priority,” that’s a statement that could be true for you. It isn’t true for everyone.
Something I’ve noticed when looking at success and productivity books is that about 90% of them are written by straight white men. The other 10% are written by straight white women.
Those folks (and just so we’re clear, I do realize I am a straight white woman) sometimes tell you not to fuss too much over security or safety, because you have to take risks to succeed.
That advice comes from people who are already safe.
If you don’t worry too much about being safe, that in itself is a massive privilege.
Now, it’s ok to have a privilege. You didn’t do anything evil to get it. But it can be toxic when we don’t see our privilege.
So if that’s your situation: See it, respect it, be grateful for it, and realize that it could go away at some point.
Does Safety need to be on your list?
My friend Roland is a personal trainer and a really good marketer. He and I had a great conversation about safety as the bedrock that both of those topics rest on.
If you don’t prioritize safety in your workouts, your brain will subconsciously keep you from making your strongest effort. Your brain will simply refuse to send the signal to your muscles to lift that barbell.
If you don’t prioritize safety (for your customers) in your marketing, their brains will subconsciously keep them from responding to your offers. They might want what you’re selling, but they can’t get themselves to get the credit card out.
And if you don’t prioritize safety for yourself in your business, your brain won’t let you do the stuff you need to do. As soon as it gets wind of the idea that you’re risking your mortgage for this wild-hair idea, it will find other things to think about. Facebook and Instagram will become irresistible.
You won’t move forward, because your fear brain knows that you’re risking too much.
And if you force yourself to act, you run a real risk of getting hurt. Of an injury, or serious financial problems.
Failing to address safety creates two big problems:
- It creates fear, which keeps us from taking strong action
- It creates danger, which can get us hurt
Here’s how to decide whether or not to pursue safety as a core value:
If you ever feel fear or anxiety, spend time regularly addressing your safety.
That means that, for almost all of us … it’s smart to include safety as a conscious driver of our habits and goals.
How does that work in practice?
Here are some real-world ways that works:
- Start your side hustle and make sure it works well before you quit your job
- Don’t add team members until your revenue is solid and predictable
- Create marketing systems that work consistently, and keep testing them
- Diversify everything in your business, so you don’t have single points of failure (like getting all of your traffic from Google)
- Set up automatic monthly or weekly transfers from your regular spending account to an emergency fund, both for yourself as an individual and for your business
- Decide that pursuing financial goals is completely ok — it’s not “anti-spiritual” or greedy or selfish
- Recognize that the myth of the risk-addicted entrepreneur is dangerous and silly, and doesn’t apply at all to most business owners
Prioritizing your safety doesn’t make you weak. It makes you smart.
Everything we’ll be talking about on this blog, podcast, and email series will include safety as a core value.
We’ll talk about how to move toward your goals without jeopardizing what you already have. And we’ll talk about how to manage risk so it doesn’t threaten your financial security or your sense of safety.
Homework
Take ten minutes (right now would be great) and write out some of your most important values in your freedom journal.
Just single words. Safety. Justice. Family. Faith.
Don’t try to make them “noble.” Make them truthful. If “Money” or “Status” or “Feeling Important” is on your list … put it down. Your freedom journal is only for you.
Now, take just a couple of minutes and write a few sentences about one of them. Why does it matter to you? How is it playing out in your life today? You don’t need to write pages and pages. A few sentences is fine. Do what you feel moved to do.
When you’ve done your homework, leave a note in the comments saying “I did it.” If you have any additional questions or insights, go ahead and share them!
That’s it for today. In a few days, we’ll talk about a cramped little box you could spend your whole life in — and how to find the door.
Stay safe, and I’ll see you in a few days. 🙂
(If you’re curious about that Ben Franklin quote, here’s some more info: Benjamin Franklin’s quote on liberty vs. security.)
I like this exercise. It’s important to revisit it every few years to check if values have changed.
I highly value freedom. I did a similar exercise about 10 years ago and came to the same conclusion. This must be a legitimate core value! I don’t need any bling. I don’t need status. I just want freedom and some security in knowing that I can keep up living with this freedom.
While the concept or keyword “freedom” remains the same, my definition of what that means to me has somewhat evolved with time. When I was younger, freedom meant working for myself without reporting to a boss, keeping my own hours, and being able to skip out of the office any time I wish. Lately, I’ve been thinking more about keeping my freedom through the middle and later years of my life as there are more financial challenges that come along with marriage, children and evolved social roles. I’ve also been thinking about leveraging my experience and knowledge to enable systems and people to carry out my current roles so I have the time and freedom to work on more creative ideas.
I did it. I am glad I joined this communication from you Sonia.
And I am loving these emails. Thank you
Fantastic, thanks Rohan!
Nobody I’ve heard in the productivity, your-road-to-instant-success world, says it as clearly as you did with your statement: “Something I’ve noticed when looking at success and productivity books is that about 90% of them are written by straight white men. The other 10% are written by straight white women.” Security is not to be scoffed at, especially if you are living at the edge or are marginalized.
The other question is one of timing. There have been times in my life when I’m more willing to move out, take on new things, take some risks. There have been times when I’ve needed to pull things in closer to me, take few risks, and spend more time building my internal forces. When my father was dying, I wasn’t effective in my marketing…when he passed, opportunities opened up for me again. I believe we have an innate sense of timing: “To everything there is a season…”
Love your practical wisdom!
Thanks, Sally! I’ve noticed that as well. Sometimes you keep pushing and pushing and it’s just not happening, and then something shifts.
I appreciate your thoughtful note, thank you. 🙂
I did it. The first one on my list wasn’t noble at all – financial security. But I don’t want financial security so I can spend my later years in a locked room counting my money. And I don’t want it so I can surround myself with bling. I want just enough to lift the weight of anxiety that hangs like a cloak from my shoulders. I want enough to say ‘this is my life and I’m going to live it the way I please.’ So, financial security represents much more to me than just money.
And thank you for removing the guilt I have felt for not taking huge leaps and risks as I pursue my freelance career. I didn’t know I was prioritizing my safety, but that makes a lot of sense. The ‘softly softly catchee monkey’ approach has always worked well for me.
Cheers, Mel
Financial security is important on my list as well! It’s just silly not to value it (unless one has a massive trust fund, of course), especially now when the environment is so chaotic.
Financial anxiety really sucks, I’m sorry you’re going through that — sending you lots of good vibes for finding “the thing” that eases that up for you. Sometimes it takes time to hit on the model that really works for you.
I did it!
Safety was at the top of my list. Service is second. I enjoy helping others, but I also want to feel safe.
I provide a helping service 8 hours a day on my job, which I am very good at, but it often drains me. One of the reasons for the brain drain is, I have no control over the outcome of a request. When those requests take years to complete, I’m the one who catches the wrath from those asking for help. Folks tend to take out their anger on the first person they speak with, and that would be me. I have been threatened on my job and now have security. Which brings me to the safety part.
What I am trying to work on outside the 8-5 is still helping others, but totally different scenarios. That service is a place where grieving mothers can vent, scream, and feel safe doing all those things, while also helping one another create a creative new life within this new life. If that makes any sense at all.
I am so grateful I found your site!
Marian
I did it.
Trust is a very important value to me. I want people to trust me. I’d like to learn how to convey trust in my writing.
Thanks!
Thank you for this reminder. I know what it’s like to live in an unsafe neighborhood with children and pets. It’s been 11years since we moved and built a house in a safer place and I think I definitely forget this is indeed a privilege.
Looking forward to the next lessons.
I did it.
Thank you –
I did it. I don’t know the single word. I’ve been funny my whole life. I wrote a humour column for a few years and that was fun. But it was hard. Writing is hard. It seems like it comes easy but in truth, it’s hard work and I’m not a fast writer. I don’t want to start a blog and then lose interest and let people down. Or have it suck. Or have no one reads it.
Safety is true. I need to figure out how to feel safe – maybe that will motivate me to push thru.