The current consumer activation Claim Freedom run by adidas Outdoor is led by athletes from different kinds of sports. They encourage everybody who aspires to be more than just a regularsportswoman or -man to submit a dream project happening in the outdoors pursuing freedom in sports. Selected by a jury, seven projects will be realised and one of the participants will even stand the chance to become a sponsored adidas Outdoor athlete. And, by becoming an athlete, to concentrate even more on following his/her individual passion for sports, enjoying the outdoors to the fullest and ultimately claiming her/his freedom.
Having the possibility to conduct interviews with those athletes and to encounter what freedom means to them gets me thinking about my personal definition of freedom.
There are different aspects that instantly arise: Where and how intensely do I take thoroughly free choices and/or actions? What measures have to be taken in order to bring the feeling of freedom to life, my life? What is the feeling of freedom? Questions that can only be answered individually based on personal perceptions, knowledge and interests.
Sport makes you reach freedom
Going more into detail: In which way is freedom connected to the sport aspect in my life? Reflecting the perspectives of the Claim Freedom athletes and how they evaluate freedom, I can connect to their mindset. It’s the strong inner drive to reach a “greater feeling” by “being in a remote region with only your sport to do and no boundaries in sight”. This is what keeps me moving. This is what I’m striving for. This pushes me to carry my snowboard up that steep mountain, just to ride that deep and untouched powder.
It’s the search for the moment where no time, no space, no deviating surroundings are present, be it on the pitch, in the gym or on the mountain, in order to reach my personal goal – whatever it is that day – “that’s happiness, that’s freedom”.
Transfer the “greater feeling “ to your work life
Of course, those athletes found a way to turn their passion into a job – with freedom being their biggest motivation. Not following an athletic career but working in an environment full of sports, I find it impressive to see that their perspectives can be transferred to my professional work and development. There are several learnings I can apply in my job from what they reveal:
One of them is to relentlessly follow my work task (athlete: passion) with the determined effort I put in, experience and accept failure if it occurs, and extend my knowledge and limits.
Day by day. It’s the same level of determination the athletes display when they practise their beloved sport. Another one is about imagination which is “at the core of innovation and breakthrough – not just in sports – but technology, science, and all sorts of fields”. In order to keep up and even amplify my imagination that I am using at work, I have to practise and try hard like athletes train their muscles. Only this will lead me to claim free choices, be creative in every sense, enabling me to grow for the future.
What is freedom for you in a work environment?
More information around Claim Freedom and the athletes’ perspectives on freedom can be found here.
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