He captured their hearts; grabbed their attentions; and piqued their imaginations.

Millions followed him.

Why?

Because Flaco broke free.

Flaco. The Owl. Who lived in the Central Park Zoo.

Until, a vandal cut a hole in the wire mesh of his enclosure.

And out Flaco flew.

There was a great outpour of consternation at first.

Flaco looked pretty scared and tentative.

He had a hard time with the whole flying thing.

Because after all, he’d lived in a tiny cage nearly all of his life.

He was fat, and out of shape.

And didn’t have any clue how to find food.

People worried that New York wouldn’t be kind to this wayward bird; that Flaco would get lost or hurt or die of starvation.

But within two weeks, Flaco got strong.

Floco has been out free for a year now.

He flies quite well; like an owl!

And appears quite confident; indeed, dare I say, happy.

Because Flaco is free.

And isn’t that what you want?

To break free of the drudgery, the grind, the mundane, the run-of-the-mill.

To get out from underneath the constant hustle, the debt, the hermetically sealed office, the deluge of social media, the non-stop onslaught of text messages, notifications, and alerts.

To become unencumbered of responsibilities; unfettered of the expectations of others.

Unchained.

Uncaged.

Free.

Finally free.

Is that a pipe dream?

A thing that only owls get to do?

I say not!

Oh sure, you’ve got responsibilities.

A job. A family. Groceries. A house or apartment. Bills to pay.

I get it.

I was a single dad who raised three boys on his own, for a dozen years, while managing a law firm and endeavoring to keep my shit together.

But you can take small steps toward freedom;

• Carving out oases of time for yourself;
• Keeping yourself healthy and well;
• Avoiding the siren call of more stuff;
• Eschewing credit card debt;
• Taking long weekends; and mini-vacations.

And, the most important of all: create work that gives you a great life.

Way too often, I see people try to cram life into the cracks and crevices of 60-hour work weeks. Which is to say, too many people live just to work. I say, build the work – craft it mindfully and intentionally – so that it is the vehicle for your amazing life.

I say: Be Flaco.