Freedom is the ability to breathe, think, and contemplate the sense of openness that fills your heart. Freedom is safety in the soul, joy in the body. Freedom sometimes comes with a choice that we make, and at other times freedom makes that choice for us. Freedom is seen in the knowing eyes of the mom who leads her youngster up the stairs onto the school bus during the first weeks of school. Freedom is the young wife, who when realizing her hasty marriage was a mistake, takes the initiative to pack her bags and leave. Freedom is surrounding yourself with those who celebrate all that is special and unique about you and allows you to explore the world in confidence. Freedom is seeing the possible and daring to move towards it, fully feeling the fear and uncertainty.
Freedom is a sense of control over your life and the willingness to embrace the emerging emotions that appear. Freedom is living wholeheartedly, being present in each and every moment, without judgment and fear. Always, freedom comes with a voice. It comes with a voice of softness, gentleness, anger, forcefulness, and courage. Freedom means you are heard, not just for the words, but for the emotions behind them. Freedom means you are understood and accepted. Freedom is knowing that the validation of others is not necessary. Freedom is knowing that safety comes first from within. Freedom is the awareness that you are capable and resilient through all circumstances and that resilience is forged strong through life’s challenges and blessings.
Freedom always comes with a voice that rises above the limitations that others impose as well as from the limitations we impose on ourselves.
Freedom peaks out from the dark, smothering clouds from our past that veil our self-concept and dampen our voices and impair our path to freedom. We need to rise above the damage that was done long ago, rise above our own limitations, and rise above what others have said we could do or be and find a strong voice to grasp our own path to authenticity and freedom.
Freedom is voicing our likes and dislikes, setting boundaries, and the realization that you are the only one that can determine your destination. No one needs to give you permission to forge ahead and be the person you were born to be. Freedom is something that you never achieve alone however, because when you embrace loving kindness and gratitude it brings others in your paths to guide and support you on the journey.
Freedom often starts with the realization that we never heard our own voices, and instead listened to the voices of others. If we listen to others long enough, our voices shrink so small it can’t be heard at all.
Freedom comes with the price of hard work and honestly. Being courageous enough to look within to our capabilities and stop blaming others for our failures.
Freedom comes from choice and determination. Determination comes from decision. Freedom is the ability to choose from different choices and that decision affects our behavior. Our decisions are made by choice, whether we acknowledge them or not.
With freedom and the knowledge of choices, the world is full of possibilities that can never come true until we move toward that freedom, acknowledging our ability to walk away from anything that would silence us, discourage us, hold us back or push us down. It is listening and trusting the voice of compassion, competence and loving kindness that is hardwired in all of us.
