Freedom. For some, it means not being incarcerated. For some it means not being enslaved. For others, it means:
- getting divorced
- quitting a job
- graduating from high school or college
- leaving home
- paying off debts
But once you’ve done those things, do you really experience more freedom–and for how long? Can you be free while incarcerated? Much of this depends upon what goes on in your mind.
I find that the freedom I lack often is imagined rather than real. I’m constricted by many things I consider real but that truly are figments of my imagination.
For instance, my self-image keeps me constrained. I may think I’m not good enough to speak at a particular conference or to write for a certain magazine. Thus, I don’t bother applying or querying.
I may think I shouldn’t do something because my spouse won’t like it if I do. In reality, he couldn’t care less. Or maybe he cares, but not that much. So, I could do what I want, but the story in my mind keeps me from doing so.
Recently, I even read something about how our concept of time keeps us constrained by a sense of not having enough of it. In fact, if we decide that we create our own sense of time from within (and stop complaining about never having enough time), we find we have more of it. In other words, our concept of time isn’t real. We create a sense of not having enough of it. If we change that view, we have more time–we create more time.
I also find that my inertia keeps me from feeling free. Or call it my “stuckness.” For instance, I’ve wanted to start exercising again, and the fact that I haven’t exercised in a long time and that I’m out of shape–and that I know how hard it is to get back in shape (and it’s easier just not to start)–keeps me from starting an exercise program. I stay stuck. I can’t get myself moving. It’s like a bad habit I can’t break or a new habit I can’t form. This makes me feel as if I’m not free–I’m locked up by my inability to create change in my life, but that inability comes from a mindset not from anything else. (I wrote about it in this post.) I actually have the freedom to create the change. I just have to exercise the freedom (excuse the pun) by changing my mindset and taking action.
In most cases, we have more freedom than we think. Literally.
And, it’s important to consider what freedom means to you and how you exercise that freedom. Today, I can choose to write blog posts about freedom (It’s Independence Day here in American and a holiday.), or I can read or go to the beach or hang out with friends. I have the freedom to choose. If I allow myself to feel like I must write the posts or pay the bills or work, I lose my freedom. But I’m at choice. The bills might be late and I might pay late fees if I don’t pay them, but I can choose. I have the freedom.
What does freedom mean to you? How do you exercise your freedom–and do you?
Pay attention to the times when you feel a lack of freedom in your life. When you do, ask yourself if that lack of freedom is real or imagined. I bet that 50% of the time, if not more, it’s imagined. Let me know what you discover by leaving me a comment.
