The Feeling of Freedom.

The Feeling of Freedom.

As long as I remember I’ve always loved the feeling of freedom.

Apparently it began for me at a very young age… but I don’t remember that part!

As a toddler, mum would rug me up, put on my socks and shoes and allow me my freedom out into the backyard to play. Every time, as soon as I had toddled out of sight, the story goes, I would sit myself down and struggle and pull at my laces, tug off the shoes and struggle out of my socks until my feet were bare – then and only then – would I happily go off to play!! It used to amuse mum no-end as she would watch from behind a curtain.

Later as I learnt to ride a bike, I was gone for lengthy bike-rides around our small town. I’d explore all kinds of roads and laneways, biking for miles and miles – with friends or alone, just so long as I was outdoors.

When I got my first horse, a beautiful free-lease mare by the name of Tiffany, the joy of riding would consume me and we would be gone from dawn to dusk. I’d pack drinks, sandwiches, apples and carrots for Tiffany and would adventure all day – we would go down to a few local river spots and she would even let me clamber on her in the water and dive off. There was never of thought of danger or fear in my mind, it was all pure adventure and excitement as we cantered grass verges and sandy river banks.

With ‘be back by 4pm’ ringing in my ears I would invariably turn up just before dark to the wrath of mum who would be beside herself until I reappeared again!!

Then life happened!! Family commitments, work commitments, financial commitments – all took their place in line behind ‘be responsible’, ‘get a good job’, ‘don’t rock the boat’. To my detriment I rebelled in ways that weren’t empowering or serving a greater purpose and the more I rebelled the more I trapped myself with my own limiting beliefs and excuses. I seemed to be fighting an unknown battle for control over my life but the battle was within and I hardly knew what I was fighting against!!

Over time and through being awakened to the idea of ‘personal development’ I started to gradually free myself from my limiting thoughts and identify what being truly free meant for me and what was most important to me in my life. I wanted ‘freedom’ but what did that look like?

I started to re-create my image of myself. That image included being self-employed. I wanted to be able to choose my work hours around my family commitments – not the other way around as work commitments had been ruling my life as I struggled to juggle my family around.

I wanted to earn more!! (Don’t we all!!) I didn’t like that I could only put in so many hours a week and earn a certain amount of money –  (that was designated by what someone else thought I was worth) and I began to learn about leverage.

I wanted to Work From Home. I wasn’t interested in setting up an away from home office, hiring & firing staff, stocking products and huge overheads. I wasn’t interested in commuting, battling traffic or having parking issues! I also wanted to be able to drop the kids off to school and go on their excursions when I wanted to.  I began to investigate Home-Based Businesses.

As my list of ‘don’t wants’ grew, my clarity about what I did want heightened and the little flicker inside became a roaring fire in my belly!!!

Freedom started to look like:

-          I work for myself

-          I have a home office

-          I work on the internet via my laptop so I can be portable if I choose

-          I control my income through my own efforts

-          I set and achieve my own goals that mean the most to me and my family.

-          I feel fulfilled every day knowing that I am the master of my own ship and I add value to the lives of others as I teach them to do the same.

-          I enjoy each and every stage of the journey as I grow and develop as a person.

-          I feel at peace, knowing that it is a journey and that I am at cause over how the journey unfolds.

I describe the feeling as that of being a bird that has been let out of it’s cage. I feel that I can soar in the possibilities of my own life and it’s creation. The joy, energy and genuine love of my own life empowers me in a way I have never experienced before and it rubs off on my family and dear friends. The friends who preferred the ‘stuck ‘version of me don’t seem to ‘come around here anymore’ and I attract like-minded people who are also on the journey of self-improvement and self-awareness.

FREEDOM: It’s that feeling of exhilaration, like breathing in crisp air – I remember it as the feeling I had riding my bike as a child, the care-free-wind-in-the-hair feeling, the feeling of having no time constraints like the wonderful summers horse-riding and swimming in our local rivers. It’s the feeling of the earth-beneath-bare-feet and NOT being satisfied until the shoes come off!!

What does your freedom look like?