The Price of Freedom

Many years ago, I walked out of a marriage into the unknown. In my new life, I gave myself the freedom to learn who I really lost. You see, I had ‘lost’ me and not uncovered the real me. I was living my life keeping other people happy while I had become a peacemaker.

At the time I didn’t know I was doing this. However, eventually I realised I was unhappy…but I didn’t know why. When I understood my problem, I knew what I had to solve.

With millions of snippets of information from family, friends, television, radio and other sources influencing your thinking it’s a challenge to decide what you really want.

Marketers have discovered your personalities and vulnerabilities and targeted you with words, phrases and pictures to stir your senses…so you will buy their product or take on board their way of thinking. However, you need to decide what you want so you realise when you are influenced…its’ really what you want.

When you learn to respect yourself, you realise you have the freedom to uncover the wonderful gifts and talents within you. You make positive choices that are all aligned to what you enjoy in life. You find your passions and you include them in your life.

However, on the other side of freedom is you learning the ability to choose when you put your needs first or when you put others’ needs before your own. The way you do this is by understanding your values in life, so your decision making process creates a win/win situation between you and the other person or circumstance.

Freedom is letting go old desires that are not serving you and embracing new ways of thinking that make you feel happier.

Everyone is born with the freedom to become themselves…some do and some don’t.
Many people are held back by invisible boundaries that are running rampage in their minds.

If you think of someone like Oprah…who has had many challenges in her life….she has learnt through faith and trust to overcome them, as she creates her own freedom.

Falling prey to victim mode has you dependant on others to make decisions in your life. For example: If someone asks you what you want for your takeaway dinner and you reply “I don’t care”, then they buy a Chinese meal and you really wanted fish and chips, you are not living a life of freedom.

You were given an opportunity to state what you wanted for a meal, but you turned it down. The other party purchased what they wanted….because they thought you didn’t really care. However you did, because in your mind you thought I want fish and chips.

When you didn’t state that, you gave away your freedom. In your mind, you may have thought I don’t really care….or you may have thought ‘they mightn’t like me, if I say what I want’ or you may have had some other thoughts. Living a life of freedom is honouring and respecting yourself enough to say what you want for dinner…and realise that you are entitled to your opinion….you may decide to compromise and have an Italian meal.