personal-freedom-2

Personal Freedom – 2

In the previous post, I began a discussion about Personal Freedom.  By being ourselves and choosing our goals and expressions, I wrote that we start to liberate our souls from the burdens of judgment and opinion that frequent our lives.  But there is another limitation of Personal Freedom, and that is fear.  When we learn to express who we are free, we feel so much better about what we’re becoming and how we interact in the world.  I have a friend in Toastmasters, a speaking and leadership organization, who indeed is so complimentary about who she is, how she speaks, how she feels about things.  It is refreshing and exhilarating to be around her because there is always something fresh and spontaneous about her.

She is unbounded by fear and isn’t concerned about what others think or feel about herself being herself.  I love that; it reminds me to find that for myself.  Fear of failure, fear of others’ opinions about trying to be better, or worry from our inner judgment may be one of the most difficult Personal Freedom limitations.  We deal daily with many fears, political, power, money, bosses, or fear that we may make a mistake or not do something perfectly. These fears limit our creativity and hinder our balance.  But to attain the ranks of people who genuinely love their lives and lead others in the world, we must address our fears one by one.

Many of us believe we need to conform with those around us.  It never felt suitable for me, and I often struggled with the “how to do this properly” attitude and procedure.  I was frustrated and confused about who I was and how to offer the real me to the world.  Those very fears also give us structure within which to live.  We complain about them if we recognize them at all, but in truth, if our fears disappeared, we would feel a vastness that would paralyze us.  We often give up our dreams to pursue something more comfortable and guaranteed.

A couple of years ago, I gave a five-minute speech about myself to an audience.  I found it difficult to even think about what to say.  I thought and thought about it and decided that I was a percussionist, a drummer, and that has been the central tendency in my life.  So I wrote the speech and titled it, “All I Ever Wanted to do Was Play Drums.”  After I wrote it, I thought, yes, that is true, that is it, but why didn’t I do that?  I can say that I still play today, that I’ve played with many music and musicians, but not that I make a living playing the drums.  In short, it was fear.  I listened to others say, “that is a tough life; you should do something safer.”  Or “You better have a backup because that may not work.”  It got me thinking and compromising my dreams and goals.

I tell this story to point out how fear is another part of Personal Freedom worthy of examination in your own life.  How does it limit your dreams?  Has it changed or compromised your thinking to the point that you’ve become something that isn’t what you planned?  Examine these more closely and begin to look at how to get back to your center, back to the absolute joy that is you.  Here is what I know,  When you disallow fear as a factor in your life, you begin to move into areas more in alignment with your destiny.

The third post in this series can be found by clicking here Personal Freedom – 3 – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Here is a list of Personal Freedom Quotes that are most enjoyable to read, Personal Freedom Quotes (19 quotes) (goodreads.com)

Yours for a better life,

Rich