The Ego Project
October 10, 2016
The Asanas of Yoga
November 3, 2016
It doesn’t make sense that words such as “requirement” would come into play when talking about freedom. At the same time, no one ever promised that freedom is free.
Some would say it’s impossible to reach personal freedom in this lifetime since we are always going to be locked away in bodies that eventually fail us, a mind that keeps us locked away from full awareness of the present moment, and of course the bounds of society that can feel like heavy chains at times as well.
I believe that personal freedom goes much deeper than that though. I believe it’s available to us despite the perceived limitations. I also believe it’s something that can only be achieved after specific requirements are met. Here are the top 8 I’ve found to be most crucial:
8 Requirements for Reaching Personal Freedom:
- Faith – and specifically, having faith in your own capabilities of meeting life’s challenges. Of course faith that there is something bigger than yourself is important as well. This could be your higher self conscious, your family, your community, Mother Nature, God/Goddess or the universe.
- Responsibility – no one grants your personal freedom to you. You must step up and accept full accountability for your life and for unlocking your own chains. If you don’t feel capable of this, then reach out to learn the skills and tools that can help you.
- Respect – that others have a right to their personal freedom even if it doesn’t look like yours. Drop judgments and learn to live and let live. It means, “If it harms none, do what you will” and thinking deeply about what ‘harming none’ means because that goes more deeply than what you might initially think. (For a super rough example, littering harms everyone…).
- Forgiveness of yourself and others because the emotional energy of guilt, shame, resentment, etc… are heavy chains to carry.
- Courage – to stand up for what you believe in and to live your values without apology. Stop fitting in, start standing out.
- Honesty – because if it’s not honest, it’s not real and if it’s not real, it’s not free. Please ask me if you need a more in depth explanation of this one.
- Boundaries against anything that would impinge on your right to feel safe and free, whether those boundaries are set against people, places or things (such as gossipers, haters, bullies, addictions, etc…).
- Permission and that means giving yourself permission to pursue personal freedom in the way you need to experience it.
Putting the 8 Requirements for Reaching Personal Freedom into Action:
Now that you know what these 8 requirements are, you can put them to work in your life in order to achieve personal freedom and to begin that, you must fully define your values. Your values might be the Golden Rule, or perhaps you have some other set of values. Whatever they are, those are your GPS system toward personal freedom. The requirements are the tools you need for the journey.
Remember to reach out to others for help if you need it. Also, reach out and help others as well because being alone on your path doesn’t mean you are the only one traveling.
