HONOR YOURSELF WITH .........FREEDOM

The principle we are working with today is FREEDOM.  It is a state of being without restraint, bondage, limitation, repression.  A SENSE OF INNER AND OUTER WELL-BEING.

How many of us have said," Boy! I wish I had a million dollars." I have, often, I thought that would be my ticket to freedom.  It isn't really about the money, but the desire for freedom we think money can bring.

"If you are not totally free, ask yourself why?"
Why?
Because we paint ourselves into boxes that determine what we will allow ourselves to do based on our race, gender, age, and the external expectations that we believe those boxes impart.
For the most part, we can go where we want, do what we want, eat, drink, and dress in any way we choose to.
But, do we choose for ourselves that which we truly desire?
Under most of the normal conditions and pressures of life, we do not.
We allow labels and expectations to keep us in boxes, then we cry out for freedom.
The entire purpose on earth is for us to be free, exercise free will, and choose the parameters of our freedom.
What do we do?
We spend most of our lives doing things and acquiring things that, in many cases, keep us in mental, physical and emotional bondage.

FREEDOM IS A STATE OF MIND.  IT IS THE OUTGROWTH OF OUR WILLINGNESS TO MAKE CONSCIOUS CHOICES OF OUR OWN FREE WILL AND TO LIVE THROUGH THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR CHOICES WITHOUT BLAME, SHAME OR GUILT.
FREEDOM IS A SIGN OF SELF-AWARENESS.

When you are aware of what it takes to maintain your mental, emotional, and physical well-being and you make conscious choices toward that goal, you are exercising your freedom.

Freedom requires consistent and repeated acts of courage.  You must be courageous to admit that all things are possible, and that you are equipped to handle them all.  When you are willing to demonstrate this degree of COURAGE  and take a RISK knowing that, whatever happens, you will land in the exact place where you should be, you are totally and unequivocally free.

I can hear your mind racing out there, about all the things that keep you from being free, your children, money, and the lack thereof, laws, rules, responsibilities to others, debt, family demands, taxes, etc etc etc.  Yes, these are realities with which we live each and every day.  They affect us in many ways.
THEY DO NOT HOWEVER IN ANY WAY INFRINGE UPON OUR FREEDOM.
FREEDOM IS A STATE OF MIND.

What you believe, how you feel, what you do, how you respond to any given circumstance at any given time is the only impediment to freedom.
YOU ARE ALWAYS FREE TO CHOOSE HOW YOU WILL RESPOND, WHAT YOU WILL DO AND NOT DO.
You are always free to try something new, to take a risk, to challenge the status quo, and to change your mind.
THAT IS WHAT FREEDOM IS ALL ABOUT.
It is not about your bank account or level of education.  Those things may help you experience a greater freedom of movement and accomplishment.  They do not, however, determine whether you are free or not.

There will always be racial and gender discrimination, poverty, disease, and famine.  There will always be crime, social class and social grace bestowed as a result of wealth, heredity and political clout.
None of this in any way can deny your  divine birthright of freedom.

THE QUESTION IS.......
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT?
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO DO?
ARE YOU COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO LIVE THE TRUTH OF YOUR DESIRES WITHOUT FEAR?

This is what will determine your freedom.  Once you decide what you want and whether you are willing to do what it takes to get it, you are free to follow your dreams.  Most importantly, once you are clear about the experience you want to have, you are free to make the choice that will result in your having that experience.

THE THINGS WE THINK WILL GIVE US FREEDOM WILL ACTUALLY KEEP US IN BONDAGE.
( you know the kind of things we want, to live in a nice big house, in a nice ritzy neighborhood....living in a nice big house means you have to clean it!!! How can you be free if you have a big house to clean?
Or, you want nice expensive things, but there is a deep-seated desire to protect them from harm and this means, gates, bars, alarm systems.  Thats not freedom its more like living in jail!!)

I have discovered that many of the things I thought I wanted as a demonstration of freedom, I actually wanted for a completely different reason.  I wanted things I thought would make me feel better about myself!
WE NEED TO TAKE OFF OUR PEOPLE-PLEASING CAPE.
I think we will find true freedom when we develop the courage and the presence of mind to say NO WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY!

Freedom from fear, guilt, false responsibilities, and the need to be legitimized by others opens your mind to new choices, new opportunities, and amazing possibilities.
When we stop comparing ourselves to others, competing with others, when we are able to honestly want the best for everyone, when we become willing to make choices and accept full responsibility for their consequences, every chain that holds us in a place of mediocrity and unfulfillment will fall away.

LET ME REMEMBER TODAY:

FREEDOM is my divine birthright.
FREEDOM is a state of mind.
I am always FREE to choose.
My FREE will is the foundation of my FREEDOM.
I am FREE to ask for what I want.
FREEDOM  is an experience that money cannot buy.


Today, I realized that my understanding of FREEDOM is..................................................................

The experience of FREEDOM I seek is................................................................................................

The way in which I have hindered my own FREEDOM is.................................................................

Thanks for visiting with me today, and I trust that you will find your true FREEDOM.
Love Melanie