Professional Freedom

Do you have a sense of freedom about your professional life? I’m talking about freedom beyond the need to work to provide shelter, food, and comfort for yourself and your family. I am speaking about opportunities to exercise freedom from anxiety, worry, guilt, impatience, whatever it is that pulls your attention from the present moment.

Freedom is not only a mindset of those who seek life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is also a birthright afforded those who live beneath the umbrella of a democratic society.

I also believe that freedom is our birthright as humans, to strive to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

That kind of freedom may feel elusive to us in our work-a-day world. So many times we may feel there is never enough time, money, energy, people, support, whatever, to do what we really want to do. To be who we really want to become. We may be constantly finding ourselves very impatient with folks or maybe with our own self and/or with our personal progress. It is important when we are feeling like this to know it really is a myth to think that we only have a limited amount of time to do what we want to do. What I’ve come to understand is, it is never about time or money. That the truth is that time and money are just excuses.

As for time, here’s something to consider. The past is only in our mind and the future is only in our mind. Neither exists in the here and the now. That means that worrying about the robust nature of our jobs or our company in the future and the ‘if only’s’ or ‘what ifs’ of our past are futile mind games. The only time is now. All else is in our mind.

Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t plan, however, knowing this truth is true freedom. Why? Because realizing this secret establishes freedom in our lives. It gives us an understanding that we have the power to make choices within the present moment.

Now, I am not suggesting by any means that we just flip the switch and, boom, we are free. That would, indeed, be wonderful! However, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, there really is work to be done. We can attend every personal and professional growth seminar in the world and be truly inspired. The trick is to take the momentum and message of that inspiration and incorporate it into our daily life right away.

Creating a new habit of positive change a little at a time is the key to professional freedom from the inside out.

For example, you can decide to take breaks from your daily routine. Perhaps it is common for you to not get up from your desk except for the necessaries because you are so busy you feel there is no time. Today you can decide to take a break no matter what. You set the timer on your phone at the time you want to take the break. The timer goes off. You get up from your chair and set your timer for five minutes. It doesn’t matter what you do for that five minutes as long as it is not sitting at your desk, working. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen every single day, just keep at it. This shift may seem insignificant, but in the big picture, you have just exercised your freedom. Now see if you can make that five minutes every day for a week. Then you have truly made steps in declaring your independence!

So, a simple exercise, like the one above, is a part of the work of personal and professional growth that expands our humanness.

How do we relinquish impatience, anxiety, guilt, worry, whatever it is for us? Here’s how … by telling ourselves that everything is happening just the way that it is supposed to happen. That everything, all of life, is moving at the perfect pace. That we are really and truly in the right place at the right time, even if it is not the most wonderful thing happening to us at the moment. That all is well and is unfolding perfectly. Know this at the heart level. Really, really know … not through the mind, but through your heart,

Even though there may be stresses beyond the imagination, the point is that freeing yourself to know that all of it is in harmony with the universe is truly liberating. And if something is happening that does not feel good, remind yourself that “this too shall pass.” And always, always, always bring yourself back to the present moment. With this peace, with this awareness, with this understanding, you are able to relax more and more into the freedom of being who you truly are and to savor all of life’s preciousness!

It is really only you who can decide what that freedom means to you and how it can impact and change you. But remember, we all have to do the work. We are truly not alone in that. I do it every day, all day! It takes practice to move yourself to a new level personally and professionally. No one else can do that for you. And if you can stay away from judging any of it as either good or bad, you will find you are taking back more and more control of your life. You certainly can and are able to decide how to free yourself from whatever you feel is holding you back.

So remember, by changing yourself, by changing how you react, how you evaluate, how you discern what is happening around you or how you exercise the freedom to be a more authentic, more true you, you have the opportunity of showing others how you can help and support them in stepping into their opportunity to be free. Carry the message, live it, be it, feel it, and expand it!