photo by Shaina Kasanoff
While on a walk with my best friend, he asked me a question that I've been reflecting on mindfully for the last 2 to 3 months. His question, “If you had a memoir about your life, what would the title be?
What came to mind within seconds was 'My Journey to Freedom'. The explanation as to why is because my number one value is Freedom and if I look back on what has been important to me throughout the stages of my life, the answer has always been to feel Freedom.
When I think about what freedom means to me, I immediately notice a sense of elation in my heart, body, and mind because the very thought of feeling free gives my life more purpose.
I'm not sure how many people in the world ponder freedom in the same way I do. What I believe is that we ALL ultimately long to feel freedom in one form or another.
We have our desire to feel Freedom from's:
Freedom from stress
Freedom from body pain
Freedom from wanting more
Freedom from our addictions
Freedom from comparing ourselves with others
Freedom from worry about what others think of us
Freedom from worrying about money
Freedom from our negative thoughts
Freedom from emotional pain
Freedom from our racing or irrational thoughts
Freedom from fear of failing
Freedom from feeling insecurities
Freedom from the voice in our head that tells us that we aren't good enough
And our desire to feel Freedom to's:
Freedom to speak up and say what we really think and feel
Freedom to do what we really want to do, when we want to do it
Freedom to make choices that align with our own truth
Freedom to leave a toxic relationship that brings us down rather than lift us up
Freedom to decide what medications we want to take to heal our illnesses
Freedom to choose love over fear
Freedom to choose acceptance over resistance
Freedom to say no
Freedom to say yes
Freedom to be who we really are
Freedom to think for ourselves
Freedom to believe what we want to believe about our self and about the world
Both of these lists could go on and on...Perhaps you could think of some of your own to add.
A similar question you could ask yourself that may help you to identify your number one value is 'what do you live for?'
I know that for me, I have decided to dedicate my life to helping people feel free from mental health symptoms that weigh them down and cause them to question if their life is worth living for.
Depression and Anxiety have become my specialties because these are two mental health disorders that I inherited from my ancestors. I feel a fierce determination to do something about changing the way that many people treat them, refer to them, and even think about them. Lifting the stigma of mental health is one of my reasons for living.
I envision a world where everyone feels freedom from the mental, physical, and emotional pain that these disorders cause people to experience.
We ALL deserve a life where we can honestly say we are free to feel, think, and do as our heart wishes to, as long as we are living in accordance with our highest self while respecting every human being in the same way we want to feel respected. I believe it is possible for everyone to feel this sense of freedom I am talking about as long as our core needs are being met.
Abraham Maslow proposed this theory in psychology in a 1943 paper called 'A Theory of Human Motivation' where he proposed that humans behavioral motivation is based on a pattern and he called it Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Each of these levels must be satisfied within an individual before the next level for motivation can occur. The levels are:
1. Psychological needs
2. Safety needs
3. Love and Social Belonging
4. Self esteem
5. Self-actualization
The goal in Maslow's theory was for humans to attain the fifth level being Self-actualization which for me basically equates to Freedom. I believe that when you spend the majority of your time focusing your heart, thoughts, and energy on your desires to feel the Freedom to's, the outcome will naturally be that you begin to live in service of what You truly value most, rather than focused on what your parents, your peers, or your partner thinks you 'should' value.
I feel very happy to finally open up my own practice after 5 years of holding onto a vision of what I wanted to do without the freedom to do so.
Root&Connect's purpose is to help guide people towards discovering a deeper relationship with Self through the daily practices of:
Being Present for Yourself, People, and all Living Things.
Living in accordance with Your Values.
Connecting with the Whole You Compassionately because Your Heart, Body, Mind, Spirit, and Emotions all need Nourishment from You, then from Others.
Mindfulness in Nature because this is what saved me from living in the darkness of Depression and Anxiety. My connection with trees was what initially drew me out of my own suffering. For this, I am eternally grateful to trees for their presence, their shade, and their beauty on planet Earth.
Self Love through Self-Care.
Freedom is my number one value because my purpose for living is to feel free to be me by thinking, feeling, and acting in accordance with what I believe to be true and important.
If you were given the Freedom to write your own story, what would you call it?