A few years ago, I began an internal battle for freedom from the deepest parts of myself. There was an anxiety inside me that felt trapped. I wasn’t expressing myself the way I wanted to. I wasn’t doing the things I truly desired. As a result, I felt unfulfilled with the life I was living. It was definitely a mental battle.
Something was missing.
Although I often took the easy way out and distracted myself with temporary pleasures like going out for drinks, spending time with friends, taking myself shopping, I knew there was deeper work ahead that I needed to confront. No matter how hard I tried to make myself feel better with superficial distractions, it simply wasn’t enough.
My spirit still felt trapped.
One of the most important things I learned during this journey toward internal freedom was the art of detaching from the current state I found myself in. Many aspects of my life were clearly not serving me anymore. So I began to reflect on everything and organized my thoughts into three categories.
Political Ideology / Religion
I place these two together because, in recent times whether in America, Europe, or elsewhere, people often use politics or religion as a moral compass that separates them from others.
What do I mean by this?
Sometimes we operate with the mindset that if someone believes in a particular political ideology, they are good. If their beliefs do not align with ours, then they must be bad. Similarly, if someone practices a different religion than our own or they don’t care about that altogether, we may assume they are misguided, immoral, or someone we simply cannot connect with.
Someone might say, “I want to explore my spirituality through the work of a shaman but as a Christian, I cannot visit a shaman because my religion does not allow it. But I see there are a lot of people that get so much out of it.”
Do you see the problem here?
When we immediately reject ideas, experiences, or perspectives simply because they differ from what we accept as the only way to do it, we limit ourselves. Diversity of thought and spiritual exploration can often provide valuable insights. If we are willing to take the good ideas we encounter and apply them responsibly within ourselves, we expand rather than restrict our understanding.
To dismiss a person or idea solely because it differs from where you stand is to place a limitation upon yourself. You limit your ability to analyze different angles.
And if you are limiting yourself because of collective standards, are you truly in control?
Opinions of Others
Many of us spend a great deal of time worrying about what others think of us. That anxiety leads us to curate certain parts of ourselves in order to gain the approval of people who may not even like us or who may criticize us regardless.
At some point, we have to let all that go.
It is time to simply do the things you genuinely want to do without constantly apologizing for them. The opinions of others should not dictate what you choose to express or how you choose to live.
This kind of chase turns into an infinite rabbit hole with no ending. Have enough love and admiration for yourself that you almost relish taking bold actions and can easily block out the voices of those who most likely don’t do anything of importance in their own life.
The trust you have in yourself goes beyond the limited beliefs of others.
Your Current Life
Sometimes the life you are currently living is no longer serving you.
It could be the job you hold, the relationship you’re in, the city you live in, or the routines you repeat day after day. You may find yourself stuck in the same patterns: no progress, no fulfillment, no joy.
When that happens, it may be a signal that something needs to change.
Perhaps it is time to move to that new city.
Perhaps it is time to distance yourself from people who do not support the journey you want to pursue.
Perhaps it is time to start that business, return to school, or pursue something you have always felt called to explore.
Whatever it may be, allow yourself to be open to change. Because if your current life has a complete hold on you, are you truly moving freely through this world?
The Ongoing Journey
The journey toward inner freedom is never easy. It requires reflection, honesty, and the courage to challenge the structures that limit us.
But it is a process worth embracing.
It is up to us to discover how it is we choose to move in this world without anything inhibiting our flow. Because only when we begin to remove those limitations can we truly start living a fulfilled life.