Choosing Mental Freedom

The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

How would you define mental freedom? What does it feel like? What would it take to live your life with mental freedom as your foundation? Do you know what it takes to achieve such self-mastery? If you have not defined what mental freedom means to you, how it feels, what it's like to have it as your foundation - if you don't have full self-mastery, you are living a slave's existence.

You can change.

When we are children, we depend solely on the input from our parents, siblings, family, friends, teachers, etc. to guide and protect us. During these formative years, we sometimes form ideas that only serve us then. But some of us carry these formative year ideas into our adulthood, and then become upset because they no longer work.

One of the things about which we are frequently unaware is the power of our thinking. During childhood, we entertain thoughts of fear, of distrust, of resentment - and, this kind of thinking melts into the background of our lives. We add big goals to the mix and needless to stay, regardless of how sublime our goals are, they don't mix with the old habits of fear, etc. They only set up a big conflict. It's a bit like thinking the love of money is the root of evil and still desiring to become fabulously wealthy, eh? It's a massive conflict. You would have to consciously numb out your mind to achieve success with that negativity in your foundation.

The majority of parents have not been told about this kind of interference, so most children aren't mentally aware of the dichotomy inside themselves. It takes self-discovery to, shall we say, wake up and smell the roses? When you find that right book, work through that right therapy, listen to that right person share their ideas, you tend to smack yourself upside your head and say "Now why didn't I figure this out earlier?" That's fruitless. You learn it when you learn it! Be grateful when you learn it. That gratitude will help you take the next steps.

Your limitations and your successes are only controlled by you.

No one can give you mental freedom except yourself. Oh, there are claims out there, but unless it's you doing the work, nothing's going to happen. If you have hope, courage and determination; if you persevere in your dreams and honor your own wishes, wants, and desires, you are fostering mental freedom. And, if you are experiencing depression, anger, anxiety, worry, that's because of only you, too. Once you understand this, you will auto-magically know that mental freedom is not about how you look, where you live, what you know, who your family is. Mental freedom is only about you making choices for yourself regardless of what your right now condition happens to be. You can decide to exercise your creativity, inspiration and determination now or you can decide not to.

If you'd like to experience more mental freedom, try answering these questions.

Am I opening myself up to new experiences?
Do I appreciate my right now moments?
Do I allow my own sense of limitation hold me back?
Have I been making excuses for a life that is less-than?
Am I prepared to meet defeat in order to enjoy success?

Your answers will tell you want you need to do and once you do it with brutal honesty, mental freedom is yours.