Freedom
I want to break free, I want to break free…
Maybe you find yourself humming along to this classic tune, too? But what does "freedom" really mean? It’s different for everyone.
For me, freedom is when I'm cycling—feeling the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair, and soaking in the beauty around me. Most of all, it's the freedom to choose where my legs will take me.
I feel truly free when I can live authentically, in alignment with who I am at my core.
But as I reflect on this, I realize that it wasn’t always this way.
On Monday, November 22, 2021, I made the conscious decision to follow my own path. I captured that moment in my then-brand-new journal, with a page titled "A New Beginning".
Freedom isn’t an external concept, though it’s often portrayed that way. If I land that job, if I make more money, if I find a stable relationship... then...
then what?
External success only provides temporary and superficial satisfaction. When things go wrong in our lives, we often search for the cause outside ourselves.
We rarely turn inward to explore our own role in the situation. It's easier to shift the blame, avoid the issue, or try to fix it on the surface.
This approach may bring short-term relief, but it doesn’t lead to real transformation. You might rearrange a few pieces of the puzzle, but without deeper work, nothing truly changes.
The key is to focus on inner freedom instead.
The freedom to make autonomous choices. True transformation and lasting change come from deep inner work and conscious decisions.
It takes courage to pause, slow down, and first acknowledge and accept where you are. After all, you can’t change anything if you don’t know where you’re starting from.
And so, there I was on that pivotal Monday, ready to make the boldest decision of my life—to leave behind the golden cage. Choosing myself! Choosing freedom. Free as a bird… And yes, it's a great tune to sing along to. 🙂
P.S. Apologies if this song is now stuck in your head for the rest of the day.