CREATING INNER FREEDOM IN YOUR LIFE

Here is one of my favorite passages in “Better Than You Think: Developing Awareness for a More Fulfilling Life” by Robert Commodari.

 

What is inner freedom and what does it feel like? It’s a feeling of knowing things are going to be okay no matter what happens in your life. It’s a place of calm in your heart, a place of peace and contentment. When you are aware of these moments, and you no longer have moments of anxiety no matter the circumstances in your life, you can experience inner freedom.

What would it be like to live a life of freedom? Freedom to be not only what you want to be, but who you are supposed to be. Bigger yet is the awareness that this possibility exists. That is one of the toughest goals to which anyone can strive. If you could be free of all the junk that clutters your mind, imagine the life you would live.

People tend to believe inner freedom is this place of bliss and glee that looks beautiful and easy, and although it can be that, it’s a grind to get there. You don’t just wake up one morning and say, I have inner freedom now! It takes hard work. And it starts with surrendering.

You might think I’m crazy right now, but think about it. In general, when people think about the word “surrender,” they think about throwing up the proverbial white flag. They think it’s giving up or giving in. Most of us think of it as surrendering from something. You have to think counterintuitively. By surrendering, you aren’t giving up, you are going with the flow. You are not fighting the current. And when we go with the flow things seems to come with a little more ease. However, it takes discipline to get there.

I think of setting and accomplishing goals. You can’t set a goal and haphazardly get there. You have to have discipline to do what’s required to get there. The word discipline sounds restrictive and on the surface maybe it is. But when you have discipline and you achieve the goals you set out to achieve, you will feel a sense of freedom. I talked earlier in the book about losing weight and when people would ask me how I did, I would tell them I was on the discipline diet. It takes discipline to be good at something or to achieve something.

When thinking of finances, the word budget comes to mind. People see a budget as restrictive also, but if you have the discipline to stick to a budget (if you restrict yourself now) you will have financial freedom later. It’s counterintuitive. People budget their money and their time more than anything else, and they do this to gain a sense of freedom. 

So I take you back to surrender. It takes discipline to stay on the road of surrender long enough to find that sense of inner freedom we’re all after. And when you’re on that road, you don’t feel like you have any control, but you do. You live life with an open hand and an open heart. You’re not holding on to things tightly and this, again, gives you a sense of freedom.

You can develop the skill of surrendering over time by practicing, and the life you lead right now is already the perfect practicing ground. Things come at us all day long. We have fires to put out and issues to resolve all the while trying to make a living, raise a family, and pay the bills. Surrendering to this reality is a way to create inner freedom in your life.

When a situation comes at you, see it for what it is and practice surrendering—in other words, just go with it. As you become more aware in general, you can discipline yourself to be especially aware of the moments that you could surrender to. You might not want to surrender, but after contemplating the situation and the outcomes (surrendering versus fighting it), surrendering is usually the better option. Begin today to learn the art of surrendering and soon you will experience inner freedom at a deeper level.

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