On Freedom
What we’re craving isn’t an escape from our lives, it’s to be fully present and enough in our lives. What we are and have always been after–is freedom.
It’s freedom that we’re all after.
The freedom to exist as ourselves.
To wake up in the morning and follow our heart’s desires into the day.
Freedom to show up as ourselves. Masks off.
To be seen and received and loved as is.
Freedom to be messy.
To create and wander without judging eyes that make us question ourselves and the art in us.
We are all longing for freedom—to be.
Fully and wholly ourselves and that be enough.
Because then we are also free to love wildly ourselves.
To delight in life—to, like Langston Hughes said, “to dance, whirl until the whole day is done.”
And perhaps—just perhaps—the freedom we long for isn’t about the watchful eyes and expectations of others as much as it is us getting out of the seat of judgment with ourselves.
Perhaps it is in deciding to free ourselves from this heavy, long-carried weight we took upon ourselves to be the best—to and for everyone except ourselves.
Imagine—the free you.
The light you.
The you whose hands and heart are free, no longer carrying but now open to create, to play, to explore—to expand.
Open your hands.
Open your hands—freedom is there.
You hold it by letting go.
Clenched fists can’t create.
Stable, planted feet don’t dance.
And isn’t that why we’re here—to create?
To dance through life?
Painting and lighting the path with our presence—our being.
The freedom we seek is in our hands, in our hearts
beckoning us to open up,
to receive,
to delight in her lightness.
She is not meant to be held tightly or chased.
She is meant to move freely—flowing in and around us like a beautiful spring breeze.
Blowing across our face, through our hair—carrying whiffs of the flowers and the stench of all that exists and reminding us how lucky we are to be here and a part of it all.
We are a part of it all.
So be a part of it.
Be here.
Be the flowers and the stench.
Be the breeze and the storm.
Dance and lament.
Carry yourself and nothing else.
Paint the town—leaving colorful splashes in your wake.
Be the storm and the calm.
Be everything and nothing.
Be the source of power and the inevitable cause of pain.
Be all of it.
Because you are all of it.
The sun and the rain.
Sure and confused.
The beginning and the end.
You are all of it.
So be all of it.
Allow yourself to be all of it.
Without judgment.
Allow yourself to be.
Because that is the ultimate freedom:
you being all of you.
Whole.
One.
True.
Unfractured.
Congruent.
Whole you.
Nothing you could ever do could keep you from being all that you are—except you.
Your freedom is in your hands.
Open them.
Receive yourself.
Love + be you.
You are the key.
Closing Reflection — On Freedom
Before you move on, I want to invite you to pause for a moment.
If it feels okay, take a few slow breaths.
Now hold your hands out in front of you.
Notice how you’re holding them.
Are they open?
Clenched?
Turned downward?
Resting softly?
Without changing anything yet, simply notice.
Then, with your palms facing up, gently close your hands into fists.
Squeeze.
Hold.
Notice the effort it takes to keep them closed.
When you’re ready, slowly open your hands.
Notice the release.
The lightness.
The sensation of opening and receiving.
This is what freedom feels like in the body.
The freedom we seek isn’t found in holding on or gripping tightly.
It’s found in allowing ourselves to open.
And yes—there is vulnerability here.
There is uncertainty.
But freedom and aliveness require both.
To be open.
To be real.
To be exposed, unsure, curious, hopeful, powerful, afraid—and present to all of it.
Freedom is not something given to us from the outside.
It’s something we offer ourselves.
By opening our hands.
And allowing ourselves to be all that we already are.
I’m a trusted coach and partner to executives and entrepreneurs who’ve achieved extraordinary success and are now ready to live a more expansive life beyond it.
Through retreats, private coaching, and my signature program Beyond Success, I can help you live and lead with more margin, meaning, and joy.
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