Picnics, pool parties, barbecues, and fireworks are the symbols of annual 4th of July celebrations for most people I know.
Yet, how many of us really stop to think about what we are celebrating?
A fierce desire for freedom, independence and self-determination drove our Founding Fathers here in the US to risk losing everything. As I considered what to write today to honor those beliefs and their bravery, I remembered that I’ve written on this topic before.
For me, the dialogue about freedom is timeless.
So, I dusted off this 2-year-old blog post, clipped out the memorable pieces…and here it is again:
July 4th is the celebration of our nation’s Independence Day. On that day, our Founding Father’s declared they were fighting for Freedom.
Thomas Jefferson said in the “Declaration of The Rights of Man and The Citizen”:
“Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights.”
And in the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Father’s proclaimed:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
And we live the lives we choose because we’ve been blessed by their selfless gift.
As I relaxed for a few minutes that weekend, enjoying my morning journaling ritual, this first list of freedoms came to mind:
Freedom from emotional pain
Freedom from fear
Freedom from doubt
Freedom from worry
Freedom from stress
Freedom from guilt
The influence of my personal development practice and Louise L. Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life (Gift Edition)
Funny, these aren’t what most would define as the 4th of July freedoms we are celebrating. The traditional, governmental, historic freedoms we celebrate look more like:
Freedom from oppression
Freedom from war
Freedom from bondage
Freedom from slavery
Freedom from tyranny
Not these:
Freedom from lack of sleep
Freedom from anxiety
Freedom from depression
Freedom from addiction
This fun website I found, called, www.ibeatyou.com, held a contest asking participants to define freedom in 6 words or less.
And the winner was:
Power to think for yourself
Followed closely by:
Having the choice to make decisions
And:
The absence of external obligations
Doing whatever you want to do
Being able to walk around naked!
So I wondered, what would my life look like if I could free myself of all the things I don’t want in it anymore, and attract more of what I do want?
More importantly, how do I free myself?
And that answer is simple, the ibeatyou.com winning definition of freedom:
By using the power to think for myself and choosing to make decisions, my life will look exactly as I create it to be.
Louise L Hay writes: “Every thought we think is creating our future. Each one of us creates our experiences with our thoughts and our feelings. The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.”
And Will Smith tells us: “We are who we choose to be!”
Freedom gives me the power to think for myself. My thoughts create my reality.
I can choose my reality to be the things I want in my life, not the ones I don’t want, simply by thinking differently.
Now that’s something to celebrate!
Are you with me? So, I’ll ask you, what are you choosing to make your reality? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
In the spirit of wisdom, wellness, and prosperity–
I wish you a Happy 4th of July!