If we want to taste freedom we need to become aware of our self-imposed limitations. This awareness allows us to take new decisions and bring about a new direction to our life.
Many of our limitations to freedom are often self-imposed although we may not be aware of them. When we feel restricted in our current situation we will often find that it is caused by an earlier decision which was promising. At that point in time, it made sense and worked well but today circumstances may have changed and it may be causing more harm than good. However, we may still continue to live with those choices because either we 'think' we should or we haven't given them enough thought!
We do not need to continue to live with decisions we made in the past. We always have a choice to change.
For example, a person might take up a highly paying job because he needs that kind of money. However later, even though this person has earned enough money and now the job has become a source of stress causing both physical and mental suffering, leaving the job might not be an option for this person because he doesn't think it is. This person will go on blaming the organisation and the boss, but will not quit when it might be a viable option.
Although it is not necessary that one needs to quit, one still needs to recognise what one has chosen, and either get to terms with it fully or consider options.
Quite often people do not reflect if their former choices are still serving them or not. Existential well-being counselling can help people to become aware of these self-imposed limitations. Once aware, they can take more responsibility for their life. Instead of blaming others for their misfortune they might identify options, take new decisions and give new directions to their lives.
Not all limitations are self-imposed. There clearly are limitations due to life situations and choices others make. But we all have more freedom than we think.
While there are definitely limitations due to time, space, gender, country, race, location, education, political situations etc as well as due to choices others make, there is still a lot of freedom we have. If we just focus on the number of things in the day where we have freedom to choose, we will surprise ourselves! When I started counting my freedom moments my list did not seem to get over! And definitely one freedom one always has every moment, is the choice of attitude. The most poignant example has been given by the famous Viennese Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl who survived holocaust and shared that even in the most inhumane of conditions at the concentration camp, he still had the freedom to choose his thoughts. If he could practice it there and survive, we can definitely practise it to thrive.
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