Do you know how to develop personal freedom? Freedom in your life to live the life you want?
You might be surprised to learn that the biggest obstacle to your personal freedom is right between your ears. A negative mindset is the biggest block to freedom.
There are so many parts of your life you cannot control, from the need to earn a living to finding true love. But you can control your mindset, your thoughts, and how you act in the world. So how can you overcome your psychological blocks and open your mind to achieve greater freedom?
To Develop Personal Freedom, Start In Your Mind
- Change the record
Everyone has a constant inner monologue; what psychologists call self-talk. And most of the time, yours is probably set to negative. Any messages you get in childhood about being bad, hopeless or selfish or stupid all get absorbed in your malleable child’s brain and resurface in adulthood as your Inner Critic.
The good news is that you can reprogram your Inner Critic and turn it into an Inner Coach.
Make a list of all the negative things your Inner Critic says. Be alert for phrases that start ‘you always or ‘you never.’ Watch out for ‘shoulds’ too. Then take each negative message and turn into a positive one.
To truly develop personal freedom, change your self-talk broken record to a new track full of encouragement and positivity.
- Change your expectations
Studies have shown that the most significant contributors to success or failure are your expectations. Happy people expect things to go well and mistakes or problems do not crush them, they see them only as temporary setbacks. Conversely, if the expectation is to fail any issue will confirm the expectations, and you won’t try again.
Expecting things to work out is not wishful thinking; it is choosing to be positive no matter what the circumstances.
- Change your focus
Modern society trains us to be dissatisfied with what we have now and constantly strive for bigger, better and shiner. You can choose to step outside of this and be grateful for what you have right now.
Developing a habit of gratitude frees you from this pressure and affects the structure of your brain. Studies show that the more you feel grateful, the more resilient you become in the face of life’s ups and downs. You feel happier with what you have and more open to receiving. Even better, you rewire the neural pathways in your brain so that your mindset defaults to positivity. You start to see the good things before you notice the bad. Over time, you perceive life as positive, and your expectations change. You free yourself from the burden of negativity!
How to Be More Grateful for What Freedom You Already Have
There‘s so much emphasis on getting ahead, being successful and striving for change that it can be hard to remember that you already have so much for which to be grateful. Even worse, the constant pushing to change your circumstances can lead to dissatisfaction, and keep you trapped in a cycle of always feeling you’re not good enough.
Free yourself from the shackles of ‘must try harder’ by remembering to stop and appreciate what you’ve already achieved, what blessings you already have in your life. Keep in mind that you are free to be content right now. Here are some tips to help free you from the cycle of discontent.
- Change your focus
Research has shown that the more you cultivate a habit of gratitude, the better able you are to weather the ups and downs of life. As you perceive life to be positive, you will come to expect more of the same. You can retrain your brain from negative self-talk to greater thankfulness, gratitude, and happiness.
By practicing gratitude, you rewire the neural pathways in your brain so that it becomes your mindset’s default setting. You learn to look for the good in things instead of focusing on the bad.
- Step away from more stuff
If you’re like most people, you have more than enough possessions. The current mantra is that spending brings happiness, but deep down you probably know that it doesn’t. Sure, buying yourself a new car or outfit makes you feel good at the time, but that spenders high wears off pretty quickly.
Break the habit of buying the next shiny thing and appreciate what you’ve got right now.
- Develop a mindfulness practice
Mindfulness and meditation can help you focus on the good that’s already in your life. By focusing on the present, you free yourself from that familiar yoyo-ing of brooding over past disappointments and future anxieties.
You can easily integrate mindfulness into your day. Whatever you’re doing, pause and focus on your breath. Ask yourself: what are five things I’m grateful for in my life right now? Your five items can be anything from having a roof over your head to having a job, your partner or your health. Or you can be grateful for a comfortable chair or clean sheets! Chose anything that makes you feel good at that very moment.
Choosing gratitude and contentment doesn’t mean being stagnant or giving up. It means stepping aside from judgment and freeing yourself from the bonds of negativity.
Tips to Develop Personal Freedom Today
Have you ever woken up and wondered how you ended up in this life of yours? Maybe you feel trapped by obligations, debt, or other people’s expectations. Here are five tips for reclaiming your personal freedom today.
- Stop beating yourself up – Feeling dissatisfied is hard-wired. If humans were content with the status quo, the species would have died out long ago. It’s in our genes to keep adapting and developing personal freedom.
- Stop comparing your life with others – Everyone shows the best possible version of themselves to the world. No one takes pics of their bad hair days or overdrawn bank account.
- Appreciate what you have – Discontent feeds on wanting something different. Look around right now and count five things you’re grateful for.
- Be a more conscious spender – It’s easy to fritter away money on things that don’t help you meet your goals. Before you buy anything, take a moment to consider why. Do you need it? Will it improve your life? Are you spending to meet an emotional need?
- Live your best life – Do you find yourself envying other people, or wishing things were different? Take action! If you want to live a more authentic life, go ahead and do it.