Independence Day...always.

Another Independence Day has come and gone. And with it, the booms and bangs and sparklers and colorful lights filling the sky have ended. There is a sort of silence, a calmness permeating the air. Even the trees have stilled and the heat of July causes everything to move so slow..

I sat in the stillness as the city quieted after this festive holiday and reflected on freedom and independence, and what those two words really mean to me. Websters defines independence as "freedom from the control, influence, support, or the like, of others." And freedom: "the state of being free or at liberty..", "exemption from external control..", and my personal favorite, "the power to determine action without restraint."

Well, of course,  I can determine my own actions without restraint. I don't let anyone else tell me what to do. How simplistic this definition appears at first. And then, as I sat, I realized how often I have acted, or NOT, based on the restraints I created for myself. For I believe that ALL restraints on our actions, or inactions, are self imposed. We can blame, accuse, point fingers and rant all we want about the so called restraints we think are imposed on us by others. But the truth of the matter is, those are not the restraints that hinder our personal freedom. 

The restraints that keep us small are within, our self imposed beliefs about who we are and what we can(or cant) do. When I think about a restraint that I have felt on my way to achieving my goals and dreams, and if Im honest with myself, that restraint was put there by only one person:ME! What's holding me  back? Its not something that has been put here by some law, or some other party outside of myself. No, the common denominator in all of my actions, or inactions, is me. Its not time, or money, or my neighbor, or my job, or a law, or who's the President, or whether its too hot today, or whether I got enough sleep last night.  Its just simply ME, and what lies within. 

Only I can really know whether I am experiencing true independence, true freedom. When I let go of the restraints, release the excuses and take responsibility for my own dreams, I am truly free. All of the choices are mine. Its a beautiful life in an extraordinary world..and I am free to choose in every single moment that I will walk on this planet without restraint. 

Here's to freedom and living big! Happy Independence Day..every day!