I’m a “free spirit wanna-be”. It was my extreme misfortune to be born too late and so I missed out on the Age of Aquarius, the 60s, when the “real” free spirits lived. The time when everyone was running around in fields of wildflowers, releasing all of their worries, their obligations, their jobs, their families and living a life of reckless abandon….at least that’s how I imagine it was…In some perverted way, I imagine life was perfect for them even though I’ve just admitted that my imagination has them leaving their jobs, their families, and obligations behind. Just WHAT IS THAT? Why is it that in order to be a free spirit, you have to leave EVERYTHING behind?
I think it’s because of the idea that our obligations, our jobs and sometimes even our families tie us down and therefore, are not very freeing…But that mindset is exactly what keeps us in our predicament of not being able to truly live the life of a free spirit…because we think we need to give up our freedom to be responsible adults.
Well, my friend, I’m going propose a new way to look at living life as a free spirit. It’s a Free Spirit Mandate for the new millennium. I’m going to suggest that you can be both a free spirit and be a responsible, accountable, “hard-working”, and, yes, even a family-loving adult. These two premises are NOT mutually exclusive. In fact, they go hand in hand. You aren’t truly a free spirit if you ignore all of those around you.
A free spirit knows that life on this planet is blessed because of the ability to work in harmony, cooperation, love and compassion with all other beings on this planet. And in order to live life that way, one has to accept responsibility for one’s actions and be aware of how one affects others. It doesn’t mean that you are always pleasing others because that is impossible and it’s not your job. But compassion is your job. And compassion is about showing consideration and kindness for others.
Once I discovered that being a free spirit wasn’t about letting go of everything and everyone, I let go of the impossible standards that I had set for myself and stopped feeling sorry for my “unfortunate” situation of missing out on the 60s and I began really living the life of a free spirit. And in that process, I discovered 4 very important tips to create the mindset that will set your spirit free:
- NEVER, never, never compromise on your freedom – You have a right to live the life that is your birthright and no one can take that away from you. If you are living the life of your dreams, you will inspire others to do the same. What more is there to life than to inspire your children, partner, parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, coworkers, bosses, and fans? The naysayers, doubters, and haters will fade to the background when you allow yourself to bask in the joy of a life fully lived.
- Wake up laughing – always keep the fun, laughter and joy in your life. You won’t be able to let the pain, struggle and sacrifice take over when you can’t help but laugh at your predicament. It may not always show up right in the moment, but as soon as you can, find the humor, the lightheartedness and most importantly, the giggles, in the situation. Others will be more than happy to join you!
- Change your life – literally! It’s that simple – if change is the only constant in the universe then it’s time to embrace change, love change, live change and remember…your life won’t change until you change your life. Set an example for those around you. Begin to make the changes that will make you happy and you will find that happiness infectious. Others will just have to follow your lead.
- Celebrate every step like it’s your first! And when you fall down, smile, get back up and try again. Just like when a baby learns to walk – you don’t beat the baby when it falls…you help him or her up, smile, and encourage them to try again. Keep smiling and encouraging yourself when you fall, get back up and try again.
Follow these tips and you will never look back again…at least that’s what happened for me…Make it your mandate and you will be pleasantly surprised at how freeing it can be!