Freedom… what does it mean to you?

Freedom…. How can you define a sense of freedom, and how important it is to you?

Freedom is enjoying a sense of fun in your life…. being able to state your boundaries and having the understanding that if others do not like them, then that is their issue, not yours.  Freedom is enjoying life’s little pleasures without a sense of guilt, having a balance in everything, and in stating your preferences without fear of reprisal …

Freedom is learning not to worry about what others think… when you truly master this concept, the release is phenomenal…. it releases you into being yourself, instead of being what everyone else wants you to be (sigh of relief!)

Freedom is about being your authentic self… in acknowledging life’s ups and downs, in going with the flow and in doing and being the very best you can in every situation.  Freedom to feel a little low if that’s the way you feel on any given day without putting yourself down, and freedom to always know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that things will get better again…

Freedom is about learning to forgive others, in understanding that with forgiveness comes release within yourself…. this comes alongside the understanding that another’s fear and pain is what creates their behaviour.  People who love and accept themselves have a contentedness within and will never try to hurt another…

Freedom within a relationship is about being allowed to be your true self, in giving and receiving love from the highest part of you, without being judged, criticised, fixed or forced to change…

Freedom is about having space to breathe, to be, to laugh and to play like a child if you so wish.  It is about having pamper time to nourish yourself with, to take the time to do the things you love to do in life….. to understand that life is just as much about smiling as it is about anything else…

Freedom is about putting yourself first… not behind the needs of everyone else.  If you put others first all the time, you teach everyone that you do not value yourself.  How are they then expected to value you, if you cannot?  After all, no one can love you more than you love yourself.  If as a parent, you always put your own needs and happiness behind those of your children, then are you not teaching them to do exactly the same?  Is this really what you want for them?

For me, freedom came in so many guises, many of which I had to claim for myself.  Leaving a home I loved dearly created freedom for me, because I didn’t want it to become my prison. Leaving my personal possessions behind created freedom for me, because in a strange kind of way, it not only meant my life was less cluttered, but it meant I left my past behind too.  When I left my past behind, it meant I no longer needed to live up to it.  It gives you a sense of being ‘stripped down’ and being allowed to find out who you really are…. yes it was very scary stepping naked out into the world, but I learned to adapt.  I bought myself a cushion with ‘Home Sweet Home’ on it, which is a reminder to me that ‘home’ is always on the inside …..

I now have relatively little in the way of possessions in my life, and I do feel a sense of freedom – I can’t explain it really – difficult to describe.  When you give up all these things, then you are always as free as a bird.  Some would choose to see this as not having a certain security, but what is security really?  What would happen if you were to lose it all overnight?  People do – there are disasters around the world where many people lose their homes in the process, and how do you suppose they feel afterwards?  There will always be things that it’s not possible to replace….

The ultimate freedom comes in taking that leap of faith to live on purpose… when your purpose is ignited, it becomes a flame that simply can’t be extinguished.  When others try to pour water on that flame, it becomes like fuel and makes it burn even more brightly.  I can’t tell you how many people told me I was crazy for wanting to leave my full time post with the Local Government on my 40th birthday.  I had been employed by them for 15 years, my pension was great and my mortgage nearly paid off…. I would have had a very easy future in a post I enjoyed had I chosen to stay.  Yet, the flame of living my purpose overtook absolutely everything – instilling in me such a sense of freedom that it felt like having wings that were taking me on a course all of its own!  Work and opportunities flowed my way, and I sincerely believe that because I gifted myself with the freedom to live on purpose, the Universe opened up for me in ways that I would never have dreamt possible.  I didn’t know how it would happen, I just had 100% belief that it would – the possibility of failure was ‘ludicrous’, and this was the energy with which I handed in my resignation.  The moment it was accepted, the decision had been made and something within me and the Universe shifted immensely…. to me it was like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon waiting to take that leap of faith …. and when I took the leap, I discovered I had wings….. ahhhhh yes, now THAT’S freedom!

Three months later, I gave myself the freedom of then releasing the bounds that held me to Inverness, to my house and my possessions, so bright was my flame.  Again I took that massive leap of faith, this time to move 500 miles south and begin my life and setting up my business once again…. I gave myself the freedom to allow life to begin at 40….

I gave myself the freedom to make mistakes if I needed to, and to learn from them, without worrying about what everyone else thought… such a release!

This gave me the freedom to spread my wings and step out of my comfort zone even further by taking on new risks in every area of life. I have felt no greater joy over these last 18 months in having new experiences replace the things I left behind…. Speaking on BBC Radio many times, having several magazine articles published, being mentioned on Hollywood Radio, having our story published in the National Press and also in a book, in speaking at so many events…. watching our business expand to fully booked workshops, webinars, huge breakthroughs in people we’ve worked with, an influx of new clients and corporate partnerships ….. how did we achieve all that in 18 short months?  Well, when you take that leap of faith, and it’s backed up with absolute belief and no fear, then the Universe will fill the gap that your intention creates…. this may sound far fetched, but in reality, it is simply energetic calibration and attraction.

There are many more guises that come under the heading of freedom…. a big part of this for me would be dancing around on a hilltop singing ‘The Hills are Alive’….. doesn’t it just conjure up the most beautiful image!

Have fun, claim your freedom and enjoy your life – no one else can do this for you…. your life is not a dress rehearsal…this is the real deal…

Law of Attraction – the Key to Corporate Success

As an experienced strategic marketing consultant of 17 years, some 5 years ago I got into personal development and then discovered the Law of Attraction (LoA). After learning about and playing with the LoA, cutting through the hype and using my science and research background to study it, I came to realise a few things:

• The Law of Attraction is surrounded by mystery and hype
• Whilst the exact scientific explanations are not conclusive, there is plenty of observable evidence to back up the phenomenon. Although the meta-physics gets over-hyped…  it does open our mind to many amazing possibilities
• We are all, already masters of the Law of Attraction – we just need to recognise, harness and focus this on what we truly and authentically desire
• Authenticity and alignment to core values is a key factor
• Demolishing hidden limiting beliefs is another key factor
• The Law of Attraction works by energetic connection – like the poles of a magnet can attract or repel – learning how not to be in repel mode is a key factor.
• Success in using the Law of Attraction and Cosmic Ordering is about experiencing these energetic connections and the feelings behind them -

So what does this have to do with corporate success? EVERYTHING

These energetic connections underpin all aspects of corporate performance.

Organisations are made up of people connecting and doing. The quality of those connections determines the effectiveness of all leadership, sales, marketing, communication  and human resources activity.

These Law of Attraction tools and principals can be used to inspire a corporate culture of efficiency and effectiveness, achieving alignment and authenticity, creating flow, success and abundance. From this single initiative comes: employee engagement, emotional intelligence, improved teamwork, lasting successful partnerships with customers and suppliers, imparting brand values, increased trust and rapport (with everyone), staff retention…this list goes on and on.

As with most initiatives, top level buy-in, with leaders walking the talk is important. A huge difference is the level of empowerment and personal responsibility everyone can experience from the bottom up. Most/all aspects of everyone’s lives will be enhanced, not just the corporate bottom line and organisational performance metrics. So it is a win:win all round. Not only that, the often dramatic increases in positivity, responsibility, empowerment, respect, co-operation and rapport make the workplace fun and fulfilling.

Click the link below to find out how to implement this in your organisation, check out our new collaboration with Cambridge Professional Academy and our Connect To Your Potential workshops:

http://connecttoyourpotential.professionalacademy.com/