Gayle HToday starts the July 4th Independence Day holiday weekend in the US. The celebration of the United States of America gaining their freedom from Britain.
A historical event of epic proportions I assure you.
But also an inspirational event of epic proportions. Because here’s what happened. A group of people, just regular every day people, just like you or me, believed in a vision. A goal bigger than all of them. A dream that had just as many opposers as supporters.
So what did those regular every day people with a vision/goal/dream do?
They created an action plan. They rallied support. They got up every morning and worked for what they wanted.
Sure, there were days that things didn’t go so well. Those were hard lesson, exhausting, goal testing days. But those days were necessary – as they spurned growth, recharged ambition, and made the good days feel even better.
So whether you are American or not, this is a great weekend to set an independence intention of your own.
Your independence intention (or goal) can be anything that will make you feel more free, more in control of your own destiny, more grounded in a reality that you desire. For example:
- Independence from a work schedule/environment that leaves you exhausted and angry at the end of the day
- Independence from a daily routine that leaves you low in energy and ‘weighed down’ (literally and figuratively)
- Independence from the idea that life has to be hard to be successful
- Independence from people who don’t support your desire to be better or do something different – people who don’t support your growth
- Independence from habits that erode your health.
Think for a moment about this question: In your mind, what is the opposite of independence?
When I pose that question to myself, my answer is control.
We might feel that others are in control – of our lives, our destiny, our workloads, or our happiness. OR, we might feel like our minds are in control – reacting to what we think we should do, what we’ve learned to be the ‘right’ way to do things, never allowing ourselves to be ‘out of control’.
Independence is a stance. Independence is an awakening. Independence is claiming what we want, logical or not. Independence is creating a free nation in our own lives where what we decide what is right and good for ourselves.
Independence is declaring our freedom from something that obstructs our path to complete happiness.
What will you declare your independence from? Name it. Define your end game – what will it mean to be independent? Get an action plan in place. Fight for your goals. Deal with the lost battles with learning and patience. Celebrate the battles won with feeling and appreciation.
And when you hit that state of Independence, mark that day on your calendar as a holiday for all the years to come.
If You Do Nothing Else …
Reflect for a moment on the word independence. How do you feel? Write those feelings down and use them to support your independence action plan.
Gayle H
