Freedom from the Inside Out

from the Empowerment Dynamic e-zine 

The month of July hosts Independence Day celebrations around the world. July 1^st was Canada’s Independence Day and the “4^th of July” is recognized in the US as the day the states became free and independent from the tyranny of a foreign king.
 
The current global disruption is showing the world that freedom exists, or does not exist, on many levels. To speak without hindrance, to think and live without imprisonment has not been universally experienced and could be the subject of many blogs, but what we are writing about this week is your own inner freedom.
 
Freedom starts within yourself and your relationship with your own thoughts and internal conversations. You will never be truly free unless you are free from your own inner-tyranny and self-persecution.

In our education and training workshops, it surprises participants to learn that there are three roles that make up what we call the Dreaded Drama Triangle (DDT). There’s Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer, and they all operate within our thought patterns and influence how we show up in our relationships in the outside world.

Many people do not realize their inner Persecutor, that self-critical, derogatory inner voice, can be running in the background of their consciousness, influencing their beliefs about themselves and the world. If your personal thoughts are self-critical, your peace of mind and emotional well-being will suffer, and you may never experience true personal freedom.
 
We have coached hundreds of leaders who, by all accounts, are outwardly successful, but when asked about what they say to themselves privately, they often are their own worst tyrants. Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have and how you relate to yourself will have a big impact on how you relate to others.
Victor Frankl, a survivor of Auschwitz and the holocaust, wrote in his classic book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”: “The last of human freedoms is the ability to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstances—to choose one’s own way.”
 
Fully embracing that you always have a choice is where personal freedom lives. The key to making empowered choices and personal freedom is to understand how your mind works. The more you understand that your inner Persecuting voice is actually only one of many voices, it will loosen its grip. Just because a thought pops into your head does not mean you have to believe it, give it any power, or act on it. 

We all have self-critical and demeaning thoughts from time to time. The secret is to view them as passing chatter and just one of many thoughts you can focus on (but don’t have to). Just a few deep breaths or a short conscious walk can help you quiet the voice. Once you do this, you can calm yourself and ask yourself “How do I choose to respond?”
 
Personal freedom is choosing what thoughts to give your attention and power to. Just as you have the Dreaded Drama Triangle roles operating within you, you also have the empowerment roles of Creator, Challenger, and Coach available to consciously relate to yourself, others, and your life experience.
 
As you become more self-observant and aware, you can choose your response to life’s challenges. Taking responsibility for your choices will reinforce and grow your Creator essence and enable and empower you to act, to embrace the freedom to create your own life.

Your inner Creator helps to clear your mind and brings well-being and freedom to your life. You will feel a lot of more positive energy and joy when you see that freedom really does lies within. You may still hear your inner-tyrant (the Persecutor) from time-to-time, you just don’t have to give that voice any power.
You can choose personal freedom by understanding and cultivating the true essence of your inner Creator by simply asking yourself; “What kind of outcome would I see emerge this situation, what do I want to create here?”