Rules of the Road to Freedom
I made up some new rules of the road recently.
I was inspired to do this when I realized I was done with grind culture.
Tired of continually being over productive and pushing beyond the brink of what is reasonable to achieve.
Now, I recognize my ability to do this comes from a place of privilege. I can write new rules because I have a great education, a well-paying job, and a safe home that I live in.
But life did not always look this way for me.
I one lived paycheck to paycheck, struggled to get out of two unhealthy relationships back to back, and served as a single parent for a long time.
But today, I have moved beyond all of that.
I am ready to create something different for myself!
So, I made up some new rules.
It’s worth noting that these rules did not come from a rigid, judgy place. They do not come from that judge inside myself who always has an opinion of what I am doing or not doing and that it’s generally not good enough. They came from a clear and loving part of myself that knows what is healthy for me over the long term.
And it’s worth noting that what is good for self-care is generally also good for one’s purpose in the world. These things will help me to be clearer about how I can contribute in meaningful and impactful ways.
Essentially, here are my new rules:
I am redefining achievement—success is now related to how much air time, psychic space, and free space I have for my creative self.
The time before 8 am belongs to my reader and writer. I will free write at least three mornings a week and spend more time reading.
I am active on email only between 8:00 am-6:00 pm.
I am unplugging as always being the social organizer for friends and family unless it’s something I really, really want to do.
I’m doubling down on the 45-minute meeting (meaning, fewer hour-long meetings).
I am paring down my wardrobe by half in the next six months and cutting our household possessions in half by December 2027 and will donate items to those in need (time to clean out that basement!).
I am inviting my Achiever/Planner/Organizer selves to help me manage these rules of the road: Help me figure this out, team!
I will continually ask, “How do I use myself toward the greatest good?,” asking the Universe, my higher power and guides to send along insights.
If you were to write some rules on your own road to freedom, what would they be?
Keep in mind that writing rules of the road to freedom should be a simple exercise. If you tune in to the part of you that knows what your life looks like when it is in alignment, what does that voice say you need? What will help you to be healthier, happier, and more on purpose?
Most of us have the freedom to create some foundational principles by which we will live. Many of us living in the Western world have access to standing in choice more often than we may think.
But this makes me think about how Nelson Mandela walked with his head held high while in prison for 27 years. He refused to let how he was treated to break his spirit. Mandela maintained composure even doing hard labor in a limestone quarry, treating all—even prison guards—with respect. He said in Long Walk to Freedom, “the human body has enormous capacity for adjusting to trying circumstances. I have found that one can bear the unbearable even when one’s body is being tested.”
Essentially, they could imprison Mandela's body, but never his mind or spirit.
He wrote his own rules of the road to freedom.
If your mind or spirit were not so imprisoned, what might you do with it?
I love Paulo Coelho’s quote about this. He says, “Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose—and commit myself to—what is best for me.”
So it doesn't mean you don't have any commitments. But it means you still can choose what is best for you.
What new rules might you choose on your road to freedom?
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