“Well, I guess it’s back to the grind tomorrow.”
That’s what many (if not most) people were thinking (consciously, or subconsciously) last night as they grappled with the reality of returning to work after the weekend.
Oh, I almost forgot to say: “Happy Monday!” (By the way, we say that phrase tongue-in-cheek because it’s meant to be understood as “Yeah, right! Who’s really happy on a Monday???)
Someone once observed that we humans “work jobs we don’t like, to make money we don’t have, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like.”
No other life form could fathom doing this. So, as a result, they have the experience of FREEDOM.
Try to imagine one manatee saying to the other: “Well, Mitch, it’s ‘Just another manic Monday. Wish it were a Sunday. ‘Cause that’s my fun day.'” (Shout out to the Bangles.)
We humans, on the other hand, are often walking through life with a deep and perpetual sense of obligation and dread.
Just waiting for the moment we get it all done so then we can have fun.
“No, I can’t do _________ because I have to do ____________.”
“I really need to do _____________ so, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do ____________.”
“I want to ________________ but I should ________________ instead.”
Does this sound familiar?
Pay close attention to your inner and outer dialogue and you’ll notice a steady stream of words like “should, ought, can’t, have-to, etc.” to describe your action.
(If it makes you feel better, I had that script flash through my head when I sat down to write this post. You would have thought someone was marching me to my execution!)
Now, I’m all for discipline and integrity – showing up when you say you’ll show up – doing what you say you’ll do.
However, the dark side of discipline and duty is when life mentally turns into a recurring agenda of drudgery and dread.
Occasionally, people might have a flash of freedom – maybe they feel it when intoxicated, or over a vacation or three-day weekend, but it’s usually short lived.
Then, when their brief respite ends, and they have to return to the “real world,” the rebound effect leaves them feeling even more trapped.
See, when freedom is not a habit, we quickly revert to the default habit of drudgery and dread.
That’s why the Freedom Habit Workshop is the third habit in my Habits of Happiness series.
Why freedom? What does freedom have to do with happiness?
Have you ever seen a caged animal? How happy did it look?
Without a sense of freedom – the experience of being free to do what matters to you – there can be no happiness.
In other words, the habit of drudgery and dread blocks your happiness.
What is it in your life, daily or occasionally, that you find yourself dreading? Think of something specific.
Now, what story are you telling yourself about it? (It might sound something like: “I have to do __________ because ___________.”)
But, what if our natural state is freedom – a habit we were born with but one that we were quickly ‘trained out of’ by those around us?
And, what if we could restore the habit of freedom (without needing to go back to the messy diaper phase)?
What if your life, instead of being one big obligation to endure, was an opportunity to explore???
How would that positively impact your life – your happiness, your health, your relationships, your performance?
It is possible to learn a new way to think about freedom – creating a shift in your mindset – that, when turned into a habit, will result in you routinely and reliably experiencing subconscious freedom so that you can shift…
- from obligation → OPPORTUNITY
- from problem → POTENTIAL
- from caged → COURAGEOUS
In summary…
- Freedom is an essential component of happiness.
- Freedom comes naturally to us, but is ‘trained out’ of us early in life.
- Freedom can be redeveloped as a habit.
So, if you want to turn freedom into a habit, instead of waiting for the weekend, or that yearly vacation, let’s chat!
If you’re interested in learning more about what working with me could look like, you can schedule a complimentary consultation with me (via Zoom) by clicking this link.