Towards Freedom

A few months ago I was listening to a Yoga for Business webinar where they were talking about three general types of fear:

1. Biological: This is your safety needs; Fight or flight type of thing.

2. Imagined: Things that haven’t (and most likely won’t) happen, but we fear anyway.

• Example: You imagine something horrible has happened to your child when they’re late coming home from school.

1. Edge: Fear that stems from your personal growth. It’s when your brain has no roadmap yet for what or where you are about to go. And so, we imagine the worst possible outcomes as though we are preparing to protect ourselves from something dangerously eminent.

I had never before heard fear described in this way. It made my gerbil wheel spin. Here I sit - after putting in some SERIOUS time evaluating my life from every angle and doing the HARD emotional work that comes with it – still feeling stuck while standing on the edge of complete freedom.

Freedom from my personal struggles and blocks…

Freedom to work on projects that make me passionate and connected...

Freedom to live and go anywhere I want…

Freedom to love my friends and family more deeply and honestly than ever before…

Freedom to be completely, 100% me, without shame, guilt, or …

Fear. Damn you, Fear.

Wait. What? How is this possible I still am living in fear? The self-talk began:

I’ve been doing all this work and asking all the right questions. I thought I had this figured out. Why do I still feel stuck? Does this mean I don’t really have anything figured out?! Oh my god. Am I kidding myself with this?! Have I in reality been wasting my time when I should just be a good girl and go find that mindless 9-5 job, get married and pop out children?! Oh my god. Will THAT even happen? Will I be a failure?! *gulp* Maybe I already am!

In other words, I had that negative spiral.

But instead of riding the panic train straight to Crazyville, I took a walk. A long one. And I realized that while I did the self-work, and wanting to do something with it, I hadn’t taken ownership of it. In fact, I had spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out a way to maintain anonymity. Only a small, select few had even seen me through this life transition and I was/am sure not all of even those people can understand some of my choices (side note: My people, despite their questions, have been extremely patient and supportive.). I began to think.

Self: I’ve been so private my whole life. This is painfully uncomfortable. People won’t understand anyway. I’m just going to feel embarrassed. Besides, I’m only an average person. What makes me special enough to own… whatever you call this? How am I going to move forward?

Higher Self: I don’t know because this is new. We have no roadmap yet. But if you want to get unstuck, you have to stare at edge fear and jump. You have to take action anyway.

So I did what I have now learned so many times over again… I owned my vulnerability. I talked to some of my close circle and told them about feeling stuck and how I wasn’t exactly sure why; that I didn’t know what to do next. And you know what? They made some beautiful suggestions (I have some pretty smart and incredible friends ;).).

This is one of them.

So without further delay…

Hi. My name is Danielle. I go by many variations of that name. I hope to help you by sharing a bit of me and I welcome the same from you. In the words of an old friend, “It’s nice to know you.” Thanks for having me.

#freedom #introduction #edge #fear #wonky #yoga #energy