Summer is here, and just the thought of it can feel so freeing. School for the kids is out, beaches are open, the sun is out and hot, activities are blooming, and daylight lasts until late. Everything around us points towards a time of freedom and fun.
How can we free up space and time in our minds and immediate environments?
In my experience, all the external circumstances can be perfectly aligned for a sense of freedom. Still, the external only carries so much. I want to fully embrace that sensation internally and let go of some extra baggage I accumulated over the years.
Letting go, release, effortless, flow, and movement are some terms that can describe a sense of freedom within us. As much as we enjoy these experiences, they aren't always as easily felt and done when life is still happening, even during the freeing time of summer.
There are three aspects I'd love to look into:
Perfection
Risk
Space
Perfection
We can plan the perfect summer, ensuring all activities are reserved, kids are signed up and taken care of while we work, and anything else to make life easier and fun. As much as having and making plans are great, there is always a chance that plans change and turn out differently than expected. The moment we can expect surprises and let go of the only way we have the perfect experience, if it turns out as planned, the easier it is for fun and life-long memories to remain. I always love to say: "Perfection is when things work out better than we could have imagined."
Risk
Taking on risk is personal. Some people have an easier way of trying new things without knowing the outcome. The more often we take risks, and the results turn out well, the more likely we are to take higher chances in the unknown. Now, we also want to continue walking on unchartered and safe territory even when things don't work out. That's one way to keep life interesting, and, above all, the journey of exploration allows us to expand our horizons and pain points. The more comfortable we get with the uncomfortable and realize that we are still okay, the more in tune we are with our emotions overall and make choices that feel internally risky and could leave us with a summer experience we didn't know was possible.
Space
Then there is our environment, at home, at work, and wherever we reside for extended periods. These days, it's almost impossible not to have lots of stuff. Be it goods, food, clothes, furniture, tools, you name it. We are constantly being informed how we need this one more thing to make our lives more complete and simpler. At the same time, it adds more stuff, which makes our spaces more overcrowded. Going the other direction, removing and reducing items can be challenging because we have created a connection and memories with many of our pieces. But to free ourselves and our environment, we must eliminate things. Where will we start? If you're planning a trip this summer, limit what you bring.
Conclusion
To externally AND internally feel liberty, ease, and flow, we can look at our relationship to perfection, risks, and space. In the past few days, I've taken inventory of those three aspects by addressing things that have been bothering me. One was an unfinished painting that I didn't know how to move forward to complete it. Another one was my hair; it bothered me around my neck, didn't flow, and didn't feel right. Then, some closets felt too full. The last thing was to finish the food packages that had been started.
All these circumstances needed me to release the sense of perfection in connection to the painting, taking risks to finally cut my hair, not knowing the outcome, to continue to paint further on something I was afraid to be unable to undo it, to get rid of clothes that I might miss later. And to know that when I step over the discomfort of investing my time and figuring it out, I allowed to have more space for new art, getting ready in the morning, in my cabinets, and seeing what food I didn't know I had which ultimately prepares me for a Summer Liberty. Where will you create more freedom?
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