What limitations are you putting on yourself?

I have been feeling very free lately. Not so worried about what people think of me if I say certain things, dress a certain way, or do different things. I never realized how I was putting myself into my own box. I came to the realization a few months ago that I had a fear of being trapped, that in my deepest of depths I wanted to be free. I thought freedom meant having money to be able to travel any where whenever I wanted to and if I did not have that money that I would be stuck. That was my biggest fear. I had to come to realize that I am free in this very moment. That I am not stuck or trapped, but that the limitations that I was putting on myself were making me feel that way.

Today I have begun to see just how much I was limiting myself. In fact, the self definitions that we hold is our biggest limitation. If we think we are trapped, we will feel that way. If we believe ourselves to be anything that starts with "I Am" we have already put ourselves in a box. It is about getting rid of limitations that we put on ourselves by not being attached to any one aspect of what it is that we do. Who we are is not made up of the laundry list of things we have done, continue to do, or plan to do. Who we are is a divine expression choosing to have these experiences. Go deep and ask yourself the question "Who Am I?" Really try to discover who that person is. It may surprise you to realize you are not all of those things that you think you are, or the labels that we put on ourselves. Once those begin to strip away you feel more and more free, able to act in ways and do things you previously thought you could not.

Things that just keep coming up for me that I am working with:

1. No limitations-stop putting yourself in boxes and let go of all the I Am's until the only thing that is left is I Am that I Am.

2. Quit having expectations of people or situations. Realize that people are going to do what they are going to do and you can't change them. Be content with them the way they are and love what is, or let them go. But quit fighting the never ending battle of wishing things were different. As Larisa Stow says: Get real with the way things are, instead of how you want them to be. So true. We have lots of expectations, don't we?

3. Stop questioning yourself. You are a vast awareness of knowledge if you just tap in.

4. Don't have attachments to outcomes, people, things, etc. So what if you had one amazing night with one particular person, don't get attached to the idea of ever seeing him again, just put that little memory into the vault and take it out when needed. Just don't get attached to him. The Buddhists believe attachment is one of the causes of suffering and indeed it is. Stop and take inventory of those things you are attached to and think what it would be like without them...suffering. Now work on becoming less attached. Sounds easy, right? Yeah not so much, but the first step is to become aware.

5. Have fun and act like a kid as much as possible. Today I climbed a tree, laid down in grass, built sand castles and ran through an open field with my favorite 3 year old on the planet. It was divinely simple and fun. Exactly how life should be.

6. Know that you are free right here in this moment. Free to do what you please, free to choose to be present and aware, completely open or closed. What do you choose?

Love and light,

Erin