Setting yourself free entails freeing yourself from anything and everything which is currently holding you back or weighing you down. 

Many things can keep us bound, but when the desire for feeling free becomes a yearning, becoming aware of shackles and removing shackles is paramount.  

A yearning is a deeper feeling

In my experience, a yearning is deeper than a normal feeling and yearnings are different to my normal daily wants or needs. Yearning tends to come from a different ‘place’. This ‘place’ for me is from my soul.   

The word ‘soul’ helps me to differentiate the source from my head and my heart. There have been times when I have addressed a yearning with either a head or heart response, but the deep-routed feelings remained.

Shackles that bind us

As I reflect on shackles, I feel it may be valuable to explore a few common shackles that bind us to current realities. 

Simple thoughts that will keep us stuck when we wish for a new reality:

• “It could be worse” – Every situation we find ourselves in could be worse. When this thought enters the picture, we run the risk of not tackling the problem as it is presenting itself.

• “At least you still have…” – Yes there is always much to be grateful for. Gratitude and yearning should not be averaged out to the point where everything becomes blurred. Express gratitude AND deal with yearning.

• “It’s like this everywhere” – Just because it is common does not mean you cannot change it.

• “Yes, but it has always been like this” – Remind yourself that the longer it has been like something you do not want, the more it has become a yearning.

• “What is the use, the people around me will not change” – It is critical to be clear on the nature of the yearning. People are different. People are unique. You are different. You are unique. When other people do not want to take the same path, it does not make the path wrong for you.

• “It will probably not be worth the effort” – Listen to yourself when you say this. Something so deep will naturally require effort. Write down what you stand to gain and see how life is not only about the destination. Life includes the journey. When you step on the path required to fulfill deep desires, a special kind of reward kicks in, which is not yet known to you and cannot yet be assessed.

• “Is it fair to expect more?” – Is it fair to settle for less?

Setting yourself free to imagine, dream and wish for a wonder-filled life is a right; make it a choice!