Freedom means different things to different people. Last night I was talking to a good friend (and new client) and we were working through what she wanted. The answer was freedom.

For her, it’s the freedom of time. She wants the freedom to travel, choose when she works, and hang out with her amazing daughter.

For others, freedom means being able to make their own choices without worrying about money — you get the idea. Freedom is as individual as the person, and how they handle it is also up to that person.

If freedom is at your core, I know from experience that there is a battle that goes on inside. It’s you versus what you think others want or expect. The rules in your head may have a tendency to get in the way, so how do you take the steps to be more free?

1. Be honest with yourself. Stop lying about your current situation. For example, if you’re unhappy in a relationship, be honest with yourself about how you feel and what you really want
   When you’re honest with yourself about your own wants, needs, and desires, it helps free you from this state of acceptance and pushes you to a state of doing something about it.
2. Be who you are. If you pretend to be someone you’re not, this will seep into all aspects of your life. Before you know it, your true self is lost. Stop it!!
   Stop trying to please others. It’s time to put your needs and wants before the wants of others. Live your own life. This does not mean you stop helping or supporting others, it means you think about it before you say yes. You get to choose.
3. Stop being afraid. To truly be free, you need to show the real you. You have to do something in your life to achieve what you want. Admitting what you want is the first step.
   Fear will be there, you just need to keep breathing and step into it. Once you do, it’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be.

Being true to you is something that takes practice. If you want to be free you have to be real with yourself. But you also have to be real with others and sometimes change is not well-received. If it’s important to you, start small. But do something different today that allows you to be one step closer.