

For the majority of my life I lived in fear. Yet I didn’t realize it. When I looked at my life as an outside observer, I had everything. A great wife, healthy kids, a lot of money, exciting toys and a powerful prestigious career. Then I lost my money, my toys, my career and my freedom. I ended up serving six months in prison for fraud. When my ego based construction of reality crumbled seven years ago, the only place left to go was inward, so my soul searching began. My search is true inner freedom. It’s ironic that I had to be physically imprisoned to begin to release myself from the inner prison. But invariably, the greatest motivation for positive change is pain.
What I learned through my experience is that most people live in their own version of an inner prison. It’s part of the game of life and at some point, the seeking for inner freedom begins for us all, initiated by some form of pain, leading to an objective look at our life circumstances, behaviors and attitudes.
Below are five practices to help you create the inner shift necessary to discover true freedom.
1. From Vagueness to Clarity
It’s vital to get clear on what your core limiting beliefs are and the pattern of dissatisfaction or suffering they cause. Do a root cause analysis and determine the key childhood events that created the lens you use to view and interpret the world. Then you’ll uncover where the lens is distorted, and be able to cultivate the wisdom that comes with mental-emotional clarity. It’s critical to engage with a skilled practitioner who can help you get clear on how your interpretation of events early in your life set the stage for the creation of your present reality. Once you have that clear understanding, you can replace old self-limiting beliefs with new empowering beliefs.
2. From Fear to Faith
The DNA of all self-limiting beliefs is fear. Fear is born from ignorance of who we really are and is the source of all the suffering we cause ourselves and others - anxiety, anger, shame, envy, jealousy, hate. The antidote to fear is faith. Albert Einstein said the most important decision a human can make is whether or not the universe is friendly or hostile. If you believe the universe is friendly, let go and be supported. Trust life and trust that all life’s difficulties are gifts designed to help us evolve into the highest version of ourselves.
3. From Wanting to Giving
Most people are held captive by intense wanting. “More is better” has become the mantra of the modern western world. The truth is that the greatest sense of freedom doesn't come from the things we get - money, virtue, prestige, it comes from the things we give - trust, compassion, generosity. When we give we receive. It’s natural law.
4. From Entitlement to Gratitude
The fact is if you’re reading this article, you’re in the 1% of the world of “haves”. You not only have the basic necessities, but great luxury relative to the rest of the world. Yet it’s easy to forget that, and look at what we don’t have - which just perpetuates feelings of lack, further entrenching our enslavement to distorted desire. Another way to release ourselves from the bondage of wanting more, is to appreciate what we have. Gratitude is the most powerful attractor of prosperity and fulfillment on the planet. Put a structure in place to enable yourself to live in an attitude of gratitude.
5. From Ego to Humility
Money, virtue and prestige adorn the ego. They’re external measures of success never provide the inner freedom we crave. When we have them, they invoke a sense of pride and a feeling of “better than.” When we don’t have them, they invoke a sense of shame, a feeling of “less than.” With shame and pride as opposing polarities, there is a Divine middle ground. Humility is being and the acceptance of what is. Humility is the master key to the bondage of ego.
As a former prisoner of an egomaniacal, entitled, unconscious, fear-based wanting machine, I have learned through my experience that a life of joy and inner freedom is not only possible, it’s our natural state. It gets hidden by unconscious beliefs that become ingrained as a result of being raised in an unconscious world. While I haven’t mastered the art of inner freedom, I no longer sacrifice myself to the same habitual mental-emotional reaction patterns. Instead I now witness these patters, and through the space created by witnessing, I’ve found the freedom to make different choices. I’ve learned through experience that choices aligned with service, gratitude, humility and faith are the core nutrients that provide for the joy of inner freedom.
Mikael Meir is a transformational coach helping conscious entrepreneurs create quantum shifts in their businesses and their lives. For a FREE strategy session, email info@mikaelmeir.com
The Jerusalem Artichoke
by Jennifer Phennings
For Mom and Baby
by Julie Watson