The Gift: Freedom to Be Yourself

“The freedom to be yourself is a gift only you can give yourself. But once you do, no one can take it away.” ~ Doe Zantamata

The Fourth of July is just a few days away here in the United States. It’s a time when we celebrate freedom. Freedom to choose, freedom to speak, and freedom to pursue the life we want to create.

But as I reflect on the holiday, I find myself thinking about a different kind of freedom, one that isn't granted by a government, protected by a document, or taken away by another person.

What I’m thinking about is the freedom to be yourself.

And sadly, I think this is the freedom many people struggle with most.

Instead of boldly owning who they are and sharing their gifts with the world, they hide. They hold back. They worry about what others might think. They dim their light and try to fit into someone else's expectations rather than fully expressing who they truly are.

Maybe you can relate.

Take a moment and think about this for yourself. How free are you to be your true self? In your work, your relationships, your goals, and your daily interactions with others, are you expressing yourself freely? Are you showing up as the person you really are? And if not, why?

Those questions aren't always easy to answer.

It's tempting to point to outside influences. Societal expectations, family dynamics, past experiences, and the opinions of others can all affect how comfortable we feel expressing ourselves. And while those things certainly play a role, I've found that many times the greatest barrier to self-expression isn't outside of us at all… It's inside of us.

Sometimes we don't believe we're enough. Sometimes we don't like certain parts of ourselves, so we assume others won't either. We become our own harshest critics and begin expecting everyone else to judge us as harshly as we judge ourselves. And sometimes, if we're being completely honest, we're simply afraid.

After all, it takes courage to be seen. It takes courage to be vulnerable. It takes courage to stop hiding and allow your authentic self to shine through.

So instead, many people put on a façade. They become who they think they should be rather than embracing who they really are. They hold back their ideas, their creativity, their gifts, and their voice.

The problem is that when we do that, we don't just deprive ourselves of freedom; we deprive the world of what only we can contribute.

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