Say Yes to Freedom

Happy New Year from Living in Courage!

“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.” -Thucydides

I wanted to share a bit of my year in 2011 with you, and to tell you that I am very excited to walk into 2012 with the gifts and lessons of 2011 under my belt. Here goes!

Wonderful lessons occurred in many areas of my life, and truth be told, some frustration and challenges.  These are things that are important for personal growth and change, so I remind myself that living from the inside out, as well as living in courage is my best way forward. I am learning to be more patient and embrace stillness, to commune with nature daily, to embrace my writing heart to pen, and to always enjoy the chapters of my life.  I have an amazing husband, family and friends that I am ever grateful for.  Better said, I am grateful for all that is here and all that is yet to come. My personal freedom is of utmost importance to me, and that freedom means living my best life from a place of love, wisdom and joy.  I am grateful for you and your support of Living in Courage.  I wish you a very Happy New Year in 2012!

Wouldn’t it be great to see everyone living the dream of freedom? Free will gives us the power of choice, and I like to think that true freedom lives within, as do all the great qualities of love.  When we make the choice to live from the inside out versus the outside in, our lives can transform.  We each have to find our own place in a complex world, but what a wonderful world we have to play and create in! Freedom from the ties that bind, whether physically, mentally or spiritually is a task worth pursuing with gusto. The importance of your personal freedom will determine your course of action. I can’t tell you what that course is, only you know what is right for you. I feel freedom is our birthright, and one that goes beyond our limited thinking feeling reality.  We can feel limited when we think our freedom is in jeopardy.  There are many forms of freedom. What does freedom mean to you? We can bring a sharper focus and more clarity to our sense of freedom when we understand that we are solely responsible for our life by the choices we make and the actions we take.

The voice of freedom is knocking.  We can all make a difference in 2012 by making  choices that reflect love, wisdom and joy.  We have a collective choice to change or not to change, to grow and expand, or to contact, which restricts life, and who wants that?  Freedom of choice is a gift to be treasured, so in conclusion, be a good person, be harmless to yourself and others. Respect the freedom of everyone, no matter the cultural differences. We are more alike than different. After all, if we expect to engage and enjoy our freedom by living from the inside out, that takes responsibility. In that way we can each be responsible for our own inner freedom.  The one that really matters!

Let Freedom Ring in 2012 and Beyond!
Debra Oakland

Posted in Courage, Debra's Articles, Encouragement, Inspiration, Newsletter Posts on 144 Qualities of Love, Wisdom To Live By | 3 Comments »

You Have The Freedom To Live Your Desires – Use It!

Article by Steve Tallamy

Happy New Year everyone, I hope that this brand new blank page of your lives is filled with everything that you long for and brings you the freedom of peace of mind, body and soul that we all seek. Nothing could be better than making that your goal for 2012 – Freedom!

In the coming year we will find ourselves in precisely the same position in life, unless we give ourselves the freedom to choose to live our lives in the way we truly desire. What do you want to achieve for yourself and your loved one’s? I don’t mean that you have to radically change the way you live right now in this very moment because that simply wouldn’t work.  What I do mean is that you must allow yourself the freedom to make small but powerful changes; let me explain ..

2011 was a truly ground breaking year for me in many ways as I decided not to chase after my dreams anymore, and to be honest with you I already have much of what I desire in my life; but for several reasons I wasn’t fully content. What I did was to allow myself the freedom we all have to concentrate on the things I didn’t want in the future but were in my life at the time.  I realized that by making this choice I could use the power of freedom to rid myself of the unwanted, leaving only the things I wanted.  I spent a lot of time in nature both here in the UK and in sunny California with Debra and her husband Cody (and many good friends, too many to mention here).  Mother Nature showed me in varying ways how she allows herself the freedom to be and do whatever she needs to be, ridding herself of all that she no longer needs to grow and expand.  Freeing herself of old constraints allows nature to recreate new life and although some of these periods of cleansing can often appear cruel and painful they are a necessary action, and that is exactly what it can feel like when we use the freedom we have to make the changes we too need to make in our lives.

Freedom is a difficult thing to achieve but if you really desire to have it in whichever area of your life you choose, the pain barrier has to be endured until you adjust.  It’s often harder to change what we don’t want in our lives than to obtain what we do, but believe me when I say that releasing yourself from the constraints of unwanted aspects of your life is real freedom and the feeling of wellbeing it brings can be as good as, if not better than reaching a desire.  Achieving a desire you want whilst still holding on to those things that you don’t desire is not true freedom and you will never be able to enjoy your desires until you have found that sensation of peace of mind, body and soul that genuine freedom brings.  So if you only write one thing on this blank page that is 2012, write ‘I Desire True Freedom’, and read it out aloud to yourself first thing every morning, and remind yourself of that simple but powerful statement the moment you see something in your life that you no longer desire; and make the choice, take road to Freedom  Take good care of your freedom, don’t hide it away, be brave and use it wisely and you will have a very happy New Year.

Steve Tallamy

Posted in Articles from other Blogs or Authors, Steve Tallamy's Guest Articles | No Comments »

The Pink Rose Holds A Secret For You

There is an ancient story of a wild pink Rose of incomparable beauty and perfection.  The Rose knew it had only a short life in bloom.  So time was precious, magical really.

The very essence of the Rose entered into each passerby who touched the beautiful petals.  The Rose held a soft pink with streaks of silver running from its base to the exquisitely curled edges of perfection.  This Rose held secrets, as all roses do.  This secret was different.  This single Rose held the secrets of Freedom through Love.

Standing tall and gracefully regal in the light of the sun, Freedom’s Love Rose whispered to everyone passing by.  For those who heard the call and came forward, each found a different secret, unique to their needs.  For some it was forgiveness, for others it was healing, prosperity, health, kindness, peace and joy.  Freedom from all that is not love.  All day the little pink Rose touched the lives of unsuspecting passers by.

The real magic occurred when a person stopped to touch and take in the fragrance of this special pink Rose.  By the power of attention to the Rose, each person was given the gift of recognizing their own love, light, abundance, beauty, freedom, courage, strength and perfection.  This made space for the miracle of their life to unfold by growing deep inside their heart.  Recognition of this Rose burst open the Flame of Love’s Freedom for those wise enough to see what others had missed.  Sometimes the best things in life are hidden in plain view.

I like to think that for some it is a Rose, for others perhaps someone who is cold and hungry on the street, a butterfly fluttering close, the smile of a stranger or a song the breeze carries to you.  Love can be everywhere when we let it in.  There are many ways to unlock the heart and all of its amazing secrets.  All in plain sight.  Like the beautiful Rose who wilts and moves on, leaving seeds behind for more roses to bloom.  Everything changes, morphs and shifts holding secrets waiting to be discovered and shared.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

Posted in Courage, Debra's Articles, My Stories, Wisdom To Live By | 3 Comments »

Use Courage & Albert Einstein

It is vital that each of us reach inside, grab our courage and free ourselves from self imposed limitation. We insulate ourselves against the world, forgetting we are all connected on every level.  Separation had become what we know.  This is our biggest limitation.  This earth is limitless, as are we.  I think it is time we remember who we really are.  Can you wrap your mind around that?  Please try.

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

- Albert Einstein

Posted in Courage, Quotes that Rock, Thoughts | 2 Comments »

Seashells, Sand and Sun

Debra’s Musings of:
~Seashells, Sand & Sun~

Three of life’s treasures, seashells, sand and sun

Filling the heart with memories of contentment and longing

As the tide washes in and out we feel our life, ever moving, changing, flowing

Contemplation flows full circle, back to the shore of life

A secret smile escapes our lips with a soft sigh

A distant rainbow appears to remind us of the colors of our soul

Whispering it’s song of freedom

~~Debra Oakland~~

Posted in Fun, Thoughts | No Comments »

Declaration of Independence – 232 Years of Freedom

I was reading a Friday story from Bob Proctor I receive every week. The article in the story was written by Paul Martinelli about the history of July 4th. Here is part of the story:

On July 2, 1776 Congress and 12 of the 13 colonies approved General Lee’s Resolution for Independence, severing ties between the Colonies and Great Britain for good. The next day, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife predicting that July 2nd would soon become a great American holiday. Congress then began to look at the Declaration of Independence. After several days of debating, word changing, and some content adjustment, Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776.

Today America celebrates 232 years of independence and freedom. Because these men did not let fear stand in their way, because they did not hesitate to make the right choice, American Citizens now have the right to vote, the right to free speech, the right to practice any religion, the right to a fair trial, just to name a few.

Paul Martinelli

Happy 4th of July in Gratitude to all of you. Living in Courage – Debra Oakland

Posted in Courage, Heroes | No Comments »

Jeff Guidry and Freedom

I received an email about Jeff Guidry and his Eagle Freedom. I loved what I read so much that I searched google. This photo is beautiful. I wanted to share this story with you, as it is inspirational, profound and healing.

Jeff Guidry and Freedom are at the Sarvey Wildlife Center.

As of 2008, according to sources, Jeff Guidry and Freedom have been together since 1998 (when she came in with broken wings and near death).

Jeff Guidry and Freedom’s story can be read in an article written by Jeff Guidry . The name of his article is The Circle of Healing.

Posted in Courage, Heroes | 8 Comments »