April is Freedom Month

In honour of South African Freedom Day, which falls on 27 April, I offer you the following quotes by Nelson Mandela:

“It always seems impossible until it is done.”  

“Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.”

And one by Bertrand Russell:

“Freedom in general may be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires.”

It is an interesting concept, freedom, and one those of us who live in democracies tend to take for granted. It is one of our most highly prized human rights; the right to freedom is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. But freedom does not only apply in a political sense; it is also something that is deeply meaningful and important on a personal level.  

Those statements by Nelson Mandela and Bertrand Russell are not only true for nations, but also for each of us as individuals. Freedom frequently does seem impossible until we find it, and once we are on the path to freedom that march is, indeed, irreversible. Often the only obstacle to realizing our desires is fear. Fear of change. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fears which result in us restricting ourselves, thereby keeping freedom at bay.  

Imagine a life where you did not impose restrictions on yourself. Imagine how you would be and what you would allow yourself to do if you stopped limiting yourself, stopped holding yourself back - and allowed yourself to be happy. If you could free yourself from the fears that you keep you captive in a life that may not be serving your highest good.

As a life coach, much of my work revolves around helping my clients to become aware of their limiting beliefs – the unconscious thoughts they have which restrict their ability to have a full and fully meaningful life. But it in not just enough to identify the thoughts that trap and confine us; we need to find freedom from these fears. We need to replace the limiting beliefs that keep us trapped in a jail of anxiety and ‘not good enough-ness’ with liberating beliefs which allow us to free ourselves from the bondage of our negative thoughts. Liberating beliefs allow us to open up and see possibilities rather than obstacles, opportunities rather than obligations.  

Liberating beliefs allow us to make new choices. Can you give yourself permission to free yourself from old patterns and thoughts that no longer serve you? To help you find peace and happiness, I will be offering a series of one day workshops that will allow you to intensively engage with your fears and self-imposed restrictions in a range of areas of your life. They will be run on Saturdays and Sundays, so you can choose which weekend day is most comfortable for you to attend.

I am also designing a set of 90 minute virtual (i.e. you can participate from your home no matter where you are in the world) group coaching sessions which will be held fortnightly. Each session will introduce, discuss and apply a different coaching tool, and you can sign up for a series, or just the ones you have a particular interest in. E-mail me for more information in the meantime.  

A number of people from outside of Johannesburg expressed an interest in workshops. If you live in another city, and are interested in us running a workshop where you live, please e-mail me so we can get a sense of demand and plan to meet it.

27 April is a very special day that holds a lot of meaning for me. In addition to it being Freedom Day in my beloved country, it is also the anniversary of the first day of my life coach training with Martha Beck. And this year, the 27 April is the day that my book becomes available on Amazon! If you live outside of South Africa, you can order your copy now.

May April bring you Freedom from whatever restrictions have been holding you back.

Love Judy