beehive

Thanks to my hive mind!

Thank you to everyone in my hive mind who chimed in on last week’s post about independence and freedom!

Here are just a few of your ideas; some came out of conversations, others from emails I received, and still others can be found in the comments left on the blog:

  • beehiveIndependence is situational; freedom is a state of being.
  • Freedom feels flow-y (dare I say feminine?); independence feels more linear.
  • Independence is claimed/earned; freedom is a right to be.
  • I feel like there needs to be a preposition—like “freedom to…” and “independence from…”—but I suppose they those are interchangeable as well. Then, there is a distinction that freedom is associated with a right and independence is a privilege. Just adding more questions instead of help, I’m afraid!
  • To me, “freedom” implies from the outside or from others and feels passive. “Independence” implies something more internal or toward something and feels active and intentional. I’m sort of laughing because my word for 2018 was “freedom” and it seemed to active at the time. Comparing it now to “independence” it is feeling more passive and less powerful. What a fun exercise!
  • I think the word “independence” implies detachment from others, while freedom can include both collaboration/cooperation with others as well as being on our own. In other words, we can be free anywhere, all the time.
  • Off the top of my head, independence is charged with a little more edge (probably going back to my father’s expression “independent as a hog on ice” which he rarely used in a complimentary fashion) and freedom feels joyful, liberating/ed.

It was fascinating to read the responses and see how much they differed, a great demonstration and reminder of bioindividuality in action!

Some of you went into your head, some to your heart, and some to your gut for the answers. Some considered direction and energy and surroundings while others stuck closer to home.

All this to say, I finally decided on “independence” for my primary word this year: to me, this word feels active, intentional, purposeful, empowered, and empowering—and it takes into account the responsibilities I have to others and the world around me while allowing me to make decisions based on my inner voice.

chakraI kept two more words from my original list of 10 as secondary ones: after letting this all simmer another week, they fell into place quite naturally:

  • Alignment (an oh-so-tired word from the coaching world, I know, but I really haven’t found one to substitute for it)—to make my decisions in a way that aligns with my innermost values.
  • Abundance—which speaks to one of my most deeply-held beliefs that starting from a place of enough-ness (both of being enough and having enough) can deeply shift how we act and react as human beings … and humans doing.

Back to more health coach-y topics next week—thanks for indulging me in this little detour!

If you chose a word (or words) for 2019, I invite you to share in the comments!

Comments

  1. Audrey Groeschel

    Independently Aligning Abundance! I love it!

    1. Elizabeth Baker

      Abundantly aligning with independence?

  2. Suzie Nalbandian

    Not being a happy-go-lucky person by nature, Kay Warren gave me a new definition of JOY that I can totally wrap my head around: “the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right and the determined choice to praise God in all things.”

    1. Elizabeth Baker

      Mmm. I love the concept, irrespective of what we might call a higher power. What one word would you give it—surrender?

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