One of the CORE Pillars of The NEW Next Level is boundaries. Now remember, the NEW Next Level absolutely includes taking your health and wealth to new heights.
First, we go deeper and more connected to your soul purpose, values, and boundaries.
That way you’re building on intentional ground. You’re completely supported and grounded in your inner knowing and then growing and reaching from a place of wholeness. The process repeats like a gorgeous cycle of seasons. Amen. We GET to go NEW Next Level over and over again.
And sometimes at first that NEW next level can feel like a prison. Tight. Full of constraints. Irritating. Isolating. Dark. Anything BUT free.
I experience the physiology of freedom as a deep breath. Spaciousness in my chest. A relaxed mind. An openness and curiosity towards uncertainty. And a rhythm of being in flow.
When I interview new clients to go NEW next level, we talk extensively about values. Most of the womxn that I work with talk about freedom being a core value. They desire to be at choice about how they work. They want location independence. They want to be at choice about who they work with. They want to feel free and expansive and able to do what they want, when they want, with the confidence to prioritize themselves. They want travel and adventure and also quiet moments of solitude and connection to nature. Gosh I absolutely work with the coolest people!
I teach them that the way to freedom is paradoxically through boundaries. Boundaries applied to the body, mind, soul, and systems.
BODY
Freedom within the body, in my opinion, is being in communion with this incredible gift that you’ve received. Truly. We are miracles! Our bodies are made up of intricate systems and magic and electricity and stardust! We are incredible beings!
I’ve spent a lot of time at war with my body. Ugh. Comparing. Critiquing. Allowing it to be critiqued. Abusing it with alcohol, drugs, nicotine, sugar. Measuring it, starving it, weighing it and disapproving of it.
Now, at the gorgeous age of 41, after being pregnant and giving birth 3 times, after nursing and pushing my body to the absolute limit of what I thought was possible, I revere this body. I am beautiful. Strong. Capable. Fierce. I am soft and tender. I am strong and flexible. I am my very best friend.
I feed my body to nourish myself. I rest. I receive. I prioritize this incredible gift because I love my body. And boundaries help me experience this freedom. I am intentional with what I eat, how I move, how I stretch. I listen to myself.
How can you revere your body with boundaries?
MIND
Freedom within your mind is about being incredibly intentional and conscious about what you consume, much like your body. This too requires boundaries. What are you reading? Who are you following on social media? What are your sources of information? Who are you surrounding yourself with? What thoughts are you allowing to continue?
As a kid my mind was my safest place. My imagination was wild! I made up stories and songs and movies and all the world (meaning my little town) was my playground. As I grew up, as I disconnected from myself, my mind became a war zone. Depression and anxiety and a sense of loneliness ensued and all I wanted to do was shut my brain off and quiet my mind from the barrage of anxious thoughts.
I now recognize that when I am eating well, moving my body, prioritizing sleep and connection, my mind is a calmer place. It has that child-like quality of curiosity. When the disconnected and doomsday thoughts show up, I have more tools to remember that my mind is fluid and I can influence how I’m thinking by what I’m allowing. This requires intention, and yes, boundaries. Freedom in my mind means that I am not a prisoner to thoughts that bind me. I am at choice about the garden that is planted in my gorgeous mind. That is mental freedom.
Where can you tighten up your boundaries to create more space in your mind?
SOUL
Soulful freedom is about boundaries, but in reverse. When we remember that we are always and forever interconnected with the divine essence of this universe, we can allow ourselves to rest in the suspension of this dimension and be more at ease with flow. With change. With uncertainty. With seasons.
The more I surrender to the mystery, the more I allow the divine to work through me with less limitation. With less resistance. That is freedom of the spirit in my life. Knowing that I am held. I am supported. I am a part of the mystery and there is so much that I will never know. I am more okay with that than I’ve ever been. I am a part of God. I am interwoven. I am God expressed. There is freedom in not knowing.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how okay are you in not knowing? How connected do you feel to the mystery?
SYSTEMS
I am a very high systems person on the Kolbe A Index. I think in lists. I love acronyms. Alliteration. Anything that helps me streamline because this flow allows me to experience my values and express my purpose. That requires sacred boundaries in my habits. Or Systems with Soul, if you will.
Being at choice means that I limit my decision making to, oh-so-ironically, experience spaciousness. Decision fatigue is the enemy of freedom.
I have a system for just about everything: Health, food, money, cleaning, business, personal development. You name it.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like to have choices. It’s just that when my systems line up with purpose, values, and boundaries, I hit a sweet spot where I feel connected and in flow.
Where could you benefit from a new System with Soul?
THE RISK YOU’LL TAKE
Knowing your boundaries and maintaining them are two different muscles.
Be aware that while boundaries of body, mind, soul, and systems create spaciousness for you, it can mean that others will be disappointed. You may be misunderstood. It may feel like you’re standing still when others are running anxious circles around you trying to get you to change back.
That is freedom.
Being okay when it’s not okay. Being uncomfortable and witnessing it without needing to fix it.
That is freedom.
Knowing and embodying the complexity and simplicity of your body, mind, soul, and systems is truly freedom.
