Selfishness and Freedom

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes, but asking others to live as one wishes."  Oscar Wilde

Title: Soft Flowers. 30"x 30" Acrylic Mixed Media
S. King-Allikas

I LOVE this quote!  It feels like a permission slip to leave the confines of a dull class, or a "get out of jail free" card in Monopoly.  It just begs to be sent to all those people in our lives who want us to show up where they want us to be and to behave as they would like us to; those individuals who manipulate and pressure us to make choices and live lives that don't threaten the safety of their world and their choices.

Sometimes I am at fault for not speaking up and expressing my wants or needs, so how could anyone know? The challenge is how to deal with situations when you've mustered up the courage to make the unpopular choice, to say that a situation is no longer acceptable, that you will not be able to fit yourself into their schedule, and that I am choosing something other than what they hoped I would choose.

This is where my thinking was going circular until I found a quote on freedom which has proven oh so helpful.
"The moment I accept the consequences of my choices, I am free to choose whatever I want."

So then it becomes a simple formula, I am feeling pressure to choose "A" but I want to choose "B".  The possible consequences of choosing "B" are ________ (fill in the blank) for example: "They will be angry and may not speak to me". "I may be passed over for a promotion."  "She will gossip and try to turn others against me." "He will say that I am selfish." Am I willing to accept these consequences?   If yes I have the freedom to choose what is right for me, every time.

We must each choose how to live our best life, that is our unselfish gift to the world.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a day of freedom,

Sandra