Jan Denise, author, speaker, relationships & self-worth consultant

As we pause to celebrate our nation’s freedom, it’s apparent that we as individuals determine its value to us.

We can — and must, if we are to be free — declare individual freedom; and we can do it on the same grounds:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What are you doing with liberty? Perhaps you’ll join me in a fresh resolve to live your life unimpeded by what others would dictate. True happiness comes as a byproduct of doing that … and therein lies the glory of freedom.

John Adams wrote to his wife after Congress approved the Declaration of Independence: “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

So, let the fireworks begin — over and over again — until we no longer have to be reminded to live free!… More

We can get so caught up how it’s “supposed” to look that we bypass how it feels … and then wonder what went wrong.… More