I am a Mapmaker.  Some of my best friends are Mapmakers.  Not in the usual sense of the word…I don’t surround myself with cartographers or the like; but I enjoy being with people who thrive on discovery and charting new territories of the heart and mind.

The truth is, we are traveling through the unknown.  We think we know what’s going to happen and we feel some safety and security in that.  We are doing our best to navigate through what is happening right now and what we think is coming next.  While it used to be a sense of freedom came from a feeling of financial security, that is now a slippery slope.  Sometimes it’s up and sometimes it’s down. In these times in which we find ourselves we need new maps!  We need a new formula for freedom.

Freedom does not come from an external source.  Freedom Mapmakers know that Freedom lies within and is experienced in the moment. Take a deep breath and feel the freedom that brings.  Take another deep breath and envision the map you’d like for your future.

My morning habits changed about two months ago.  It used to be that I’d enjoy my morning cup of coffee while reading the morning paper.  And then I’d check my emails.  As a self-employed, work at home person, I was a creature of habit, wandering through the morning undirected and at the effect of whatever I  read that morning.

Something shifted in me while reading  The Answer, by John Assaref and Murray Smith.  Although I’ve read many inspirational books and taken many courses that have enhanced my life, I found the simple changes I made to my morning routine have turned me into a creature with a much more nurturing and fulfilling habit.

I no longer read the paper in the morning.  I sit in meditation instead, feeling appreciation and listening.  I focus on what it is that I want and from an emotional place I see it happening.

Quite often I notice I am smiling! Reading my affirmations comes next, followed by reading pages in any book that will further my growth and understanding. Now that’s the way to start the day!

This is my morning route to Freedom.  Rather than digesting first thing in the morning whatever default flavor the media wants to serve me, I am free to choose the flavor I want.

Starting my day as a deliberate creator…that’s for me!

I meet every Friday morning with 4 other women in an empowerment group for United First Financial.  We are independent agents and our purpose is to support each other to grow beyond ourselves so we may reach out fearlessly to assist others to get out of debt.  If Ufirst is something you’ve not heard about yet, information can be found at FlowYourMoney. This week’s theme is listening and we are to notice during the week experiences around listening.

Yesterday I spent the morning in San Francisco at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.  Our son, Bryan Heckenlively, was participating in a Mock Trial Competition.  Bryan is a third year law student at the UC Berkeley School of Law.  The courthouse is an amazing building with mosaic tile floors and gorgeous marble everywhere.  So here we are sitting in the courtroom and the judge, fully robed, sits before us.  Although we know this is a mock trial, it all seems very real.  They are trying a real case, and the students are dressed in suits; so prepared they don’t need notes.

A courtroom is a perfect place to study the benefits of listening.  Asking, and then listening for the response.  During the examination of a witness listening is critically important!  Although the attorney has a direction in mind of where she wants the flow of the questioning to go, she has to listen for clues that will guide her towards the points she wants to make.  She cannot be so locked in to her prepared line of questioning that she cannot seize an opportunity that may present itself.

I noticed that the attorney would ask a question of the witness and after the witness answered, the attorney would say, “Tell me more about that.”  Hmmm.  A line of questioning! Not just one question, but many.  And the answers that follow will help guide the direction of the line of questioning.

Where does freedom fit in with this?  If I focus on the other person I am free from my own fears and worries.  My ego has released it’s stronghold! I truly am free to be of service as I assist another to make their own discoveries.  And it is through the release of long held beliefs about money that my future clients will open their minds to educate themselves about another way to get out of debt and begin to build wealth.  And all I need to do is ask questions?