The paradox of freedom

Is freedom the secret to happiness? It’s an assumption that the more freedom you have the happier you will be in life, but is this entirely true? Having the freedom to use your time however you like and the money to buy whatever you want is often regarded as the ultimate lifestyle. Maybe you have limits in your life you would like to be free from. But what if those very restrictions were your pathway to increased happiness and fulfillment?

Until fairly recently, I believed that the fewer restrictions I had on my time, money and ability, the happier and more successful I would be. I didn’t begin to question this assumption until the birth of my son.

When I became a mum, my world both expanded and shrank. My heart expanded with the addition of a little human that I loved unconditionally and who brought me so much joy. My world also shrank as many of the freedoms I had enjoyed and taken for granted disappeared. I lost the freedom to sleep when I needed to, to work as long as I wanted, to go to the gym alone, to enjoy an uninterrupted hot coffee and to go on spontaneous dinner dates with my husband.

At first I