What is Sovereignty?
Much of what you can read about Sovereignty is based on historical political analysis or more recent social media driven activism. Both of these descriptions and explorations include our relationship with each other, the structures and hierarchies of power and our perception of our place within these hierarchies. As a friend of mine said to me recently “If there is more than one person involved then its Political”, so any definition of Sovereignty that is based on our relationships with others is by that standard, Political.
That has not been my experience.
My definition of Sovereignty has been created by a personal journey through the weeds of personal, emotional, spiritual and professional development. A journey that has been about self awareness, self connection and self acceptance. By understanding and accepting who I am as an individual and learning to discern what was mine and what was not mine. I have put down the baggage I had unintentionally picked up, lightening my load and clearing my way.
It was a journey that brought me to the understanding that Sovereignty is not something bestowed onto me by others or wrestled from their grip. It is a space I can inhabit, a state of being, a place of clarity about my values and what is aligned with them. The ability to hear my own voice above all of the noise and distraction of the world and other people. Taking the time to check in with myself and work out what is going on in me before I make my next move. It brings me calm and peace.
This process of getting to know myself was a lot like dating. I got to meet lots of different parts of myself and see how we all fitted together. I got to decide if I wanted to work on each bit of me or if I liked it the way it was. Some were easier than others to find but others I had buried pretty deep and needed excavating. I worked with my physical body, my energetic body and my emotional body as a way to really understand my thinking, a place that we often focus on first. I met my internal influencers, the parts of me that subconsciously took control when I was hurt or scared, goading me into repeating old patterns that no longer worked for me. I met the bits of me I had judged and hidden from the world, coaxing them back with a new understanding of their purpose and value.
What I found after I had done quite a lot of this work was that making decisions became easier. I had more clarity when I had less internal disagreement between the different parts of me (something psychologists call dissonance) spending less time and energy on arguing with the “shitty committee” in my head. I also noticed that I was more confident in my decisions and didn’t look outside of myself for the answers so often. I had more trust in myself and what I felt was right and I was quicker to take action and experienced less roadblocks.
And I realised, Sovereignty is the ability to make decisions about my life from a place of self awareness and connection. Sovereignty is when my decisions have a strong personal foundation and are aligned with my values, when I trust that I know best for myself. It comes from a place where I value myself and care about what is right for me even when this might not please others. Where what will be good for me I trust will also be good for others. When I make a decision that will have consequences that I am willing to be responsible for as it will allow me to keep looking myself in the eye.
This journey prompted me to write my definition of Sovereignty, because as I was trying to explain it to others I found that I wanted a short sentence that would describe what I meant. Partly because I felt it was an important part of my approach to working with people and partly because I decided to write a book about being Sovereign. I came up with this.
“Sovereignty is the state where an individual is sufficiently self aware and clear in their own energy to make aligned choices for themself”
Looking back over my life I realise that I have walked this path to Sovereignty many times. I have changed so much just as the things around me have changed and I have needed to come back to myself over and over. I have daily rituals and practices that keep me connected to myself now so that those journeys home are easier and shorter than they used to be. I have also walked beside people taking their own journey home in my personal and professional life in Social Work, as a coach, trainer, leader, friend and family member. I have learnt from my own experiences and even more from the experiences of others, gathering information and wisdom along the way.
My work is the way that I share this work and process with more people from all walks of life. If you are ready to embrace your own Sovereignty more you may enjoy starting with my Signature Program ‘Simple Sovereignty’.
Learn more and sign up to start HERE.