Have you ever noticed how differently you might be behaving when no one is watching you?Maybe you skip making your bed when your parents are away. Or you let the sink pile up with unwashed utensils because your wife’s away. Or you abandon the shopping cart in the parking lot, letting it drift aimlessly instead of returning it. Or you scroll Instagram during work hours because your boss isn’t around. You might click mute on a Zoom call and quietly fold laundry while colleagues talk. Or maybe, with no traffic police in sight, your foot presses just a bit harder on the accelerator.
Since childhood – ever since we first began to understand the world – we have been trained to respond to authority – parents, bosses, teachers, leaders, even strangers. It’s as if an invisible referee is always on the sidelines, whistle in hand, ready to call us out.
The problem is, this conditioning makes us dependent on someone else’s eyes to act. Without them, we risk doing the bare minimum or whatever is instructed, not because we are lazy, but because we have never built the muscle of self-accountability or self-responsibility or have courage to design our own life with our own values, interests, likes and dislikes.
And here is the twist, if there were no authorities, many of us might spiral into chaos. Not because we are “bad people,” but because we have relied too long on external rules instead of internal discipline. But do we know what this internal discipline is? Now imagine a world with no traffic police, no bosses, no teachers, no parents telling you what to do.
Would you still follow the rules you believe in… or would life become one big free-for-all?
Why do we need someone to tell us what’s right?
This is where the idea of freedom from authority becomes both fascinating and a little unsettling. It is about living so mindfully that you do not need someone hovering over you to make the right choices, yet you also resist becoming the kind of authority who micromanages and controls others.
If you truly look-really look, you will see there is no ultimate authority pulling your strings. Even the vast, godlike force of the universe seems to simply hand you the canvas and brushes, whispering, “Paint your life with your own choices.”
The so-called authorities above you, parents, bosses, teachers, are only guiding you according to their own values and principles. Your parents may love you deeply, yet still say, “Do this; it worked for me, so it will work for you,” or, “What if your way doesn’t work?” In today’s so-called modern world, it is yet rare to find parents who truly step back and allow their children to carve their own uncharted path.
Your bosses, your teachers, they hand you instructions, tasks, checklists. They tell you what’s “minimally expected” of you. But is that all your life is meant to be? A checklist? A series of boxes ticked?
Is this the minimal life you were born to live?
Will this be the story you tell yourself when the day ends, that you fulfilled someone else’s purpose, walked their road map, met their deadlines?
Let’s pause for a moment and accept, what if all the rules and authorities we follow are just markers on a road meant to remind us of our responsibilities, not cage us? The question is… when you lay your head down at night, do you feel you have lived your life, or someone else’s?
If no one was keeping score… would you still play the game with everything you have got? Ah, my favourite question. But here’s the real twist – do we even know what our full effort truly looks or feels like??
And this truth can only reveal itself when we release the grip of all authorities. The idea of “someone watching us” or “marking our progress” is often nothing more than a mindset, a shadow we have carried for years. And this shadow of authority often prevents us from developing our own compass.
My dear friend, here is a more liberating reality – no one is sitting around thinking about you and your growth. We are all so deeply engrossed in tending our own gardens, chasing our own sun. And is that wrong? Absolutely not. In fact, it’s necessary. We need to be “selfish” because in growing ourselves, we naturally become a source of inspiration for others.
So step with me into this world with no authorities.
No one is scripting your next step.
No one is telling you what to do.
No one is watching the clock while you work.
Imagine, nobody is directing your steps. What would you create or not create then? What would flow from deep within you?
Yes, at first you might feel a strange emptiness, like standing in a silent room after the music stops. And that’s okay. That emptiness is space, a sacred space where your own design can begin to take shape.
Will there be chaos? Probably. You might even find yourself wishing someone could step in and say, “Yes, you are doing it right” or “No, go this way instead.” But that chaos is not a mistake, it’s a rite of passage. It is the fog you walk through before self-awareness begins to sharpen your vision.
And when it does, remember this – you were born for a purpose. Let it come to you, not through someone else’s instructions, but through your own stillness and clarity. Your true dharma will only arrive when you are free-free from all authorities, free from all voices telling you what to do only because of your conditioning.
Think for yourself. Let it flow through you. Choose only what feels true. Then act with your own conviction. If it does not work out, revise and improvise and then again think..let it flow..choose what feels true to you..then act!
Freedom from authorities also means resisting the urge to be one. Many of us, when we hold power – in friendships, relationships, or leadership roles – grip it too tightly. We think control keeps things safe and known, but in reality, the harder we squeeze, the faster things slip away. A gentle reminder to all of us that control is just an illusion. Let it go, and you will find people and life respond better to trust than to fear. This isn’t about breaking rules or rebelling against systems. It’s about living with such integrity and self-drive that you don’t need someone else to “make you do” what’s right. And when you lead others, it’s about inspiring them rather than controlling them. The most powerful way to inspire is simple – walk your talk, let your actions speak louder than any speech.
Here is a little story that might just bring everything you have read above to life:
Nikhil came home for his summer break from his residential engineering college. He had always been his father’s entire world ever since Nikhil’s mother had passed away when he was just a toddler. His father had worn two hats with quiet devotion – the warm, nurturing love of a mother and the firm, guiding discipline of a father – all while working tirelessly to provide for them both.
In front of their modest home stood a small garden – his father’s pride. Rows of roses, marigolds, and jasmine swayed gently in the wind, the air often laced with their fragrance. Every morning, his father could be found crouched among the flowerbeds, trimming, watering, and talking softly to the plants as though they were old friends.
That summer, his father decided it was time Nikhil took on more responsibility.
“Nikhil,” he said one morning, handing him the watering can, “while you are home, this garden is yours. Water it. Trim it. Keep it alive. It will teach you more about gardening.” Nikhil nodded, though inside he thought, It’s just plants. How hard can it be? He did the chores – but only when his father reminded him.
Then, one weekend, his father had to travel for work. Three weeks away. On the very first day without supervision, Nikhil strolled past the garden without a glance. No one’s watching, he thought. Days slipped by. By the end of the first week, the grass stood tall and unruly. Weeds snaked their way between the flowers. Petals browned at the edges and fell soundlessly to the soil.
One morning, Nikhil stepped outside barefoot, the cool dew wetting his toes. He spotted a rose, once deep crimson, now dry and brittle. When he touched it, it crumbled in his hand, the petals scattering like ash.
Something shifted.
He stood there, staring at the withered plants, the silence of the garden somehow louder than any scolding his father could have given. I let this die… simply because no one told me to save it.
That same day, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He poured water over the plants, hearing the gentle splash as it hit the soil. He used the garden scissors to cut the dry leaves, the sound sharp in the quiet morning. Slowly, the plants started to look alive again. New buds appeared, petals began to show their colours, and it felt like the garden was breathing again.
By the time his father returned, the garden was blooming again – more vibrant than he had ever seen it. His father’s eyes widened.
“Nikhil.. You have done wonders here,” he said, running his fingers gently over a rose. Nikhil smiled, “This time, I did it because I wanted to.”
From that summer onward, his father never had to remind him again. Nikhil carried that lesson, self-accountability, back to college, and into every corner of his life. What began as a simple home chore became the seed of discipline and self-awareness that would keep growing long after the flowers had faded.
Here is something you can start today only if you want to – Daily ‘Reaching Your Best Potential’ Exercise:
One day at a time. One task at a time.
Write down your chores for the day – whether it’s a workday or the weekend. As you go through your to-do list, ask yourself – Am I doing this because someone told me to, or because I truly want to?
Keep it to yourself – Do it quietly. Don’t tell anyone, don’t post about it, don’t look for praise.
Think about it – Again ask yourself — did I do this because it’s important to me, or because I didn’t want others to think badly of me?
End your day with this question – If no one ever found out I did this, would I still choose to do it?
This is the first step on the path to freedom from authority. Over time, as you begin to take action from a place of your own choice, you will notice something powerful – you feel lighter, happier, more confident, and deeply at peace within yourself.
And here’s the beautiful part – freedom is a kind of addiction. Once you taste it, it will pull more creativity out of you than you ever imagined – because no one can outrun the dharma of their life. Your true purpose will keep calling, guiding you forward, once you step into this non-authoritative, joyful, confident, and harmonious way of living.
By practicing this, you train your mind to act from self-accountability rather than external pressure. You gain the freedom to live, grow, and create without the constant shadow of authority and that is where your true potential lives – in discovering and fulfilling your life’s dharma. Remember, real freedom isn’t about breaking the rules. It’s about not needing them to be your best.
