There’s a line from Me and Bobby McGee that has always stuck with me: “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.”

At first, it sounds a little melancholy, like freedom only comes when you’ve lost everything. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that freedom isn’t about losing—it’s about letting go. Letting go of fear, of expectations, of the invisible rules we think we have to follow. And when we do that, we gain more than we ever imagined.

What If You Had Nothing to Lose?

Think about how many choices we make based on fear.

• Fear of failing.
• Fear of looking foolish.
• Fear of disappointing others.
• Fear of stepping outside of the life we’ve built, even if it doesn’t fit anymore.

But what if you lived like there was nothing to lose? Not in a reckless way, but in a way that set you free from the things that hold you back?

Because the truth is, most of the things we fear losing aren’t actually real losses. A little embarrassment? That fades. A missed opportunity? Another one will come. Someone else’s opinion? That was never yours to carry in the first place.

But living—truly, fully, without hesitation—that’s something worth fighting for.

Choosing Freedom

Freedom doesn’t mean quitting your job and running off to live in the mountains (unless that’s what you want). It means choosing to live on your terms, right now.

• Say what you mean. Quit sugarcoating your feelings. Speak up. Tell people you love them. Ask for what you need.
• Do the thing. The hobby, the business, the big leap—whatever “the thing” is that you keep putting off because you’re afraid it won’t work. Do it anyway.
• Let go of what weighs you down. The expectations, the perfectionism, the idea that you have to be a certain way to be worthy of joy. You don’t.
• Stop waiting. For the perfect moment, for permission, for everything to be lined up just right. Life is happening now.

What You Gain When You Have “Nothing to Lose”

When you live like you have nothing to lose, you actually gain everything.

• You gain confidence, because you’re no longer waiting for approval.
• You gain peace, because you stop clinging to things that aren’t meant for you.
• You gain experience, because you’re actually doing instead of just thinking about it.
• You gain joy, because freedom is light, and when you let go, life stops feeling so heavy.

Live Like You’re Free

We don’t have to wait for a breaking point to start living freely. We can choose it now. We can choose to let go of the fear that holds us back and step fully into who we are meant to be.

Because in the end, what’s really worth losing… except the things that were keeping us stuck?

So go ahead—live like you have nothing to lose. You might just find that’s when you have the most to gain.

Here’s to freedom. 💫

XX,

MG

*interiors by @marianlouisedesign

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