We create our own limits. Our mind can be an impenetrable prison, created by our own fears, insecurities and reasons why we believe we can’t be the person we want to be or can’t achieve something. It is a buffer we create to protect ourselves from rejection and failure. We stay in our cages on our perch, watching the world go by, safe from harm, taking no risks. Yet we were created to fly. And the door is wide open, if only we dared to step out of them.
What happens when we stay in our cages is that we don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to even try. We have all these rationalizations as to why we shouldn’t try, why it isn’t safe, and if your mind is really sneaky like mine, you can convince yourself that you don’t even want what resides outside of your cage. You see, it’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you aren’t.
Now here’s the thing about cages – they are mighty comfortable. They are known and we feel safe in them. But nothing amazing ever came from just staying in our comfort zone. Instead of focusing on what kinds of scary things might happen outside of our cages, we need to look at it like what we might be missing by staying in our cage.
We can start questioning our restricted existence in our cage, but contemplating the following:
1.) What am I fearing? Where is this fear coming from? Fear of the unknown is hardwired into our brains. We needed it for survival years ago to not get eaten by a tiger. But in our modern age, 99% of what we fear or worry about never even happens. So, understand why you may be fearing a certain situation. By doing so, you can then begin to…
2.) Develop a game plan for the worst-case scenario. Often times, what causes us anxiety is not knowing how we will handle something bad happening. But if we can rationally work out ways we can handle it, we have a plan should it happen.
3.) Accept that failure will happen and choose to look at it as experience. There is a quote that says, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that it won’t work.” We define our own experience from situations by how we look at them. We can allow ourselves to feel demotivated or why can say, “plot twist” or “challenge accepted” and keep trying.
4.) Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed. It has been said that we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with. Are the people around you negative? Do they try to talk you out of stepping out of your comfort zone? Or do they support you while you are on your own journey? Having quality people around you who truly care about you can be the encouragement you need to keep going.
Now I know what you are thinking. If you venture out of your cage today, you might fall. And it’s true, we all fall sometimes. But let’s look at it like this: what if you step out of your cage and you fly?
