Free Yourself From Your Open Cage

The opposite of failure is not success but courage.

"You Are Your Worst Enemy. It Is Your Negative Thoughts That Hold You Back, Nothing Else"

Leon Brown

You are an outstanding professional. Your work needs a special mention. You have contributed so well in your organization that anyone would like you to be in their team. You have created new levels in Information Technology sector.

Whenever you work, you ensure you understand the nuances of the system and you have a knack of working with people. But when anyone who knows you well looks at you, they feel you are like a caged bird who wants to fly but is scared to take the leap. The cage is open, it is not locked. You can go whenever you want to.

But the outside world on your own just scares you. You are afraid of trading it all alone. You were born in a cage, in your parents arms. You have tasted the outside. You have friends who do what you would like to do.

Yet, you are afraid of what if? What if you fail? What if the world is not as per your thoughts? What if you do not have clients? What if you do not get the money or the respect?

And all your fears are actually true. When you get into a business, there is no money, the world is bad and you won’t find a customer so easily. You are going to fail a couple of times, yet you are going to pick yourself up.

Failing is a part of the system. Success lies in the land of failures. In fact, success tastes better when it comes through series of failures. That’s when you realize the importance of success.

An uncaged bird loving to be in the cage as it feels so safe. There are no predators in the open cage, only friends. You feel so comfortable out there. People know you, you know them and it feels great to be in the team, where you are the supreme leader.

You are asking this question to yourself. Am I happy? And somewhere the answer you receive is “actually not”. Even though on the outside, it looks great. You earn a great salary, you have a family and you have success and respect.

Yet in the inside, you fume. You are furious that you could not take up the chances. You could not take on the opportunities or rather you feel you are not ready for it.

Every time you felt that you could take the plunge, a voice within you stopped you from doing so. It said, there is so much danger there. Your age is not on your side. Look at your savings. They are enough. Let such and such event happen and then we will see. You felt relieved at that instant but the very next day, you again felt frustrated.

My dear friend, there is no safe place than to be in the open market. You become more aware of the dangers. Growth happens when you charter into the unknown. Growth happens when you are unsure about what’s going to happen. That’s when you actually work more, be more and do more.

We have come to exercise our purpose. Our purpose could be to serve more people by the work we do. Whatever it is, it has to give us happiness. But if we feel we are locked in the free cage and are not able to garner the courage to take the leap, then only God can save us.

Taking a leap is not an easy task. The opposite of failure is not success but courage. The more courageous you are, the more risk you are ready to take, the more success you will get. Courage by my definition means the ability and power to do something which I never dreamt earlier.

It could mean different things to different people. The essence is still the same. Dare to do something which you have only dreamt and the whole world will be ready for you with open hands.

They want you to take the leap. They would be clap for you, cheer for you. Obviously, when you take a leap from the mountain, you are going to go down initially. That is how leaps are taken. Eventually, you will learn to fly. You will learn to be there amongst the eagles. Success would easily come to you.

So be the brave person, your parents wanted you to be. Be courageous and take the next big leap in to your life, the free life.

Assignment: What would you have done if you had all the money and no fear? What stops you from doing that now? How can you help yourself now to overcome these fears? What have you done about it?