I Am Not the Man in a Box

A man passing by a group of elephants noticed that the elephants were being held in place by nothing more than a small rope tied to their front leg - no chains, no cages. It was apparent to him that the elephants in all of their strength could easily break the rope and gain their freedom, yet they stood there confined by the rope.

Inquiring with a nearby trainer he asked why the elephants just stood there, making no attempts to escape. The trainer stated that when the elephants are young, and much smaller we use the same rope to tie them, and at that age it's enough to hold them, but as they grow up, they become conditioned to believe they cannot break away.

Self-limiting beliefs are easily embodied as they keep us in a safe, comfort zone, and lets face it, we all like to be comfortable. But remaining in that comforting bubble is stagnating, and preventing you from realizing your true potential. As creators we are here to do just that, create. Creation requires movement, imagination and a desire to achieve.

Much of my day to day activity requires me to sit in a box, technically an office cubicle. For a period of time, I became conditioned by the cubicle believing I was limited to its confines, much like the elephant believes he is confined by the small rope. Slowly I began to realize that I had to break down the walls of this cubicle, metaphorically speaking, and begin to think outside of this box if I wanted to achieve my goals. 

I got outside of my comfort zone, started doing things differently, and slowly but surely the fruits of my new found activities began to take hold, and be realized. I began to grow and accomplish more than I had previously when I limited myself to the box. Closed doors were now opened, new relationships forged, old relationships strengthened, and opportunities blossomed. 

If you're finding yourself feeling limited, take a moment to reflect on this feeling and most likely you will find it is you limiting yourself, and nothing else. Break down those self-limiting beliefs, get uncomfortable for a bit, and free yourself to become the person you truly want to be. Realize your true potential now, because the truth is, if you're going to live life in a box, you might as well make it a coffin.