Breaking Free From Our Self Imposed Prison

We awaken, we stretch, we check the alarm clock, we get up, we start the day. We don’t think about this process. It’s just something we take for granted over our lifetime. Our imperatives change as we age. Children worry about school. adolescents worry about friends and popularity, young adults worry about career choices, adults worry about family responsibilities and seniors worry about health and loneliness. When you think about it , we live all our lives worrying about something.

I propose from this day forward we reassess our thinking. Worrying has been a pattern that has been handed down from generation to generation. I suggest we increase our creativity by seeking purpose in life rather than simply worrying about everyday living. Purpose creates inspiration and motivation. When there is purpose, morning brings a new vitality and energy that inspires more productive behavior resulting in better outcomes. The typical “fatigue” that is experienced over a lifetime of worrying is replaced with desire, passion and a new approach to living.

To begin this process, we need to release ourselves from the prisons we have confined ourselves to. Our bodies and our minds have become shells of disease and ill health. Their ability to provide opportunities to grow and develop have been sacrificed by living a life of neglect and abuse. The older we get, the more aware we become of our self imposed limitations. As bleak as this may sound, transforming the current prison you inhabit into a vibrant and healthy structure is still possible.

What will it take?

Self Commitment:

• If you are content existing as an entity in life without direction or meaning, change cannot occur. Each of us has a purpose in life. Finding that purpose helps each of us find self worth and confidence. Once we find this purpose, a path almost miraculously appears creating guidance making self commitment an easier pursuit.

Self Love:

• One would think that self love is a natural process. A life of emotional “baggage”, a life of habitual behaviors that damage the mental and physical self and the everyday stress (which has removed the desire to care) has lead to the numbness many people feel within themselves. Recognizing these patterns and confronting their devastating effects is the first step in finding self love. It is difficult to truly feel and express love for others if we are unable to feel and express it to ourselves.

Believing That Change Is Possible:

• Once a person finds purpose and experiences self love, it becomes easier to believe that tomorrow doesn’t have to look like today. The one factor that continues to hold people back is FEAR; fear of the unknown, fear of failure. Understanding this fear and using it to guide oneself through the process reduces its paralyzing effects. We begin to realize that success is rarely achieved in a linear pattern. Failure helps us refine our approach and takes success to a higher level. This new attitude forces us to change the question from, “is change possible?,” to “how far do we desire this change to take us?”

The overwhelming joy we experience as we allow ourselves to separate from our destructive thinking and old patterns of behavior leads us to a new freedom of expression and action. A sense of empowerment helps project us forward into a world of limitless opportunities.  We finally realize that we are free from our self imposed prison.

In only 52 seconds, the following video shows us our options in life. Which option will you choose?

Tags: aging, brain, children, depression, disease, happiness, health, lifestyle, purpose, quality of life