ESCAPING SELF IMPOSED PRISONS

Most self imposed prisons don't start with bars and boundaries. They start with our very own thoughts. A quiet belief that you're not enough, that you will never change, and that these are just the cards you've been dealt. Over time, those thoughts turn into routines and those routines turn into a life that feels smaller than it should. You're comfortably numb. The claustrophobia starts to set in and you start searching for the key to open the door, not realizing it's been in your own hands all along!!

These mental cages are built from fear, self doubt, GUILT, SHAME, maybe even a desperate need to please everyone else BUT YOURSELF!! Sound familiar? Maybe someone told you you'd never amount to anything and you feel like you have to work yourself to death to prove them wrong. Maybe you learned to keep your mouth shut to keep from being hit (or worse) and it carried over into adulthood where you think keeping the peace is just easier!! Whatever the origin, the effect is the same! You keep yourself in confined spaces through patterns that leave you feeling less than worthy!

Every negative thought about yourself starts to slowly chip away at your confidence until you're so watered down you don't even know who you are anymore! I know, because I've been there. And based on what I know, getting out of that mindset doesn't have to be some monumental reinvention! It's learning to hear that inner voice again that whispers, "There has to be more than this". It simply starts with paying attention to how you show up in your life!! Listen for that little voice in your head that starts to downplay your greatness and shut it down immediately. Ask yourself "IS THAT TRUE OR AM I MAKING THAT UP". When you really start paying attention, you will see how often you lie to yourself. Move with character and integrity. There is a lil saying that goes something like, "worry about your character, not your reputation. Character is WHO YOU ARE, reputation is who people think you are". And who cares what people think!!?? It's not their life!

Sometimes just doing the next RIGHT THING, even if it's something small is the catalyst that starts breaking down the walls! Having a hard convo you've been avoiding, signing up for something that scares you half to death, saying NO when you're used to saying yes, or SAYING YES WHEN YOU'RE USED TO SAYING NO!!! It's about proving to YOURSELF, day by day, or even minute by minute, that you're ALLOWED TO CHANGE!!! You're allowed to grow!!! You're allowed to choose a different life at any given moment!!!!

Let me be clear, it's not always an easy task, so don't get it twisted!!! Your body will fight against you. Your brain is wired for familiarity, even when familiar is painful! Just remember not all discomfort is a bad thing - it's the cost of growth and freedom!!! And don't you want freedom!? You don't have to have everything figured out in order to make the next move!! You just have to take the next right step, over and over again!!! You will never break out if you keep pretending everything is fine OR if you keep waiting for the "right time"... there is never a right time. You have to MAKE THE TIME RIGHT. Freedom don't send calendar invites!!!

And remember, you don't need someone else's permission to live a full and happy life, or to do anything for that matter!! All you need to do is realize that the walls and masks you've been hiding behind for years on years WILL KEEP YOU BOUND AND UNHAPPY!! And all they are is a compilation of fears.... fear of failure, fear of being seen, fear of being judged, fear of somebody being hurt, fear of somebody being mad and a whole lot of outdated programming! Fear is how the enemy blocks us from our true destiny and who we were created to be!!! Say the honest thing! Take the risk! Tell the truth! Let yourself be seen! Slowly but surely you will start feeling the air get lighter and your spirit will start to align with who you're meant to be!

You're not broke. You're not weak. You're just used to surviving!!! There's no time left to just survive!! It's time to LIVE AND THRIVE AND BE JOYFUL AND HAPPY AGAIN!!! And it all starts with one small act of courage at a time!!!

❤CD