To Move Forward, Come Out of Your Own Prison

There are times in which it seems like there is no way to move forward, in which everything gets worse and the universe is plotting against you. However, most situations are only just as difficult as we make them. Moving forward is easy once you dare to come out of your own prison.

It’s normal to see people exaggerate everything that happens and get nervous about not being able to control the result of every decision they take. Knowing how things will be before starting or preparing for the future down to the last minute – or at least trying – causes constant frustration in life for many people. But, is it really all that necessary to make the present so complicated in order to lock down everything that will happen?

Listen to yourself, stop fighting yourself, and trust in the journey to move forward

Life has so much more to give than what your mind can conceive. Why do we lock ourselves up in a prison where absolutely everything is controlled and planned out? It doesn’t have to mean that you’re wandering around lost, rather that you are leaving the door open to whatever destiny awaits you, because no matter what your destiny will always be there. And that way, even if it’s bad, in most cases we can choose between suffering because of it and facing it.

But how do you find the way? Listening to yourself will give you a hint. If you’re capable of being honest, of silencing the voices that tell you what you have to do or tell you what is “politically correct”, you will be able to hear your inner voice. And when you feel that you need to do something outside of your plan, something different, don’t fight yourself. Explore what your inner voice requests. Decipher what you need and look for a way to do it, within your possibilities.

But, above all, trust in the journey. Only in that way can you enjoy it and take advantage of it. Only in that way can you find the means of expressing what you need in order to expose your emotions and feelings, to grow, to be yourself, and to move forward.

You have the key to your prison

Often all of our potential is forced into a prison cell to which only we have the key. But why do we do that? Why do we create a life for ourselves that cuts our wings instead of helping us fly? Why – when we have such huge potential – do we resign ourselves to a mediocre life?

The truth is that the idea of living with everything controlled and planned out seems very comfortable. However, at the same time, making ourselves comfortable can be very deceptive. To open the door of your cell, start by getting rid of that narrow vision that doesn’t let you look beyond it, that doesn’t let you think about all the opportunities that present themselves.

It’s true that making ourselves comfortable is sometimes a consequence of past experiences. Suffering and pain fill our emotional baggage with fear, complexes, and limiting beliefs. But how about if you change that heavy emotional baggage into a toolbox?

You have the key…and the ability to open the door

One thing is to know that you have the key, but it’s a whole other thing to be brave enough to open the door and leave. Fear is hidden underneath every decision we take. The fear of failure, of the unknown, of not being good enough, of making a mistake, or of being judged, stops us.

But not doing anything is how we start to feel regret, to feel as if we will die without having lived. Now, do you have a fear of failure but you are not scared of losing the opportunity to triumph? Are you scared to mess up, but not of losing a good idea? Are you afraid of being judged, but not of how you’ll feel about yourself in the future?

If you do not let fear guide your actions, you will never regret having made an important decision. Even if you fail, even if you mess up… Every step is important for your personal growth. Every step will get you closer to your objectives – including even when that step was an error – and you give yourself the opportunity to feel the freedom to make courageous decisions.

Explore beyond your comfort zone in order to move forward

Your prison is your comfort zone. No one is keeping you there. Get out and open your mind up to the world. Your comfort zone will stay where it was if you need to go back. Remember that you have the key. You are free not only to leave, but also to come back.

You have to take the risk of putting one foot out, then another. If you believe that you are doing the right thing, embrace the risk. You don’t have to throw yourself into something if you are not prepared. Do it step by step. Little by little you will start to feel safer, and – above all – better about yourself.

Uncertainty about risk plays its own role. As you get used to that uncertainty, as you learn to manage it, your fear will give way to curiosity and the desire to keep going.