Welcome to this talk about being stuck in a cage.
How do you learn to break free from a cage you have set for yourself?
I remember a quote that says,
You are your worst enemy.
It is your negative thoughts that hold you back,
Nothing else.
Inside your mind there is a cage.
A cage that makes you feel trapped by your current position in life.
Imagine if you will that you are in a cage.
The cage divines your world and keeps you where you are.
Like a tree you can't move.
You often dream about life outside of this cage,
Spreading your wings and fly away.
But somehow you remain stuck.
Even though the door of the cage is wide open.
Why don't you realize that the door of this cage is open?
All you have to do is walk out.
But you are so adapted to the cage and the boundaries it sets for you.
It doesn't even occur to you to walk out.
So why are you staying in this cage that is holding you back from going all in and living your full potential?
Just because it is familiar and predictable.
Leaving the cage means you have to deal with the unknown,
Which is scary and fearful.
It might frighten you.
When you are in the cage you know exactly what is expected of you.
You know how to get your needs met in this cage.
Dreaming in this cage means taking a big risk,
Getting out of your comfort zone.
In other words,
Staying in the cage gives you a sense of safety.
But as safe as it may seem,
It does not satisfy other needs such as personal fulfillment.
I meet a lot of my clients that want to change their life,
But deep down inside they don't really want to change.
Because in order for you to live a significantly different life,
You have to change many habits that actually define who you are and how you respond to life.
Taking a significant change can be a threat to your identity,
Who you perceive you are,
And your place in life.
Getting out of that cage means going through a period of discomfort,
A period of starting over,
Learning.
I am a big traveler and I travel already for 10 years all over the world living in different places.
And for those who have been from one city to another,
One country from another,
You know that you experience disorientation,
Clumsiness,
Stupid decisions,
Feeling that you don't belong,
Feeling that you are new to something.
Those are symptoms that you feel and that you try to avoid.
So you don't change.
You rather don't change,
Even though somehow we want to.
So why do we stay in a cage that's open?
How can we break free of that fear and that safety that keeps us there?
First of all,
It's very important to realize that this cage is made up of society's feedback.
This cage tells you who you are,
How you must act,
And what is expected of you.
And it's unique to everyone.
For example,
The societal expectations of men and women can diverge vastly,
For example.
Right now you're trying to feel comfortable in this cage and as you grow up,
People around you label you.
You're too sensitive.
You're just average or you're not good enough or you are more of this and less of that.
You take these labels as truth and the cost of your unexplored self.
As long as you take those labels and you put them into your cage,
You will never realize your true potential.
Somehow we learned when growing up that if someone says something to you,
It might be true and we just take it.
Sometimes even without using our brain and using our own awareness of is it true?
Is it really true that I'm not good enough?
Is it really true that I'm too much or too sensitive?
Why do we take so much advice from others while we are the ones that know ourselves best?
We know why we do what we're doing if we have a look inside.
So holding on to this limiting beliefs,
These things that people tell us,
This society's feedback,
We're going to stay stuck in this cage even though the cage is wide open and you can fly out whenever you want to.
I want you to close your eyes for a moment if you haven't already and imagine yourself in a cage.
Walk around and feel its constraints.
Tune in to both your comfort but also your discomfort in the cage and still be aware that the door is open.
Think about the life outside of this cage.
That life when you go all in,
You keep going for it,
You don't play small anymore,
You spread your wings and you fly away.
What is outside of that cage?
Think about walking out of the cage,
What feeling does that bring up?
Is there some fear?
Are you afraid to admit that there is some fear?
How does it feel if you look outside of that cage?
Think about walking out,
What comes up for you?
What do you feel?
What do you see?
What do you hear?
When you're ready,
Imagine that you're leaving the cage.
Think about what you will do differently outside of the cage,
Letting go of society,
Feedback,
Things that people told you,
The judgement that people might have.
Let go of all of that.
Think about what you'll do differently when you spread your wings and fly.
Imagine the opportunities that are available to you outside of that cage.
How does it feel to spread your wings and fly away?
Feel how it feels?
Hear what you hear,
See what you see when you spread your wings.
Nobody is holding you back,
The door is wide open.
But what is in your mind that keeps you stuck?
Ask yourself these questions and think about it.
Why am I keeping myself in the cage I live in?
How is getting outside of my cage a threat to the character I'm playing,
My identity?
Do I have some ideas about what would be expected of me outside of this cage?
What scares me the most of getting out of this cage?
And what is it about being free to change that scares me?
What scares you to step outside of that cage,
To break free,
To let go of your worst enemy your thoughts that are holding you back.
You're one step away of breaking free from a cage.
If you let go immediately of the fear of what could have been,
What can be,
What might be,
The fear of what society thinks of you.
Free yourself from the society's cage.
Stop being trapped,
Break your own change.
The cage is wide open.
It's your choice if you want to fly or stay stuck.
Break free and live your full potential.
You only have one life to live.
Spread your wings and fly away.
I wish you a great day.
Thank you for listening.
I love Selma.
