“One of the marvels of the world: The sight of a soul sitting in prison with the key in its hand.” – Rumi
Why, why, why is it so darn difficult to use the key?
Well, believe it or not, it’s probably because you don’t see it. Imagine that. A perfectly good key, just waiting to break you out of whatever funk you’re in is right there in your hand and you don’t even see it. How could that be?
You’re not allowing yourself to see it because your focus is likely on that bad hand you feel you’ve been dealt. Even worse, that misplaced focus gives birth to limiting beliefs that multiply faster than gremlins eating after midnight.
Truthfully, we all have proverbial prisons we find ourselves in at different times.
Some of us feel stuck in our job, our relationship, our debt, our purpose…the list goes on! Unfortunately, there will always be circumstances, situations or even phases of life where you feel stuck. Because, like your mama said, that’s life!
But the real “key” is to cultivate a certain level of self-awareness so you can push through, move forward and break out to the other side.
If you’re feeling stuck in any one of those life situations try asking yourself a few questions to stir up a little self-awareness.
Start with 3 simple ones to get the ball rolling:
- What am I good at? Knowing and owning your strengths is paramount to your success no matter the situation. Maybe you are stellar at keeping things organized or perhaps you’ve been repeatedly complimented on your listening skills. How can you leverage that strength to make progress in your current life situation? Don’t overthink this one, it doesn’t take much to get started.
- How are you taking responsibility? Do not let yourself go to the dark side of blaming someone or something else – that is wasted energy my friend. Stay clear on what you are doing to own this situation. Owning it will help keep you on track. You have the power to make your own choices and you alone are accountable for how you choose to respond.
- What type of uncertainty is brewing? Knowing the “why” behind feeling stuck is pretty helpful. You can’t address the uncertainty, and debunk it, until you know what it is that’s making you feel that way. Makes sense, right? Some common ways uncertainties manifest is through fear, relying on past experience, a perceived lack of knowledge and my personal favorite – letting perfect be the enemy of good enough.
We all have the tendency to focus on the prison walls before we notice the key. Keep these few simple questions to practice your self-awareness and begin unlocking more opportunities for progress. Queue the prison break sirens and get rollin.’