Escape-break free from confinement or control.

Are you living life in the way you really want? Do you say everything you would like to? Or do you hold back your real thoughts because of a fear what you really think will cause suffering for you? If you are not confident enough in your ideas to speak to them without fear, you are living in prison.  If you don’t do exactly what you want because you are afraid of what others will think, you are being confined. I believe that for much of my life, I have been in a detention cell of my own making, and it is time to organize a prison break. To escape the cage, we need to assess the limitations we are placing on ourselves honestly.  It begins by examining your thoughts, building your prison walls. The resulting emotions that punish or reward you. The words you speak to express and describe your situation And, of course, the actions you take to escape or remain in confinement.

The Choice of Fear

One of the greatest prisons I have experienced is the prison of fear. This is a large prison because it contains inmates from all over the world and of all social classes. Fear finds a way to grab hold of us wherever it can. There is no way to avoid it. There is something that we are afraid of and don’t want to experience. This fear can affect the behavior of everyone, and it positively has affected my life in negative ways. For many years I looked at many fears as common sense, but fear is the opposite choice of love. Without love, all of the positive things are removed from your experience.

It has become evident to me as I have grown older that each decision that I make is a constant choice between love (positive for us, growth, understanding, caring) or fear (worry, misunderstanding, judgment, or even hate).   Each thought that you entertain is going to lead you into a prison of expectation and attachment or toward a life of freedom and acceptance of yourself and your actions. That choice is up to you.

The prison of fear is like many others that we create ourselves in our existence. Self-made with no need for guards. Fear will keep you nestled snugly inside your cell at the appropriate time. Not realizing that you are being confined, and you will often feel like things are going just the way they should be. An excellent system for the warden! When you have the most in life, there is always the fear of losing it.

Your identity and accomplishments are exactly what society told you to aspire to.  There is no way that a person solidly bound to the ground can ever reach great heights. Fear will keep you from reaching, stretching, or looking for something new. The comfort zone is the home base of fear, and there is nothing new that will result from it. So either you will atrophy where you are, but more likely, you will shrink backward. Into your cell, comfortably watching mindless entertainment, and thinking very little. With little thought comes small growth, and without increase comes death.  I had met many people who had died long before their lives ended.  I am inspired not to be one of them. I look to escape that fate of fear and mediocrity.

Social Anxiety

There is an ailment that affects people called social anxiety. This is a prison that makes interacting with others a terrifying experience. I paid a visit to this prison, and it is an all-encompassing confinement experience.  To me, it was an unspoken fear about what other people might think about me. Thoughts are created in an active imagination to bind you where you are. In my case, I was surprised, in the end, to learn how little people thought of me at all.  This can keep you from

venturing out and experiencing all that life has to offer. New experiences that you might need to grow and become the best that you can be.

All of us have the danger of falling into a prison of our own making if we don’t continue to look for areas in which we need to grow.  Growth and new experiences always remind us about our ability to be free and to make choices that are ours alone and will lead to the path of our life.

The new meanings that we discover in relationships work or hobbies remind a person how good and joyous life can be if you embrace it.  Move out of your comfort zone just a little bit and see what treasures you will find. Plan your escape from whatever prison has you in its grips.  The key exists in your thoughts and mind.

Escape Today, Right Now

Looking at the limits I experience every day, it is evident most have been created by my number one enemy, my arch-villain. This person continually hurts and takes away my value,  myself.  I have chosen the limits in my life. The chains were created link by link in the thoughts I have in my mind.  Thoughts of fear, not being good enough, or loveable.  All of these were first created with good intentions of self-protection, but they grew little by little, each day. Almost imperceptibly, they succeeded, until walls were all around me.  Escape is difficult and treacherous. But flight is possible and necessary for growth and success in life.

I believe I can escape my confinements at this very moment, and that being the case, what can I do today that will lead me to growth outside of my comfort zone and the personal freedom that I am looking for?  It all starts with a close examination of my thoughts I am entertaining, the resulting emotions, the words I speak, and the actions I take today!  My escape begins within the walls of my mind.

“Escape loneliness whenever you can. Life is a game best played in pairs.”

“I feel like life is short, and it’s important to enjoy yourself and embrace whatever comes your way, whether it’s a challenging day or a great day, just welcome it with open arms. No matter who you are, you can’t escape challenges; they are part of life.”—- Miranda Kerr

“No one can live without relationship. You may withdraw into the mountains, become a monk, a sannyasi, wander off into the desert by yourself, but you are related. You cannot escape from that absolute fact. You cannot exist in isolation.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti

“No one can live without relationship. You may withdraw into the mountains, become a monk, a sannyasi, wander off into the desert by yourself, but you are related. You cannot escape from that absolute fact. You cannot exist in isolation.”– Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Anyone who looks or listens will experience the full measure of their truths–the sun’s faith in the sanctity of cycles, the rabbit’s dedication to the purity of the present moment, and the bird’s reminder that every soul is as free as it believes itself to be. I filled my mind with their wisdoms and carried the inspiration with me–down the pathway, past the guards, through the gates, and into my prison cell…”  – Rara