Escape from Prison

"If you want to get ahead, you have to make sacrifices and work all the hours God gave!"

Has anyone ever said that to you?  For that matter, have you ever said that to yourself?

This belief is so common that I am sure, in one form or another, this has been said to you so many times that deep inside you really believe it to be true.  Even if you don't consciously think this way, subconsciously you probably do, without even realizing it.

Many people, on hearing this (or something very like it), have decided that they are simply not going to bother.  They don't want to sacrifice time with their friends and family.  They don't want to work themselves into an early grave.  So they opt out of the race to success.  They know that they are never going to make it without sacrificing more than they are willing to sacrifice.  And so they give up.

Most people I meet fall into one of these two camps.  Either they are working so hard they don't have time to stop and smell the roses, or they have thrown away all the ambitions they had when they were younger because they know they will never achieve them.

Do you fall into either of these two categories?

If so, you are missing a vital trick!

It is simply not true that the only way to become successful is to make unacceptable sacrifices.  You only believe that because you have been told it too many times, and now even repeat the mantra to yourself.  This creates an inner block which makes it virtually impossible for you to be successful.

For as long as you have this inner block it is as though you are in prison.  But in a prison cell you created for yourself.  And a prison cell for which you have the only bunch of keys.

There are several doors you must pass in order to break out of that prison, and you have a key to each of those doors.

The first door you must open is the one to the room that tells you what it is you really want.  Surprising as it may sound, most of us do not know what we really want.  You will need to sit quietly as you reflect on what it is you think you want and see what bubbles up to the surface.  If you do this properly you will probably find what you really want is quite different from what you thought you wanted.  Once you have opened this door you are well on your way to freedom from your self-imposed imprisonment.

The next door is one labelled "It is ok!".  What do I mean by this?  I mean whatever it is you really want, you have to know that it is ok to want it!  Recognize that the Universe (or God, if you prefer) really wants you to succeed.  You have a destiny you can fulfill if only you will recognize it.  Once you really become aware of this you will feel really positive.  And that positivity will propel you forward towards your goal.

Then there is the door labelled "Visualize".  Having found your real goal, and recognized it is right for you to achieve it, you need to find ways to focus your emotions on achieving it.  Some people refer to "affirmations".  As long as you invest those affirmations with a strong positive emotion, and repeat them in the present tense rather than as a hope for the future, then this is a good way to move forward.  Some people refer to a "vision board", on which they put pictures of whatever it is they want to achieve and what their life will be like when they have achieved it.  Again, this is good.  However you do it, visualize yourself having achieved success.  Feel what it is like.  Immerse yourself in it.  Know that you have achieved it.

Unlock these three doors and you are well on the way to escaping from the prison you have made for yourself and achieving the success of which you have always dreamed!