From the "Passion Unlocks Prosperity" series:
The Barrier To Personal Growth
The journey of personal growth can often be at odds with the way you were raised. Especially when your upbringing reinforces the notion of maintaining absolute control over yourself.
Society has to put certain restrictions on what we do so we don't harm ourselves or others as a result of our actions.... and with good reason:
If everyone did whatever they pleased whenever they wanted, society would not be able to function. That's called anarchy. So as children we are taught to be careful about what we think, say and do. This is an essential part of creating our core belief system. The cautionary mind set, created by core beliefs, is an essential tool every child needs. It serves to establish what is right or wrong for an individual, so he or she can function in the world without harming themselves or others.
After all, having an instantaneous reaction of fear and apprehension to the sudden notion of stepping off the sidewalk into the path of a oncoming car is very healthy.
For many of us however, the real and unconscious limits we place upon what we allow ourselves to think or do often extends far beyond just keeping us safe. Without realizing it, you may have allowed your childhood "conditioning", which taught you to maintain self control, to turn itself into an invisible fence. A barrier that was supposed to keep you safe but has now transformed itself into a prison.
Now you find that you are isolated by the comfort zone your attitudes, opinions and beliefs have created. Everything in your life fits neatly into a box and you are afraid to think outside the box. So it's not surprising that you find yourself being kept away from new ideas and activities. Prevented from taking the steps necessary for your personal growth... by the very conditioning that was supposed to keep you safe.
The problem is those things you need to experience, which are necessary for personal growth, are always outside of your comfort zone.
They don't fit neatly inside the box because they all exist on the other side of the fence. In order to reach them you are going to have to cross over the internal barrier of your current attitudes and opinions.
In other words: It's time to build a new bigger box!
The day you run out of excuses
is the day your life changes...
