Don’t Keep The Following Locked

I already had keys, and I still got locked out of the house.

Now, my parent’s house doesn’t have a Fort Knox-esque security system, but my mother is pretty uptight about security at the house, which means she locks and double locks all the doors.

I have keys to this house, and apparently, it wasn’t enough.  They had to deadbolt the main door, and lock the doors inside, to which I didn’t have keys to.

Growing up, it was such a hassle to leave the house knowing you would have to go through all of that.  I also found out about all the “creative” ways to get in the house, if you know what I mean.

This got me thinking, what shouldn’t be kept locked?

Don’t keep these locked.

I know safety and security is important, but it’s also important to stretch and be free, to give these some breathing room,

some growing room.

Part of growing is exploring, being free, trying new things, and making mistakes as well.  It’s all part of growing bigger, stronger, faster, better, calmer, and happier.

So if we’re always keeping these locked, then we’re not giving these a chance to grow.

If we keep them locked in the hopes of preserving what little we have left of them, then it won’t work.  It will only serve to weaken them, to help them wither away.

When you don’t use it, you lose it.

 

Body

For the longest time, I thought that I didn’t have the ability to be healthy, to be strong.  I believed that it just wasn’t for me, and that I wasn’t born that way.

How wrong I was.

What I did was that I locked down my body, in that I didn’t invest any time or effort to getting healthier and stronger.

And I paid the price for it.  Years of abuse left me with little to no energy, bad posture, and bad eating habits.  I felt slow, sluggish, and lazy.

It all came to a head when I found my life in a situation that I didn’t want to be in, and then I got a lower back injury, which resulted in me having difficulty walking, and even standing up.

To unlock my body, I exercised, and watched what I ate.  At first, I was particular about what kind of exercise I was going to do, but you know what I found out?

The best exercise, is the exercise you actually do.

 

Heart

When I closed down two of my businesses, I didn’t expect to feel pain.  And I really didn’t expect to feel shame from what happened.

As a result of the fear, self-doubt, and loss of confidence.  I actually began to distance myself from people.  People I considered close and supportive, and even my girlfriend.

I was so afraid of my relationships judging me, rejecting me, and closing themselves off from me.  I felt so hurt from my professional failure, that I didn’t want to feel any failure from the personal side as well.

But that’s life, you’ve got to roll with the punches and go through it.

And grow through it as well.

I slowly opened up and built back my heart “muscle” by meeting up with friends, one on one at first.  Slowly, I started to reconnect and rebuild relationships with people who wanted to meet me again.

It’s true.  No man is an island.

 

Mind

Looking back, my mind was the first thing that I locked up, and in turn, it kept me locked for the longest time.  I had thoughts and beliefs that had little to no basis, but since I believed in them so much, they actually hindered me from succeeding.

I thought that money was so hard to come by, that people were out to get me, that there would be no one who would want my help or my products because I wasn’t original enough.

I wasn’t open to new ideas, new thoughts, new possibilities.  I believed that I only had to work hard enough with what I currently had then, and then I would find success.

Not true.

And opening up my mind wasn’t only about learning and reading, but it was also about being honest with what I believed in, and would there be a better way of looking at the world that would help me get to my dreams?

I also had to be open about what media and information I was consuming, and to be open to either cutting that out, or to looking for sources of new, belief-supporting, honest and true, information.

 

Spirit

And in the darkest time of my challenges, I started to doubt my relationship with God.  I felt hopeless, and powerless in the face of fear and despair.

I even felt so low, as to consider ending my life.

Because I didn’t take care of myself, I slowly lost touch with who I was, what I believed in, and my power to create change, outside of me, and inside as well.

To set my spirit free, I had to begin creating again, to feel my personal power to create what I wanted to create, to regain control of my life, and to begin to trust again in a higher power.

 

Build Freedom For Yourself

There were easy times, and there were very difficult times in my journey as well.  All a part of living life and finding what mattered most to me.

I’m happier now with where I am, and I am excited looking forward to where I want to go, and where I will end up.

You’ve got to set yourself free, and be open to change, possibilities, and challenges that come your way.  If you keep yourself locked up, yes, you might prevent pain and suffering, but you will also surely prevent opportunities and growth.

Set yourself free.

Don’t keep yourself locked.

 

How did you set yourself free and “unlock” yourself?  Please share in the comments below!