(ThyBlackMan.com) Boxed-in living is a state of mind in which a person feels their means for mobility is restricted by roles and expectations – the demands of living! People who feel this way generally believe they have few choices other than the reality to which they awaken on a daily basis. We get up, go to work, take care of our kids, pay bills and go to bed and then repeat the next morning. We muster half-hearted attempts at pleasure but something deep down inside remains unfulfilled. It’s called compartmentalization: ‘compart’- to divide; ‘mental’- mind; thus we are living with “divided minds” in which our existence is tucked away into neat little ‘compartments’ such as spousal demands, parenting roles, work expectations etc. Time to break out of the box.! Here are three remedies for boxed-in living.
See Life as Dynamic Versus Static
The feeling of always being stuck is the primary reason we begin to 
feel boxed-in. Often we get bogged down in life and our dreams slowly fade into oblivion. We begin to settle in for the journey to old age. Life becomes static because our dreams become static. We stop moving because we stop dreaming. Life is not a pond, it’s a river – always moving, always carving out new avenues. Get into the flow! Write down one goal you would like to achieve before the end of the year. Then figure out step number one to realize its accomplishment.
One reason we become static is because we spend entirely too much time focused on everyone but ourselves. Culture plays a key role in this phenomenon with its emphasis on celebrity gossip and innuendo.
Identify Your Motivation-Inhibitors
A high degree of motivation-inhibitors can keep you boxed-in. Motivation-inhibitors are hidden mental parasites and people that block our blessings and the life we deserve. Essentially, motivation-inhibitors seep down into our subconscious and convince us we are undeserving of the life we want and deserve. You deserve to live healthy! You deserve to be loved and to love! You deserve to live a life of financial freedom! The only thing preventing you from realizing the aforementioned are the mental blocks that constantly remind you that you’re “too old”, “too fat”, “too skinny” or “too inexperienced”.
Of course, these mental templates are reinforced by the people who you hang around the most. They unwittingly and subconsciously approve of your self-imposed limitations. Use this litmus test to identify the motivation-blockers in your social circle: Announce to your circle how much you want to start your own business. Then purposely begin to lament how under-capitalized you are, how you lack the resources and training etc. Then see how your cohorts respond: Who defies you and says “I refuse to believe you can’t do this! Conversely, who says “I understand, I thought about it myself and changed my mind when I found out the costs!” Trust that God will grant you the serenity to see the difference!
Determine Your What Why When
Determining your ‘what’ ‘why’ and ‘when’ can free you from boxed-in living. You would be surprised at how people really do not know what they really, really want and can only describe what they want in very hazy language. In order for you to escape boxed-in living, you must gain and develop an idea. I call it the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’ of desire. Note that ‘how’ is not in the equation – that’s not for you to figure out!
‘What’ you want forms the foundation: Do you want to be in love? Do you want to be rich? Do you want to be healthy? Be as specific as possible. Describe your ideal mate. Set a financial number. How many pounds do you want to drop?
‘Why’ forms the mental framework to get started: Why do you want to be in love? Why do you want to be rich? Why do you want to be healthy? Writing affirmations here can helpful.
‘When’ is the question which determines motivation: Do you want what you want now? In the next five years?
Time to break free of boxed-in living!
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.
