The Box Theory

This is my little theory on how we live our lives, particularly when it comes to our creativity, but it can apply to many situations.

We are all about boxes....

We live in a box,

We drive a box,

We work in a box,

We keep our belongings in a box,

We even end up in a box!

So....it is easy for us to maintain that box-like mentality throughout our everyday lives.

We find our little box in the world and hunker down in the comfy middle of it with lots of cushy room around us. Everything is nice and safe. Same as usual. How can we grow creatively as individuals? The answer is......

Run to the side of our box, where it is uncomfortable, the fearful area, pushing our boundaries, stretching our abilities.....making our box bigger. Until.....

We break through the box! We did it! Something we didn't think we could do but we surprised ourselves! No longer are we in the middle of that safe, cushy box. Here we are in unchartered territory, exploring new and uncomfortable things where we aren't so sure of ourselves. It's fear that wants us to get the duct tape and repair the hole in the box so we can go back to the middle where it's safe. But fear lies. We don't really want to go back....we are PROUD of ourselves for accomplishing something we thought impossible! Squash fear. Step on it. Move on and UP! There is so much to do and learn outside of our box. But, as time passes, we begin to get comfortable with all the new lessons and a new box forms around us....although a much bigger box. Should we stand in the middle waiting for cushy comfort to form around us again?

Absolutely NOT! Run toward the side and start pushing and stretching those boundaries again! There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we are actively pursuing our passion!

The more I think about this theory, the more it relates at so many levels and with so many situations. Any thoughts?