The Great Escape

It's time to fire your prison guards

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"Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words.
Your words become your actions." -Gandhi

Many list “The Shawshank Redemption” as the number one movie ever. The film tells the story of Andy Dufresne, who, for nineteen years, chipped away at his prison wall, hiding his work behind Rita Hayworth posters. The night he finally broke free, he had to crawl through 500 yards of sewage to reach freedom. The prison guards never suspected a thing – they were looking for a prisoner trying to break out, not a free man emerging from within.

You may not think of yourself as someone who requires liberation. Perhaps you’re pretty comfortable like me. I am sitting in my upstairs office as I write this. I’m sipping hot coffee and staring at the new curved screen monitor I purchased on Amazon Prime Day.

Yet, for most of my life, I was trapped in a feeling of not being enough. Like Andy, I’ve had to crawl through the sewage of false beliefs about myself to experience freedom. The most brutal prison to break out of is the one in your mind, and the most vigilant prison guards are the ones you've unknowingly hired yourself.

Do you know that feeling when you're lying awake at night, and a small voice whispers, "You're probably not cut out for this.” In these moments, our minds become both the prison and the warden, keeping us safely away from our true potential.

Let’s look at some of the guards who may be limiting your life:

1. The "Color Inside the Lines" Guard.
   “Climbing the ladder is the way,” he whispers. “Everyone else is doing it. It’s your only chance to fill that hole inside you." This guard may be well-meaning but only has one playbook. He makes you forget that success is as unique as your left thumbprint. Some of the most fulfilled people I know have given up on society’s rules to fully embrace their strengths.

2. The "Too Late To Change" Guard

   This guy is clever. He’s the persistent voice telling you that your dreams have an expiration date. “You should have been promoted by now!” he shouts. “You will never amount to anything.” They show you a closed door while distracting you from the open window of opportunity right in front of you.

3. The "Don't Rock The Boat" Guard

   This guy may be the worst of all. He has you locked into your comfort zone like a maximum-security prison — disguising fear as wisdom, whispering to you about mortgages and retirement plans while your dreams gather dust in the corner.

Don’t be hard on yourself. You hired these guards to blunt the hurts experienced in the past. However, these limiting beliefs aren't facts – they're stories you've internalized or borrowed from fears and experiences, real or imagined. I am not judging you. It makes so much sense that you would do that.

But you don’t want to stay there, do you? So, how can you turn the story around and see what you could be instead of being shackled to your past? Here is a practical exercise to try:

(1) Write down the lies. Grab an actual notebook. Write down every lie your guards have told you. Write down every limiting belief that has become part of you. Don’t leave anything out. This takes a while if you do it right. Here are some of mine:

• Lie #1: ”You’re too old, Tarek! It’s too late.”

• Lie #2: ”It’s all been said before. Why would people listen to you?”

• Lie #3: ”People will judge you.”

(2) Replace each lie with the truth.

• Truth #1: My entire life experience has prepared me to serve others to help unlock them from their prisons. It’s not too late. In fact, I’m right on time!

• Truth #2: It’s never been said in my voice or filtered through my experience. There are people out there who need my help, and I won’t let them down!

• Truth #3: People will always judge, and I can do nothing about it. My dreams are more significant than their acceptance. Also, Tarek, they really aren’t thinking about you that much.

(3) Read each lie and truth twice daily for 2 weeks. Then, cross out each lie and read the truths for 2 more weeks.

As you read this list repeatedly, your thoughts will change, changing your beliefs and life. You’ll see your possibilities instead of giving your guards a license to run your life.

Will the guards attack back? Yep. They have had their jobs for a long time and don’t want to be unemployed. The path to your freedom will take effort. What matters is that you've begun to see them for what they are: beliefs, not boundaries. Some days, you'll walk past your guards. On other days, you'll negotiate with them.

But remember, your awareness becomes your power. Your power becomes your choice. Your choices become your freedom. Today is the day to thank your guards for their service and kick them to the curb. The life you were meant to live is out there. Let’s get started.

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I hope this post served you today. Please help me spread the word by commenting, restacking, reposting, sharing with others, and subscribing. Go live your life on purpose!