It’s Autumn but it doesn’t really feel like it. The weather is really hot, the sun is shining bright and it feels like a summer day. So, what better thing to do on a summer-not-so-autumn day than to head to the seaside?!
That’s exactly what I did yesterday. There I was at the beach with my kid, and there’s no one to be seen. My favourite days to visit the beach. Pure bliss! I am there, soaking up on the beauty of the sea, losing myself in the vastness of the space in front of me, and blissfully enjoying the smell of the salty water… and all of a sudden I notice this fence right in front of me.
I hadn’t seen it before. I had not realised it was there. What could have drawn my attention to it? I worried about my kid falling. So, when fear kicked in, I looked for safety, for security and that’s when I saw the fence. (which is totally fine)
But there is something peculiar about this fence... It is being put together by rope wrapped around it … it looked so fragile…
The actual fence!
You know, in the past I would have given in to fear, and completely forget about the wonderful sight, with the sea and the sky meeting each other. But not yesterday!
And I wondered… How many times do we feel like we are on the edge of something extraordinarily different and exciting, and then fear makes us look for security, distracting us and holding us back from?
How many times we feel something is about to shift in our life, we’re excited about it, and because of fear we HOLD ON to fences that are so freaking unstable?
How many times do we dare so little, holding on to fences which are so weak that wouldn't be able to hold you if you were to lean onto them?
How many times do we hold on to fences that really don't serve us anymore? Fences we keep fixing… we keep mending… out of fear!
There comes a day that the fence that once kept us safe, will now keep us trapped inside.
It may give us the illusion that being behind the fence is much better, much safer… but that’s just it – an illusion!
I remember the day I received my last paycheck from school with ZERO euros on it. I had quit my job as a teacher after 24 years. There was not much of a plan except to keep moving and showing up for what I am really passionate about.
That day I was freaking out! Fear kept shouting at me:
— What the f*ck are you doing with your life?
And for 12 hours in a row I played the same song, over and over again (UNSTOPPABLE by Sia). I listened to it, and I sang for hours and hours straight. My hands were sweating; my heart was beating so fast. Luckily it’s blood because if it was milk, it would have turned into butter! OMG!!! I was really freaking out, but I was not going back!
That day I made sure I surrounded myself with an empowering group of people. I remember one particular person telling me:
— Awesome! Now you can shoot for the stars. The sky is the limit!
That was it!!!! There was no more fence. No more hiding, and no more playing small. I had removed the fence, and now there were no more limits. No more mending or fixing the fence, finding excuses to it, postponing decisions, blaming others and complaining about it…
I had jumped and now, all I had to do was to keep on flying and soar!
The summer-not-so-autumn Sunday...
So, I wonder…
Is there a fence you are holding on to that doesn’t serve you anymore? Is there a fence you keep on mending and fixing?
What would it look like if you jumped? How exciting would your life be if you took the leap and started to fly? What would be possible for you without the fence? How exciting would your life be if you remembered that you are actually a free being capable of achieving every dream you dream?
Share your fences in the comments! I would love to read about them.
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