Breaking Boundaries

Happy New Year everyone!!

Before I start, I just want to say that 2018 is going to be a great, great year for us all! Dreams would come true, goals would be accomplished and great things would be achieved by us all! We can only get better and we would get better.

That being said, as we usher in a new and amazing year, I would be discussing on breaking boundaries. Much importance is placed on creating boundaries in various aspects of our lives to enable us achieve what we truly want in life, However, I would be discussing on the different types of mental boundaries we consciously or subconsciously place our minds in that prevent us from reaching out goals and enjoying mental freedom. I would also be sharing on breaking these mental boundaries and some tips for releasing our minds from any mental boundaries we may currently find ourselves "trapped" in with the acronym R.E.L.E.A.S.E. I hope someone reading this finds it useful.

Mental boundaries.

The bars of depression, anxiety, fear, doubt, worry and constant negative mindwars seldom imprison our minds subconsciously. With each passing day, these bars get thicker and stronger and  while we fight to break free, we find ourselves holding on to them. We allow ourselves to get eaten up by depression, bitterness, worry and fear and this prevents us from being able to move on, forge ahead or achieve great things. The constant worries or feelings of “not being good enough” prevent us from believing in our abilities to do anything. Most times, we fear things the outcome of things that may never happen or are worried about things that we have no control over. We doubt that things would work out in our favor or that we can actually accomplish what we have set out to do. We subconsciously build a nest of negativity which we live in and remain comfortable in because to be positive is to have hope and to have hope requires

Leon Brown once said “It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to, has power over you, if you allow it.” So imagine a mind that feels powerless to achieve anything, a mind that desperately sees dreams coming true beyond its reach but is out of its grasp, a mind that is stuck in its own prison and refuses to break down the bars that prevent it from being positive or achieving its goals. If we give power to negativity,  negativity will have power over us if we allow it. If we give power to depression, to fear, to doubt, to worry, to anxiety, they will have power over us if we allow it. 

And now to breaking free... I’ve learned that instead of constantly banging on the bars of the mind prison for us to be set free, all we need to do is to reach in and R. E.L.E.A.S.E ourselves from these bars. We each possess the key to releasing ourselves from these mental boundaries. I’ll share some of these keys below. 

R- Release

E - Empower your mind

L - Let go

E- Encourage others

A- Allow for mistakes

S - Stay positive

E- Explore freedom

The first step to breaking free from the mental boundaries which may currently seem to prevent you from reaching your goals is to first decide that you want to Release  your mind from such boundaries. Decide that you want to be free from fear, from negativity, from worry over things you cannot control, from anxiety and any form of fear. Each morning, awake with a mindset of releasing your mind from these boundaries. In your quiet times (and if you do not have anywhere you can be by yourself and just allow your thoughts to bounce around and take control of them, I encourage that you do) practice releasing your mind from any form of negativity and utter words of affirmation to reinforce this. Release your mind from those seemingly overpowering thoughts that seem to have so much control over you. Remember, they can only have control if you allow them.

Ensure your mind is being fed the right food to enable it get stronger and more confident. Remember, garbage in, garbage out. What we feed our minds with affect us a whole lot. Be careful not to be constantly surrounded with negativity. Even "joking negativity" I have found, does not really help. Feed your mind on things that would help you become better, stronger, more active and that will enable you break these boundaries. Watch positive video clips, watch movies that teach life changing lessons, have meaningful conversations and so on.

Learn to let go of certain things. Of hurt, of pain, of some things that are and things that may never be. Of the past, of mistakes, of missed opportunities and other things we desperately cling on to that prevent us from moving forward. Sometimes we dwell so much on the past and purposely refuse to let go of certain thoughts, bitterness or even pain from our past. Sometimes, we refuse to let go until because we feel we need some form of closure forgetting that closure does not always happen in every situation. In fact, in most situations, closure may not necessarily go the way you envisioned in your mind which leaves you more clingy to what you were trying to let go of in the first place.
So, let go.  You will actually feel lighter.

Encouraging others and being kind to others is another key to help us break free from mental boundaries. By doing this, you come out of your mind and are more outward focused than inward focused. You're not consumed with your own thoughts which could be overwhelming and negative if you allow them. Instead, in encouraging others, you subconsciously find yourself being positive about things, because well, how can you encourage another with negativity or worry or fear or doubt. It also builds up your confidence in believing that you can actually make another human being feel better. Try it this week.

Remember that you are human and mistakes are bound to happen. You are not defined by your mistakes or opportunities lost. In my last post, while sharing on some of the lessons I learned this year, I discussed a little on expecting to fail. You can read that here. Allow for those mistakes while learning from them.. Refuse to be held back by a mistake. Sometimes we subconsciously allow mistakes made to determine our abilities. Sometimes, we feel that once we have failed at something, we can not do it again. Believe in you.

STAY POSITIVE!! Feed your mind with positive things, surround yourself with positive people, enjoy positive vibes only.

Most importantly, explore mental freedom. Allow your mind to be set free from these mental boundaries. Allow yourself to experience that mental freedom for a change.

Thank you for reading! I would love to hear any comments, feedback or questions you may have.

Kindly send an email to theoverthoughts@gmail.com and have a great weekend!