Let Yourself Out of the Box

Let Yourself Out of the Box
Written by Bryce Smith

A box is a pretty cool thing. It is a container with a flat base and sides, typically square or rectangular and having a lid. Its purpose is to hold things in. It is a pretty basic creation.

For many of us, our comfort zone is the same as a box. It is a safe, familiar place; but, like a box, it can keep us confined. I am here to help you get out of your box; better yet, help you get rid of the box all together.

What is holding you back from becoming the best you? In the 17th chapter of St Luke it is written, “The Kingdom of God is within man.” Not in one man or a group of men, but in all men. It is inside you! You have the power to make choices, both good and bad.

Every day is a new day and every moment is a new moment. Every day we are presented with new opportunities and with these new opportunities come new decisions. You have the power to decide who you are going to be, what you are going to do, and how you are going to do it. Some of us make the decision to quit. But why not keep going? You have the power, right? Let me share something that might help you all understand where I am going with this.

Rocky is famous for saying, “The world is not all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody, is going to hit as hard as life. But it is not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

How much you can take, and keep moving forward? This is how winning is done! Winning is maximizing your potential. Many of us stay in our comfort zone box and never allow our wings to spread out because we put limits on ourselves. Let me tell you something, “Limits, just like fears are often just as illusion.”

Decide right now that you are going to be better than yesterday. Decide to step out of your comfort zone. If you have a goal, go after it. If you have a dream, go get it. Do not allow yourself to be stuck in a box!  In life and in sport, you’ve got to want it more than you are afraid of it. You cannot be afraid to fail. One of my favorite quotes of all time is, “Failure is fertilizer”. You cannot and you will not always win, but you must believe that something different can happen. Henry Ford is famous for saying, “Those who think they can, and those who think they can’t, are both right.”

Always remember that the power lies within you. You have the power to make or break your life. There are many circumstances that come our way and serve as roadblocks, but we cannot allow them to keep us in a box. How much can you take and keep moving forward? Many people who have it harder than you are out there chasing their dreams. We can lie here and allow life to pummel us to the ground or we can decide to get up and not give up. We can fight our way back one inch at a time or we can point fingers at others for our shortcomings. Once again, the choice is yours. We each have the power to make this life a wonderful and happy adventure.  Get outside of your box and see what happens.