Passion for Life – Overcoming Our Mental Prisons

From the mid 1930’s to the mid 1960’s this place held some of America’s most hardened criminals. Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. Alcatraz, what an ominous place. It’s steel and concrete walls form an incredibly intimidating barrier. And despite numerous attempts, no one ever successfully escape from this maximum security prison.

But there’s another kind of prison I want to talk to you about in this Think About It segment, a type of prison that can keep you from discovering the purpose of life. I’m speaking of mental prisons. I’m convinced that 10’s of millions of people are living out their lives trapped inside the walls of mental prisons asking, “Is there more to life?” I’m talking about the barriers that can stand between you and the pursuit of your Calling. That stand between you and you ability to say, I found “my passion.” The wall that keeps you from freely traveling on your Sacred Path.

By no means am I suggesting that these mental prisons are imaginary, they’re very real. The more I work in the area of encouraging people to listen to their dreams, to follow their hearts, to seek after a passion for life, the more I realize what people are up against. The walls that can keep you from following your Sacred Path in many ways are just as tough as Alcatraz’s walls. Self-doubt, a sense of responsibility, a lack of clarity as to what your Calling is, a lack of support from others, financial realities, and a million other possibilities.

If you’re not living the kind of passionate life you want, I’d like to conduct a quick little experiment by asking you a question. If you’re not living a life of meaning and passion, if you’re not following your dreams, “Why not?” Why don’t you just stop living the life you’re living now, and begin to live in a way than brings more meaning and joy to you?

What was your first reaction to this question? I want to draw your attention to whatever just popped into your head. What rationale, or images, or concerns or emotion followed my question? Your first reaction is very important. These first responses are very likely a direct clue about what forms at least part of the wall of your mental prison.

Again, these things are far from imaginary, they are very, very real. “I can’t, they wouldn’t understand, I’ll do it later, I don’t have time to think about things like meaning and purpose and passion, I’ve got to make a living.” These are legitimate issues. However I’d like to encourage you be consider that very often we build the walls ourselves. We work hard to string the wire, and then hire the guards and then ask them to train their guns on us. They are indeed prisons of our own design. But these walls do not need to be permanent. Unlike Alcatraz’s prisoners, you can escape, you can leave your mental prison, if you are willing to do whatever is necessary to respond to what your Calling is asking you to do. It could take a while. It may be challenging. You may need to change some very fundamental ways in which you’re living. But freedom awaits you on the other side of the wall, and your Calling is asking you to consider listening for your traveling directions.