Is your inner tiger choking on a short leash? In my twenties, I was what some of my friends and family called a "martial arts maniac," training, teaching and performing the Afro-Brazilian style of Capoeira for up to 30 hours a week (all while working a full-time job - don't ask me how I did it!). One of the best parts of this experience was doing performances at local schools since the enthusiasm and excitement of the kids was infectious. One of my most powerful memories from this time was a show we did at Sanchez Elementary School, located in the Mission District of San Francisco. We performed for a full school assembly of about 500 kids. The standard format for schools was to do a performance ourselves, then invite a few volunteers from the audience to learn some basic moves and practice them on stage with a professional performer. The kids got a big kick out of it, and it was a great way to include a bit of instruction with the show. A few kids did the practice performance, then we asked if there were any more volunteers. A very small boy shyly raised his hand and approached us with some trepidation. I assumed by his demeanor and body language that he was going to be very ginger and timid in his movements. I was wrong. From the moment that stepped on stage, he absolutely exploded. He jumped, leaped, spun, kicked and flipped around the stage like a beautiful tiger. The audience was squealing in delight, and all of us performers were clapping wildly to see such a magnificent display of courage and talent. After the show, the Principal of the school came over to me and said in quiet disbelief: "I think that was the most amazing thing I have ever seen." She explained that the little boy who had shown such fire and passion on stage had immigrated from Vietnam a year earlier, and was painfully shy and withdrawn in school. The teachers were worried that he had learning or behavioral problems and had no idea how to get through to him. "I was totally shocked to see such power and creativity come out of that little boy!" she said. And I could tell that he was never going to be looked at the same way again, by his peers or his teachers. This little boy, for many reasons which could have included trauma at leaving his home country and difficulty with a new language, had his inner tiger on a short, choking chain. If he had not had the opportunity to show what was inside of him, no one would have known that he contained such inner power. How many of us walk around the same way? I believe that each of us is born with a strong, creative spirit that wants to jump, dance, learn and grow. I call it the "inner tiger," and it is the life force that propels us towards an active, open, engaging, healthy and fulfilling life. It can also be called your higher calling or life purpose. So why do we often chain it up and not let it roam freely? We are told at an early age that our fire and passion is not "appropriate." We hear things like "nice girls from the suburbs don't start punk rock bands," or "well-educated Indian men do not start scrappy entrepreneurial businesses" or "corn-fed farm boys from the Midwest do not join the New York City Ballet" or "spending your life travelling is a lazy and meaningless way to use your life." We see others around us conforming to "safe" lives and we don't want to stand out. So we go to the "right" schools, take a job at the "right" company and buy a house in the "right" neighborhood, even if we have to walk around with a suppressed scream in our throat all the time. We tell ourselves lies to feel better. Martha Beck calls this our "personal religion," which consists of things we make up to feel better about our choices. They can be things like "I never wanted to choose this career path, but my parents made me." or "I hate my job, but I have to stay in it until my kids are in college since there is no other way to make money." or "I really want to start a business, but I am too young (or old) and no one would ever take me seriously." Keeping an active tiger chained up inside you takes a lot of energy. It saps your life force to continually pretend to be motivated, to feign enthusiasm for your life or job, to grind through another day at the office when you can feel that it is strangling your spirit. Releasing it allows you to create a life that maximizes your creative energy and utilizes the best of your strengths. So how do you cut the chain? Acknowledge that it is there. Verbalizing the fact that you feel stifled, uncreative and unfulfilled in your life is the first step in doing something about it. Stop pretending that everything is ok if it isn't. Pay attention to your body. Tense muscles, stomach problems, anxiety and trouble sleeping are all signs that you are trying too hard to control your creative impulses. Get back in touch with your body by exercising, meditating and practicing deep breathing. This will reconnect you with your true voice, that will tell you what you need to do to take care of yourself. Stop with the mind-numbing substances. Another sign that your creativity is stifled is when you have to down two glasses of wine when you get home from work just to calm your nerves. A funny thing happens when you remove all mood-altering substances from your diet (including excessive caffeine or chocolate, whatever your vice is): you start to feel the truth. You may go through some withdrawals, but the process of cleaning out will bring a new sense of clarity. Agree to take action. If you have been living an un-fulfilling life, you may feel stuck, unmotivated and overwhelmed. But staying stagnant is not going to keep things the same - it will get much worse. So begin to do something, anything, to get your creative juices flowing. Take an art class. Take an afternoon off and paint a picture. Strike up an interesting conversation with a total stranger. Run through a field of flowers or jump in a pile of leaves. When you begin to feel a bit more like your two year old self and have your energy back, take concrete steps to improve your life. Own up to your lies. Whenever you find yourself saying "I have to do this ..." or "so-and-so made me do this," or "I am like this because ..." stop, look in the mirror and say very clearly: "Up to this point, I have chosen to create a life that isn't fulfilling. It isn't working. Now I am choosing something different." What ideas do you have for unleashing your inner tiger? Please share them at the blog! The Blog In Escape from Cubicle Nation, I write about 5 entries a week on topics related to helping people in corporate jobs break out and start their own business. Here are some recent posts from the month of March: Resource for new and experienced bloggers: Clear Blogging The importance of a strong business foundation: you can't build a house on smoke and mirrors Tips on how to get your spouse to support your entrepreneurial dreams When you change, all your relationships change How to recover when your work stability slips out from beneath you If you want to be notified of new posts, you can sign up in the box in upper right corner that says "Sign up here - and I'll let you know when I post." Or if you are savvy about RSS, just click on my feed button right below the sign-up box. Tired of reading? Catch the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast. I post a new episode every other Monday. Here's the place to listen to past shows and sign up for automatic updates. Escape from Cubicle Nation Teleclass I will be offering one f*ree teleclass each month on the topic of Escaping from Cubicle Nation with a Question and Answer format. We always have a great discussion, and the calls are recorded to listen to afterward. Call Details: Escape from Cubicle Nation Q&A The first Wednesday of every month 3pm-4pm Eastern (12pm Pacific, 1pm Mountain, 2pm Central, 8pm UK) To sign up for any of the upcoming classes for the rest of the year, see this page.. It is important to confirm that you signed up of your own will by opening up and clicking the link in the confirmation email. It will come from me (pcs@ganas.com) and the subject will be "Confirm your request for information for the (date) teleclass." Follow the simple directions in the email and you will confirm your attendance and receive the call-in details. I really look forward to meeting you on the call! Not a Get a Life Subscriber yet? Click here to subscribe. Welcome new subscribers! 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