Step through the invisible barriers that hold you where you are. There is life on the other side.
It is easy to say we would like to do something, BUT, we see roadblocks in the way so we don't do it. Sometimes I think I would like to go for a walk but the weather is miserable, so I don't go..... and yet, I have at times been out when it was -18C, or even -27C. I was dressed for it, and I rather enjoyed the squeaky snow as I walked. Standing at the sea shore in a raging storm is envigorating! Finding a cool spot on a 35C day when you can smell the heat, and the sap from the trees, can give me a boost. Finding my way in the fog can be comforting because the other senses kick in and guide my way.
I have sometimes thought I would like to paint or draw but I don't have enough space, or the tools I prefer to use ... and yet, I have kept up my art in a 20ft trailer, and painted canvases in the bathtub so I wouldn't splatter on the floor. And, there is no excuse for not picking up a pencil and paper and drawing whatever happens to be in front of me.
I have come to realize that the barriers are not external. They are internal. They are invisible and I put them there myself when I think I should do something but am lacking the energy / will power / incentive / courage. If I can stop running away long enough to dig down to what the real reason is behind my feeling it often removes the barrier. That barrier frequently has absolutely nothing to do with the current reality of my life... it's just a handy excuse I have leaned on.
If I dig deep, there are often haunting voices taunting me. Voices that urge me to be sensible; to not do anything crazy; to fit in; to live a 'normal' life; to not upset other people. "You shouldn't brag, you'll make other people feel bad"..... (I wasn't bragging - I was excited because I was trying my best and I did it right!). "Why don't you paint landscapes? I know a friend who sells theirs all the time."..... (I don't want to paint landscapes!)."You'll never make as much money as me, doing that." (Maybe I don't care.) On and on I could go with all the voices echoing in my head. One by one I am picking them out and flicking them away. Like bits of dust hanging from my hair after walking through cobwebs. And, dusty, unused cobwebs they are. They are unobtrusively waiting for me to confront them and clear them out. Long since abandoned and forgotten by the spider that wove them they just hang there waiting for my attention.
I am no longer afraid of visiting the dusty dungeons in my mind. Sometimes it can be an adventure which brings laughter when I realize the silliness that I have brought forward with me. Rules that make no sense; fears based on imagination; embarrassment in my mind only; fragments of dusty memories that still barricade me from moving forward, even though I can't quite piece the complete scene together of what actually occurred.
One by one I flick them away, and I begin to feel lighter, more focused, more relaxed and content.