Can't or won't?

Sometimes an external force holds us back. Maybe it is a boss, or a parent, or a teacher.

And so we hyperfocus on the idea that if we had more freedom, we could do the things we are most afraid of.

That seems like a perfectly reasonable excuse. “They won’t let me.” But over time, it also becomes a place to hide.

When we focus on our agency, however, we see that the sea of choices is vast; it has nothing to do with the outside world, but with us holding ourselves back.

So what can we do based on the circumstance? Not what we can’t do.