How to Escape the Corridor and Live the Life You Deserve

Knock, knock. 

Who’s there?

An opportunity!

Will you stay in the corridor or answer the door?

This is not a cheap joke. This is your life. And it’s time to break down some freaking doors.

Are you ready?

A life in the corridor

Too many people are busy living in the corridor. They ignore the numerous opportunities that life throw at them. They go to the same cafe, eat at the same restaurant, and meet the same people (if they meet anyone at all). And they feel stuck. This is because:

“We don’t see the world as it is; we see the world as we are” – Stephen R Covey

— Olle Lindholm (@ollelindholm) June 18, 2012

We’re all guilty of it.

Basically, the corridor is conformity. It’s the villa-hunting, top job seeking, married-by-thirty kind of types. One event happens after another, without questioning why.

You’re running a race and it exhausts you.

Conformity is easy. It’s a long walk in a corridor with few opportunities in between.

I’m borrowing this metaphor from Julien Smith’s life-changing book The Flinch. You have to read it. It’s free. And you can get it on Amazon if you click here. Do it now. You won’t regret it: I guarantee. I’ll wait for you.

Now let’s be honest with ourselves. It’s okay, it’s just the two of us. The others are stuck in the corridor, remember?

Take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself: Is this how I want to live my life?

Knock, knock

Yes, I did it.

I asked the uncomfortable question because one of us had to. It was inevitable.

Why?

Because you deserve a better life with more opportunities. But it’s not going to show up at your doorstep. You have to learn how to knock.

Let’s talk about that.

Remember when you were a kid? Life seemed so easy back then. And it was.

Here’s why: you made your own rules.

And that’s what you have to do if you want to escape the corridor.

You ask others for help. You explore new opportunities and make more mistakes. You climb trees, fall down and get a few bruises. So what? That’s what life is for. You say yes to the most passionate inquiries, but you must also learn to say no to the more boring ones.

Kids do what they want to do. They don’t settle for a life in the corridor. They knock on doors and break them down. And so can you.

Open New Doors

But you’re not a kid anymore. You have bills to pay, mouths to feed and work to do. Surely, you can’t knock on doors and break them down.

Please, stop the excuses.

You can knock on doors. You can step inside and embrace the opportunities. It just takes longer, though, because you have to get in the habit of being vulnerable again. You have to take risks and be aware of your own situation so you can create the rules of your own party.

You’re afraid. And that’s okay. I’m afraid too. We all are. But how we deal with that fear is the difference between a life in the corridor and your own path.

You have what it takes. The doors are there. But you must learn to see them. For example, have you downloaded that free book yet? Do it now. It will help you see life beyond the corridor.

Take it slow. Dare to see things differently and the doors will come. And you will be ready to open them again.

What doors do you want to see? What is stopping you from opening them? I’m hanging out in the comments, because you know, that’ s my living room and I’m dying to hang out with you there. I’m certain that we can help each other knock down doors and live the life we deserve.

So knock knock *opportunity alert*.

Who’s there?

Meet me in the comments!

Photo daBinsi

P.S. I know, the comment section seems kind of scary. But really, it’s not. It’s a fluffy living room with comfy couches and lots of fun. Come and see for yourself