5 Reasons to Let Your Inner Jack Out of the Box
Some people hate the Christmas season. Others live for it.
I have a love-hate relationship with the holidays. For the most part, I find them stressful until I allow myself an opportunity to reconnect with my childhood. What I love most about the season is I get to climb inside my mind. I get to let my memories fuel my heart as I travel back to a happy childhood.
As far as I was concerned, my holiday assignments were to laugh, play and imagine how great I could make the world. Even mundane activities were filled with flare as I anticipated Santa arriving with new toys.
However, St. Nick never delivered the toy I truly wanted when I was 4-years-old. I wanted a Jack in the Box. I loved listening to the cheesy music that played when a handle was turned. Children waited with anticipation, knowing at the end of the song Jack would jump out of a colorful box. Sure, Jack was dressed like a clown. But he made us giggle when he popped up.
I suppose some of us liked the box just as much – if not more – than we liked the clown. In those days, people believed children should be seen and not heard. We were told clothes make the man, although we were also told not to judge a book by it’s cover. That seemed contradictory to me.
I have no clue why Santa failed to deliver. I suspect it is because the tinney music would have unraveled my mother’s last nerve. I thought I had been bad. Well, I did get into a lot of mom-inspired mischief. She would say, “Don’t do that or else.” When you’re 4-years-old, you do it anyway just to discover what “or else” means. At least I did.
I’m still fascinated by the Jack in the Box toy. One reason I love them is because they remind me of life. People are like those clowns. Our existence is squandered and diminished as we get pushed into a box. Sometimes we keep ourselves there as we wait for someone in the outside world to come along, crank the handle and let us pop out with pizazz.
My friend, Linney Quinn-Allen, who we recently featured in the Community Spotlight, served the Christian Science community as a spiritual practitioner. She recently created Life in the Linney Lane on social media to remind us that none of us should be boxed in.
“It’s all about what you set your mind to – your thoughts! Turn that dial to the channel that supports you as you go through the day,” she wrote for her Life in the Linney Lane community members on Instagram.
In this case, I am encouraging you to crank your handle and let your inner-Jack out of the box. Here are five reasons why.
#1 You never should have been placed in the box.
How do you get in the box in the first place? Well, society, the status quo and Corporate America put you there and close the lid. Sometimes we stuff us into those boxes. We like things organized. Society expects us to remain neatly in place as we live our lives, forgetting Jack exists and we totally ignore him.
The colorful box is seen, but Jack’s face, Jack’s joy and all the fun Jack brings to the world is stuck until we remember and acknowledge Jack’s value.
#2 You have a chance to reflect from the outside in.
I realize some folks need to remain in the box. That’s where their life lessons live – at least in the current now. Many of us were taught to conform because fitting into society is considered a must if we want to thrive.
When you allow yourself to jump out of the box, it is possible to get clear regarding reasons others put you there. Usually, their excuses have nothing to do with you. If they tell you they’re doing it for your own good, they may be doing what is less hassle for them.
You stay put because people are nicer when you make their lives easy. They’re happy when you conform, although you might be miserable. By letting your inner-Jack out of the box, you have a chance to look deep inside at beliefs that help shape values and drive decisions.
#3 Popping out of the box sheds light on your passion and sets your heart free.
To avoid criticism from others you will never please, sometimes it appears the path of least resistance is to color within the lines. But it is their job to paint their world. It is your job to jump for joy. You can only do that when you consciously crank your handle to the tune of authenticity. You’ll pop out wearing hues of laughter and love – the team uniform of unity.
Through the Law of Attraction, happiness and gratitude are attitude magnets. Those emotions spark feelings with enough power to launch you into your next adventure. They can help you manifest what you want by telling better stories pertaining to your perspective on pertinent points in your life.
#4 Your courage motivates the rest of us to jump out of what is keeping us in the dark.
Most of us want to be accepted. We want to be heard. And we want to be loved. So, we conform and become people pleasers. Often the people trying to get us to conform take themselves and their purposes too seriously. When they outgrow their childhood, they outgrow their joy.
I get it. Change can be lonely. It can induce fear of failure and of the unknown. Change can be scary. Well, it does take courage to jump out of a box and announce you have arrived. If you can do that while wearing a clown costume, that’s impressive. That required you to step out of your comfort zone and lead by example.
People close to you may resent positive changes you create just for you. When they realize you stopped choosing to relinquish your power, they may try to keep you stuck so they don’t have to change their habit of using you to make life easy. As the late rock star Rick Nelson would sing at a Garden Party, “you can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.“
#5 We need you to unleash your brilliance so we all shine in your light.
As Dr. Seuss once wrote: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”