Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. She was locked in a tower where she grew her hair long, scrubbed the floors and slept for a hundred years.
Patiently she lay in her stone prison, secure in the knowledge that at any moment, in would sweep her handsome prince. He would hack down the thorny forest, climb up her golden tresses, and seal her fate with true love’s kiss.
Once upon a time there was you. Locked in a very different kind of prison. A beauty that is there to see but one that you never truly acknowledge. Whiling away the days waiting for help to scale the walls and break free of the unfulfilling life you are living. There is no lock on the door of your prison, even though there may as well be. Your life isn't what you want it to be. Whether it be a job you hate, a relationship you are struggling with, an uncomfortable self image, destructive friendships, a dream of exploring the world, or anything else that is leaving you feeling empty and lost. You have reached an impasse. So paralysed with unhappiness or uncertainty that there is nowhere else to take it. So you sit in your prison waiting. But for what?
You are confused. Where is this knight in shining armour you were promised in the fairy tales of your childhood? He seems to have inexplicably become lost on route. How are you supposed to be saved? This is too hard to do by yourself. This isn’t fair.
There is a harsh reality that we all need to face. No one can change our life for us. No one can work out what we need to do. No one is responsible for our actions, decisions and feelings but ourselves.
No one is coming to rescue us.
This is a scary realisation to have and it’s okay to not want to listen to it. If we are lucky, we have a family who will support us. If we are even luckier we have friends, a partner. They may surround us with comfort and safety while we work things out. If we aren’t so lucky, we are out here on our own with no cushion to break our fall.
Even if you are one of the lucky ones, those around you may be able to hold you in place as you flounder, but there is nothing they can do to stop it happening. They may give advice but that advice is based on their own life and feelings and can never be truly objective. They want the best for you but is their best the same as yours? For one, the goal may be money, status and success. For another, it may be balance, freedom and a life free from responsibility. So listen to advice but do so with caution and take it from the only person who truly and completely knows you; yourself.
It's time to become empowered. You may not feel it and you may not believe it, but you are strong and capable and have survived every single one of your bad days so far.
Somewhere deep inside you is your own white knight. Rescue yourself.
Lauren x