‘This thinking also filters into other areas of our lives where we mistakenly believe that we need permission. It’s like the story of the elephant that never even tries to break free even though a very small rope has been tied to its leg. It’s conditioned to believe that it cannot be free unless its mahout comes and frees it.’
I am very wary of parking my bike on the street. I scour around to see if there is a ‘No Parking’ sign hidden behind a tree somewhere. On more than one occasion, my vehicle has been towed off and I have had to lug myself to the police station, pay a fine and get my vehicle back.
Parking is a menace and many a time, No Parking boards are installed after a slew of vehicles have already been parked.
A Parking sign is a sign of permission. It says ‘yes, you can park your vehicle here and be assured that it won’t be towed off’.
There are a lot of things we need to ask permission for. When in school, we used to ask the teacher permission to use the restroom. When in college, we used to ask our parents permission to stay out late. When at work, we need to ask our bosses permission for leave or to take an idea forward. A lot of people get their power simply because they are gatekeepers of permission. If you have ever visited a government office and been kept endlessly waiting, it’s because someone there has the permission to sign a paper or allow you to meet the big guy.
This thinking also filters into other areas of our lives where we mistakenly believe that we need permission. It’s like the story of the elephant that never even tries to break free even though a very small rope has been tied to its leg. It’s conditioned to believe that unless its mahout comes and frees it, moving freely is impossible. It’s always waiting for the mahout’s permission to get untied while in reality, it can free itself at any point.
In the same vein, we don’t need permission to (an abridged list):
Start a podcast
Start a blog
Start an online Business
Moonlight in something we are passionate about
Volunteer for a non-profit
Write a book
Stop watching Netflix
Get off social media
Start a fitness activity
Pick up a new hobby
Simply put, to reach the next level, become happier, learn a new skill or even earn more, we don’t need permission. But if asked, we immediately come up with excuses as to why we aren’t doing it.
Just like the Elephant, the permission gatekeepers are all in our head.
