Recently, I began to re-read the New York Bestseller book by Robert Kiyosaki, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". Just listening to the news, listening to colleagues, talk shows and the state of our economy had caused me to realign who I am with what they were saying...negatively. It had caused me to reassess how I look at my own success, and what it meant to have "money." Like many people, I seemed to have defined success and wealth as mostly "having things", my job title and the amount of income I received.
In my ponderings, I had to question myself; that if I lost my ability to get a paycheck, whether I would surrender to the circumstance under the load of anxiety, stresses and concern. I finally realized that I was not a job, that I was more than the kind of work that I do! I concluded that, even without a paycheck, that I would not have to go back to the drawing board and start all over again. I simply could chart new paths for a thriving future. I realized that I did have choices. I could either refuse to make any changes or accept the change and realign my course.
I realized that I could immediately alter my perception of my own situation before I could expect it to change. I would not have the luxury of procrastinating. In the past, I had been guilty of procrastinating and as a result had caused me to build an iron fence around myself! This fence had kept me from seeking new opportunities. My own fences had shut me down! No ideas could get out and no ideas could get in! I had been resistant to any change and continued as if burying my head in the sand would make it all go away.
This fence had set boundaries that had stalled just about everything in my life. I had begun repeating, verbally and mentally, negative dialogues accepted from TV, family and colleagues and had begun to identify with everybody's "situations" as if they were my own.
Finally, thinking about other big changes that I had been a part of, made me realize that I needed to reposition myself to tear down the fences of my life that had either been built by me or those that I have allowed to be built by others.
Things I am planning to do differently:
* Revitalize my mind with "different" education, to remove those distorted metaphors.
* Realize that I am not my job or economic condition.
* Be open to bold, new ideas.

Here is a group that talks about change and transition. Hope this helps in getting beyond the fences that seems to hem you in.