Around and Around We Go: How to Break Free of Old Patterns!

Recently, my husband, our 9-year-old son, and I were sitting on our back patio enjoying dinner when my husband noticed something unusual—an insect had landed inside his water glass. Naturally, our son was curious, so my husband placed the glass in the center of the table so we could all take a closer look.

The bug was on the inner rim of the glass, circling around and around in a frantic loop, clearly trying to find a way out. As we watched, our son started making IndyCar noises—“Vroom! Around and around the track he goes, just like the cars at the Indy 500!” We all burst out laughing at the tiny creature's unexpected race around the glass.

Once our laughter settled, we began cheering the insect on:
“Just go over the rim, bug!”
“Freedom is right there!”
“You can do this, bug!”

Eventually, we grew tired of watching it repeat the same path. My kind-hearted husband gently tipped the glass and let the insect climb out into the yard, and in his wisdom said to me, “This feels like it could be one of your blog stories.”

He was right.

The symbolism was undeniable. This little bug was doing the only thing it knew—following the same path, over and over, even though it was getting nowhere. All it needed was a shift in perspective. If it had climbed just a little higher, it would have seen that freedom was just beyond the rim. Instead, it stayed stuck in a familiar, frustrating loop.

How many of us can relate to that?

It reminded me of this quote by George Lucas:

“We are all living in a cage with the door wide open.”

This theme comes up often in my sessions with clients—people who feel stuck in self-defeating patterns, painful relationships, or limiting beliefs. They know what they don’t want. Like the bug avoiding the water below, they cling to the edge they've managed to crawl up to. But they can’t quite see that just a little more effort, a little more perspective, could take them into an entirely new reality.

And here’s the thing: if we don’t do the work to free ourselves, life will eventually do it for us. We hope it comes gently—like my husband’s helping hand to the insect—but sometimes it’s a push we didn’t see coming. A job loss. A breakup. A breakdown. A wake-up call. The list goes on.

What I’ve learned is this:
Choose to grow voluntarily on your terms before you're forced to.
Step into who you are meant to be before life rearranges things for you.

We are not here to run circles around the rim of our containers.
We are meant to climb out.
To rise and to see beyond!

Because once you do, a whole new world is waiting for you on the other side!

I’ve done this in my own life. I will do it again. And, I help others do the same. If you’d like some help breaking free of your old patterns, I can help you get to the other side!