I went to a play this past weekend where the main character sang a song about stepping out of the box they’d been put in.  It got me to thinking about how I, as a woman, have experienced expectations from others about where my place is and who I should be.

I learned from my mother, who worked full time as a registered nurse, that women could have a career and a family. Most of the girls I went to school with wanted to get married and be stay-at-home moms (I call these women Domestic Engineers). I always wanted to be more than that – someone who could make a mark in their life. I married young, had children young and kept working full-time, even as my then-husband wanted me to stay at home like his mother did (I did stay home for a year for each of my children). I didn’t want to be defined by someone’s idea of who I should be.

This experience of stepping out of the societal and cultural boxes we’re placed in resonated deeply with me. As women, we often face a myriad of expectations dictating how we should act, what roles we should play, and where we belong. These constraints can feel suffocating, limiting our potential and stifling our true selves. Stepping out of these boxes means challenging the norms and expectations imposed upon us and finding the courage to define our own paths. It’s about embracing our individuality and pursuing our passions, regardless of societal pressures. By doing so, we not only reclaim our freedom but also inspire others to break free from the confines of their own boxes and live authentically.

If I hadn’t stepped out the box I was being forced into, I wouldn’t have discovered so much about myself. I got over my shyness, shed toxic relationships and situations, became more creative, became a healer, a leader and more confident in my abilities and satisfied my innate curiosity by being a lifelong learner. I would not have been able to do that by being kept in a box built by someone else.

How have you stepped out of the boxes placed around you, and what changes did it bring to your life?