There’s a famous parable by the Czech writer Franz Kafka called Before the Law.

In the parable, a man from the countryside tries to enter “The Law” but is stopped by a doorkeeper who tells him he can’t enter now, but he might be able to enter later.

Even though the door to “The Law” is wide open, this bloke listens to the doorkeeper and decides to wait for permission to enter.

Years go by. 

Then a few more years go by.

Eventually the man from the countryside is on his deathbed and still hasn’t walked through the door which is right in front of him, wide open, ready & waiting for him to enter.

Just as the man is about to pop his clogs, he learns that the door was his and his alone. 

It was his path, his gateway and his opportunity. No-one else could walk through that door. 

But now his chance had gone.

Truth be told, I don’t know what was on the other side of the door. Perhaps it was paradise, perhaps it was hell or maybe it was a waiting room full of old copies of Cosmopolitan. But it doesn't really matter. The parable is basically a warning about the cost of hesitation, the habit of waiting for permission and the loss of meaning & fulfilment that can come from that.

Those are the cliff-notes anyway. 

And it strikes me that this is a good moment to point out what doors are already open and where you already have permission each and every day in your own life:

*** You have permission to put your feet up, even when the world around you slurps Red Bull and gets itchy about having free time

*** You have permission to say no, even if people start to guilt trip you about "letting everyone down"

*** You have permission to pursue what makes you feel most alive, even when your family ask you "but how will you make money from that?"

*** You have permission to change your mind about what you want from life, even if you’ve just told all your friends about your grand five year plans

*** You have permission to be proud of yourself, even if you don't own a house, haven't run a marathon, can't parallel park or don't know how to bake banana bread

*** You have permission to trust your gut, even when Dave from Accounts asks you where your spreadsheet is

*** You have permission to create a life that looks nothing like anyone else's life, even if it feels like you’re the odd one out

*** You have permission to mosey along at your own pace, even when everyone else is clucking around like a headless chicken

*** You have permission to put yourself first, even if the voice in your head tells you you're being selfish 

*** You have permission to actually love your life (no ifs, no buts, no maybes)

The irony of all this?

Permission isn’t something anyone else can give you.

No-one has the authority to grant or deny you access to your life.

Only you can do that.

What I can do, though, is show you that your doors are already unlocked, ready and waiting for you to step through.

As it happens, this is also the case for the new coaching program I’m launching next month.

I’m genuinely stoked for this program. 

I’ll be sharing more info about the program over the next couple of weeks. But the “sneak peek” version is that if you want to let go of asking other people for permission, build an unshakeable trust in yourself and live a life that feels like it’s yours and not someone else’s, this is 100% the program for you.

I must warn you though:

The program will be expensive. And that’s deliberate. I only want to work with you if you value your personal growth and are serious about doing the kind of inner work that most people avoid.

Anyway, that's enough for now.

More details on the way so keep your eyes peeled.

That’s all for today. 

To fulfilment,

Tom