a question....

I was recently asked a question.

It was basically this: "Have you ever really wanted to do something and someone else has held you back?"

A friend I was sitting with immediately said yes. Many times, she added. In fact, this had been a painful theme in her life and she was constantly attempting to break free from this cycle.

It was an honest answer, I thought.

Then it was my turn to answer.

I thought seriously about the question put before me, and honestly, I couldn't think of any instances. I have always surrounded myself with understanding people, and my father, who raised me, was very easy-going and let me discover things for myself. In my adult life, my wife has always been very supportive and on more than one occasion I've been brash enough to walk out on a boss who was tyrannical.

However, driving home in the car, I pondered the question deeper. And deeper.

Then it hit me. My response was wrong. I had, in fact, been held back, many, many times.

And sadly, it was always from the same person.... myself.