FORGET THE BOX

Thinking outside the box has become such a cliche that it now means pretty much the opposite of what people intend when they say it. If you're still defining yourself and your thing in the context of the box, you're missing the point. You're living a lie. Forget about the box. Don't worry about whether you are inside it or outside it. The box does not exist. It's an artificial construct that only has as much power as you give it.

Oh I know, there are rules and expectations and norms that at some point you and your thing are going to bump up against. But norms and expectations are just that - they aren't immutable laws of the universe (those you do kinda need to live with). And one rule worth remembering is the one that says the rules can always be rewritten. 

Granted, there is no rule that says this will be easy. But if you want easy, keep thinking in a world of boxes. Keep starting from a place with limits. Keep starting from the belief that there's a clearly defined boundary between possible and impossible. If that's where you're comfortable, that's fine. You won't be lonely. But you'll also never really be free. Someone will put you in a box eventually. Or at least they'll try. You're under no obligation to make it easy for them.