The more people talk about "getting out of the box", the more things look the same, don’t you think? Paradoxical? Not really. As most of us know, talk does not equate to action. Things look the same because they are–the mantra is just words.
So far.
The fact is many people really are tired of the way things are (yay!), especially in their immediate circle, the one they interact with on a daily basis. So they express their dissatisfaction and desire to change but really are stymied as to how to affect that change.
So, what does it mean to "get out of the box"?
It means to be or do in a way that is not normative but is highly effective. That doesn’t sound so hard now, does it? But we all know it can be extraordinarily hard! This is because of a couple of things not mentioned in the meaning. One is that if one is to be simply different, it is easy–just act out of character. The unstated part is that it has to be in character (must be something comfortable and agreeable for you to do) to be effective. Secondly, it has to be effective. Just being different is not necessarily mean efficacy.
Here’s my version of "getting out of the box": to be or do in a way that is not normative on a large scale but is consistent with your personality and the being and doing are highly effective on that large scale.
Sounds good, but HOW does one "get out of the box"?
You must forget about the box to get out of it! Simply doing the opposite just produces another box…the anti-box, which is still a box.
Forgetting the box itself is not easy at all because it is what we know. How do you forget the box? Ask yourself what would you like to do/be? What does that look like? This will get you started on the right road. You will find some correspondences within you to the box but that is ok. If you continue your exploration simply from your own perspective, you will find yourself in some pretty fresh surroundings. If you are unique (and there is little doubt of that anymore) then your "box" has to be in many ways also unique. AND it is completely in agreement with who you are!
Go ahead…if you are tired of what is there and want a change, design the change by asking yourself what you want to be/do and write it down. Then commit to taking one action daily to work toward the change. If you need help with this, hire a coach. A coach can help you make these changes so that you are ‘outta of the box’!
Here’s to you and no more boxes!! 
