The hardest cages to escape are the invisible ones.

We grow up being told that caring is good. Care about work, people’s opinions, doing things right. But somewhere along the way, without noticing, it becomes a cage.

This invisible cage is expensive:

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I lose time, waiting for the “perfect” moment that never comes.
I lose voice, deleting posts because the grammar wasn’t perfect.
I lose growth, avoiding failure by distracting myself with busyness.

Somehow, this 'perfect' cage looks like ambition, but it’s really fear. It keeps me safe, but also silent — while life and opportunities move on.

When “Feeling Important” Steals Joy

The strange part: the more “important” I become, the more ordinary things I lose. But am I that important?

I sometimes feel that I’ve become “important.” Not in an arrogant way, but in the sense that my role, my title, my image now carry weight.

Before, I could post a random thought, share a silly edit, or throw up a photo just because it made me smile. Now I pause. Everything feels like it must have meaning, strategy, a message. Instead of asking, “Do I like this?” I ask, “Will this look good enough?”

And that’s how caring too much turns creativity into duty.

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My fave book: Mark Manson in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* argues that most of us care about the wrong things and reminds us we’re not as important as we think, so why waste energy worrying? Recently, this idea hit me harder than I expected, because it’s exactly what I’ve been doing: pouring my energy into managing perception. I obsess over how people see me, measuring many things against a standard that isn’t even mine. And the cost of all that overthinking? Paralysis. The dream dies before it even begins..

The Cage of Being a “Role Model”

Founding a business in education made this even heavier. I wasn’t just “me” anymore and somehow became someone people look to for guidance. Students, parents, even my own team began to see me as the person who should “know better,” who should lead the way. Suddenly my choices carried more weight, and with that came the constant pressure to be the role model, the good example.

Here’s the bigger picture: this pressure isn’t only personal, it’s cultural. Society loves to put leaders and told to be serious but approachable, strong but gentle, ambitious but humble. The contradictions keep adding up, and in the end I’m always watching and correcting myself. Basically it teaches me to silence parts of myself before anyone else does.

Finding the Key of The Cage

I’ve learnt that the key out of the cage isn’t to care less about life, but to care less about the noise. I don’t need to prove I’m perfect or important. What I need is to focus on what truly matters: progress, not perfection. Impact, not image. Process, not applause. And for me personally, positivity over negativity.

Because the cage you don’t notice will shrink your life until there’s nothing left but fear. The only way out is simple, but can be tough if there's no action— to create, to share, and to live anyway.

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Byebye cage: Showing up human. Imperfect. Still learning.
Are you out yet? ;)

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