If you’re reading this in your reader and can’t see the illustrations, then 
We want to be safe, successful and happy. So we peek into a few boxes, and then, when it’s time, we make our choice and we climb inside a box.
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Of course, it’s a box shape, and most of us are other shapes. Some of the corners hurt and sometimes we feel squashed and pinched in.
But we’re relieved to have found our safe box.
Because that means that we can start to do the thing that everyone says will get us happiness and success… climbing to the top of the ladder.
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All the little boxes, climbing long ladders… and looking forward to the day when, one day, they’ll get to the top and get the success and happiness they want.
Boxes and ladders are broken
Boxes and ladders use to be a pretty decent life strategy – at least for getting safety and success, because in our obsession with boxes and ladders, we created a world of big box-and-ladder organizations, and it all fit together neatly and nicely.
It made everything faster and neater and more certain.
But then a few unexpected and powerful things happened… the internet arrived, globalization forced organizations and societies to re-shape themselves, major world economies went bust and many of those big box-and-ladder organizations crumbled and either dissolved entirely or managed to cling on for dear life by becoming decidedly odd-shaped.
And now boxes and ladders don’t fit as neatly and easily in the world as they used to. And they don’t offer the safety and success that they used to offer.
Boxes and ladders are broken.
Imagine the possibilities…
I have a dream of a world where we’re not constricted by boxes or driven by ladders. A world where we make our contribution by being our unique and remarkable shapes and sizes. A world where we value the things that are hard to label or measure. A world where we’re flexible and free and we give ourselves permission to play with and express ourselves in as many different shapes and sizes as we wish – even the ones we don’t have names for yet. A world where we bring ideas and people together that don’t normally sit together and create new mix-ups and synergies and shapes that never existed before. A world where we appreciate the connections, the relationships, the continuums and the qualities of all the valuable shapes that have always been in between and outside of the boxes we normally pay attention to. A world where we travel tangential paths in whatever directions most compel us, even though this takes us into unfamiliar territory and uncertainty.
A world where we create, experience and be all of what we love, in all its multi-dimensional, variegated glory.
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Agile Living is about giving up our belief in the validity and importance of social labels, rules and restrictions and certainty and creating a multi-dimensional, flexible and resourceful mindset and lifestyle. It’s about becoming and creating more of the unique shapes and patterns that you love. It’s about leaving behind the boxes and ladders and welcoming variety, change and uncertainty.
Because that’s how to thrive and create, experience and be more of what you love in a fast-paced, high-options, high-change world.
Would you like to discard your box and ladder and join me in the beautiful, multi-dimensional, variegated world of Agile Living?
YES, I want to join you.
I think I see now why this was so difficult for you to articulate, even though you are so deeply passionate about it: it is so much a part of who you are. You have taken hold of a piece of yourself, of your love and innate wisdom, so that you can hold it high over your head to light our way.
I am so honored to be here with you.
Welcome aboard, Rachael! It’s people like you that make it so awesome to live an Agile life WITH other people!
Big love,
Cath
.-= CathD´s last blog ..A Short Story About Ladders And Boxes And Possibility =-.
This is totally awesome, and so are you.
.-= Ken Robert´s last blog ..discover-magazine-grid =-.
I passed this on to my friends and professional network. Excellent, well thought out post! All the best!
Brian
http://www.Twitter.com/EZas123
.-= Brian´s last blog ..is BRILLIANCE. =-.
Ohhh, Cath. How lovely this is. And the illustrations were *essential* to understanding and appreciating the full depth and breadth of your message
If I remember right, didn’t we meet in Twitter over the beautiful tribe of people who uniquely decorate themselves in flowers and such? Making themselves into art?
And you bet I’m joining you! I’ve been working on shaking off my limiting safety nets, and it’s scary and thrilling and vital. I’m grateful that you’re leading the way.
.-= Crystal´s last blog ..You’re Not Lazy (And Neither Am I) =-.
Oooh, I love this! Beautifully articulated…
Cath,
So thoughtful. Thank you. Reminds me how I spent a long, long time climbing up the wrong ladder and am just now beginning to see what’s possible for me.
Grateful for this post and for you and all the lift-off-ees …
Karen xo
.-= karen yaeger´s last blog ..The Path to Escape Starts Here… =-.
What beautiful illustrations, Cath—this is wonderful. I love the subtleties like how box-people are effectively sleepwalking and isolated, whereas the unique people at the end are surrounded by love, joy, and each other. Brilliant.
.-= Willie Jackson´s last blog ..Speaking at Ignite ATL =-.
[...] A Short Story About Ladders And Boxes And Possibility [...]
Love the story, wrote a post that links here
.-= Joel Larsson´s last blog ..Hack the box ? Agile living =-.
@Ken: So glad you love it. Your drawings on your blog inspired me to include the drawings!
@Brian: thanks, Brian – glad you enjoyed it.
@Crystal: You’re right – the Ovo people inspired us and you and me and Reese were going to paint our bodies and decorate ourselves with twigs, berries and flowers
Thanks for the reminder – that idea of making ourselves and our lives into unique, beautiful pieces of art totally fits with the story and inspires me. So glad you’re coming along for the ride!
@Idara: yay! And thank you.
@Karen: thanks for the love too, Karen. I think most of the lift-off-ees will resonate with this message. On some level we’ve all been through this and figured it out and that’s why we’ve made choices like leaving the old ladders and starting businesses doing what we love.
@Willie: you’re so right. And to try to say all of that in words just felt all cumbersome. Somehow the pictures convey it so much quicker and more clearly.
@Joel: Thanks for sharing the love, Joel!
And for those of us who never fit inside the box in the first place, it’s so liberating to be given permission not to even try!
Beautiful post cath! love the illustrations, a simple but very powerful message. Just what i needed for the day.
I love, love, love this post, Cath. The illustrations complement the ideas nicely, and this is, indeed, what you were struggling with at Lift Off.
The last picture really brought it home for me, too. Thank you for sharing this.
.-= Charlie Gilkey´s last blog ..When Hustling Is Keeping You From Moving Forward =-.
I… wow. So well put. So near speechless… wait no, let me try explaining why I love this:
It beautifully describes the hopeful image that has been stirring in my mind about what society is blooming into.
It’s also precisely the assurance I need, as I’ve been realizing that my multi-faceted talents need a more flexible application than merely, as you say, climbing a ladder.
Thanks go to Charlie for posting this link. I am thrilled to add such an inspiring point of view to my feeds!
Subscribed! 
.-= Qrystal´s last blog ..Resolving to Overcome My Stuckness =-.
I’m all in… through with the boxes. through with the ladders.
The illustrations are beautiful, Cath.
.-= Alexia´s last blog ..Stop being creative =-.
This is absolutely beautiful, Cath!!
Agile Living, Conscious Living, Lifestyle Design, Life by Design, Living outside the box.. whatever you call it (don’t let labels box you in when trying to be unboxed) – live it, breath it, be it!
We are a growing global tribe who are finding each other.. and I feel so very blessed to share the joy with you!
.-= Cherie @Technomadia´s last blog ..The Technomadia Solar RV Travel FAQ =-.
@Liz: Yes! And it’s the best time ever to be someone who doesn’t fit in a box and go about being whatever shape(s) you’re meant to be.
@Feyi: Thanks! And thanks for stopping by and letting me know that this resonated for you.
@Charlie: Thank you for all your support. I really treasure it.
@Qrystal: Lovely to meet you and welcome to the Agile Living tribe!
@Alexia: “I’m all in…” Music to my ears
Thank you too, Alexia.
Wow what a perfect, and timely article. I’m on-board with you. In fact, I just got rid of all extraneous “junk” in my life, quit all the “box” stuff I was doing and now I sit here, reinventing my life outside of the box. No job, no junk, just desire.
I’m new to your blog, and I immediately noticed the great images within the story. Very well done. Subscribed
My best
Mike
Lovely post Cath. Though things are slowly changing now, I come from a culture where boxes are mandated and religiously followed. So it has become a default mindset. I’ve been wanting to break out that box for a while now. Not sure why I haven’t yet taken that first step. But posts like these are surely inspiring.. And I agree with previous comments that the impact of the post is augmented by its illustrations
Akshata
.-= Akshata´s last blog ..México Tenoctitlan =-.
Love it! Love the illustrations! Are they yours?
Thanks for another thought-provoking post, Cath!
This article and story speak to me on so many levels and really is so very encouraging for those of us who can only live (or should I say survive?) outside the box:)! The fluidity of your vision and purpose really shines through. Thank you for sharing this journey. I plan to share it with my partner too!
Cath -
You drew/wrote my story! Thank you! I love like minded souls. I love you!
Jennifer
@Cherie: You’re right – when you’re custom-designing your life and being and creating what you love, then there’s always the risk of discarding the old labels and boxes and ladders just to go and get into another label, box or ladder. For me that’s a bit part of what Agile Living is about – staying alert and growing and moving and not settling into unconscious patterns. And you guys are such a great example of people who are living and breathing the Agile Life!
@Mike: One of my favorite parts of moving so often in the past few years is that we’ve gotten ride of a lot of stuff. There’s something incredibly liberating about not having much stuff. I think my favorite holiday ever was a trip we did to Namibia, where my husband and I toured the country 2-up on a motorcycle. We camped it, so by the time we had our camping gear packed on the bike, there wasn’t much space for anything else. I think we each had 1 set of off-bike clothes, swimsuits, 2 books toothbrush and a tin of bully beef (for emergency food – we never actually ate it!) We toured for 4 weeks, rising with the sun and going to sleep when the sun went down. We had awesome conversation, sleep, reflection and a gorgeous countryside. Can’t beat that!
@Akshata: Thanks for stopping by and commenting, and for sharing it on Facebook, Akshata! And welcome to the tribe
So great to have met you and Sharan this year.
@Cynthia: Yes, the illustrations are mine
@Leanne: I think we can all live outside the box. In fact, I think the world has changed and it’s now become safer to live outside the boxes and ladders than inside. I’ll say more about that in the Agile Living Manifesto that I’ll be releasing soon! And thanks for sharing this
@Jennifer: Oh, you’re an honorary member of the Agile Living tribe
Hi Cath,
Your process here is fascinating! I’m an artist and I have been observing and studying all the wonderful ways we relate to pictures/images and the various functions images perform. Creating images for me is a spiritual act—I never decided that before hand. It simply became apparent to me when I started to paint. So noticing that I have gone on to organize retreats around image creation for artists and non-artists alike. Then, one-on-one I use images to help people access the all-is-well place deep inside and I create images to help individuals build the practice of accessing all-is-well into daily life right in the middle of challenges. I CAN’T IMAGINE DOING THESE THINGS USING ONLY WORDS. IMAGES ARE A MUCH RICHER LANGUAGE IN THESE CONTEXTS. My sense is the world is shifting from being totally word/concept oriented to leaning in the direction of communicating/operating in the world of visual images….and your current post is part of that!
And you’re an artist too! Multi-talented people: dontcha just love ‘em! ;o) Loved it; thank you!
glory, glory, glory.
I think I am mostly flabbergasted that you are such a brilliant artist and I didn’t even know that about you.
the whole experience makes me want to write a blog post. About the beauty in the path of finding both what we are about, and how to *express* what we are about.
I am so proud of you and lucky to know you.
Big love,
-Pam
And I thought I was pushing it when I wanted to be a rhombus. Now I don’t even have to be a polygon!
Amazing, Cath!
.-= Laurie Foley´s last blog ..I See Good People =-.
Wow… so true when you feel like you don’t know how to get out the box!
Wow-I loved the story and the illustrations that told the story and expressed the emotion. How true. Thank you for sharing.
.-= Val´s last blog ..Apr 15, Non Toxic Cleaning Products =-.
@Gloria: “Your process is fascinating…” Are you referring to what I wrote about in my newsletter? I’ve been pretty darn fascinated by it myself. I’m remembering now that I used to decide and articulate stuff in a visual way a lot when I was in school, but since university and stopping painting, I seemed to have forgotten how to use that visual side. But this has brought it back for me.
What you do makes so much sense to me and I can imagine it must be incredibly powerful. I still have every painting or drawing I created in the 19 years of weekly art classes that I attended from age 5 and it’s like a diary of 19 years of art therapy. Powerful stuff! I’m definitely going to be bringing more art-making into my life again.
@Adrienne: Thanks! “Artist” was my sole identity from 5 to 20 or so years of age. And then I got hit with artists block and depression for a year and stopped painting. The good thing is that I developed other facets to my identity when that happened, but I tend to forget about the artist part of me too often these days and I’m getting clear signs from it that it’s time for a reconciliation!
@Pam: That sounds like an inspiring post! Actually, I think it has a lot to do with your inspiring talk you did at Andrea J Lee’s event. Thanks for being one of the people who’ve helped me to persist with exploring this and to work away the layers of fear that have been between me and articulating my clear vision. Cos it’s always just fear that clouds the stuff that we know deeply inside, right?
@Laurie: You crack me up! You know you’re a geek when you know more than 1 word for box shapes! And you, my dear are a decidedly odd and unique and beautiful organic shape, so no, you don’t have to be a polygon.
@Gomo: Great to meet you, Gomo. Hope you come back for more. I’ll be sharing more about how to avoid/ get out of the boxes and ladders paradigm.
@Val: Thanks, Val!
Hi Cath,
Wonderful article…and the illustrations make it all the more memorable!
I share your vision of a world where people move outside their boxes and start living their truth. That is why I left the corporate world several years ago to become a life design strategist. Not only did I want to get out of my box, but I wanted to help others do the same as well.
I believe that each of us comes into this world with a set of unique gifts. Our gifts are not only Nature’s way of equipping us to thrive, but it’s also Her way of ensuring that the world as a whole can grow, thrive and improve.
When we as individuals ignore or suppress our unique gifts, we not only rob our own lives of joy, beauty, meaning and fulfillment, but the world is lesser for it as well. Our unique contribution is kept from everyone. Our individual voice, no matter how faint and delicate, is missing from our collective song.
May each of us step up to the challenge of being our authentic, remarkable and unique selves!
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Nadia
.-= Nadia Koligman´s last blog ..Important Life Lessons from the Movie Avatar =-.
Hi Cath,
Wonderful article…and the illustrations make it all the more memorable!
I share your vision of a world where people move outside their boxes and start living their truth. That is why I left the corporate world several years ago to become a life design strategist. Not only did I want to get out of my box, but I wanted to help others do the same as well.
I believe that each of us comes into this world with a set of unique gifts. Our gifts are not only Nature’s way of equipping us to thrive, but it’s also Her way of ensuring that the world as a whole can grow, thrive and improve.
When we as individuals ignore or suppress our unique gifts, we not only rob our own lives of joy, beauty, meaning and fulfillment, but the world is lesser for it as well. Our unique contribution is kept from everyone. Our individual voice, no matter how faint and delicate, is missing from our collective song.
May each of us step up to the challenge of being our authentic, remarkable and unique selves!
Thanks for sharing your vision with us.
Nadia
.-= Nadia Koligman´s last blog ..Important Life Lessons from the Movie Avatar =-.
Wow, that is really useful contribution. Appreciation for posting it. I actually think, it is important to put in writing about it since I believe that not just I being a enthusiastic Buddhist will take a bit from it but possibly other folks will as well.
This is a fantastic post, Cath. Laurie Foley sent me over and I’m glad she did!
Discovering this late (but not too late!), but your illustrations really moved me. The whole post did, but your drawings were really powerful. I’ve been fortunate to never have a “career” (how often do you hear that?) so I haven’t felt like I was in a box or trying to climb a ladder, yet this still resonates. The last drawing, with everyone in beautiful, colorful shapes, that’s what it’s all for.
Thank you.
(and yes, I’m SO IN)
[...] A Short Story About Ladders and Boxes and Possibility. Wonderfully inspiring post about creating and experiencing life on our own terms. (from Cath Duncan at Agile Living) [...]
A game changing post for the courageous. Thank you Cath for the reality check.
[...] A Short Story About Ladders and Boxes and Possibility. Cath Duncan’s wonderfully inspiring post provides a metaphor about creating and experiencing life on our own terms. (from Agile Living) [...]
[...] validity and importance of social labels, rules and restrictions and certainty, leaving behind the boxes and ladders and welcoming variety, change and uncertainty into your life. It’s about [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cath Duncan and Fabeku Fatunmise, Laurie Foley. Laurie Foley said: @bigbrightbulb Actually, I think it's this one – love these drawings! http://bit.ly/9g5vrO [...]
Hi, I just love this post. So insightful. Your vision is beautiful. Thanks, you’ve made me smile!
The box idea suddenly made me think of The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupery, where the narrator can’t draw a sheep to the prince’s satisfaction, so he draws a box and tells the prince that the sheep is inside.
On the one hand, a box can hide the heart by confining its infinite nature. But on the other hand, the box, once seen for what it is, can serve to reveal the heart and become the womb which gives birth to feeling.
And I think most of the possibilities indicated in your story belong to the realm of feeling rather than thinking. That is, being able to follow the guidance of your feelings freely without being confined by thoughts of what can’t be or shouldn’t be.
After all, freedom is nothing less than the feeling of being in an infinite space. And freedom is imperceptible to anyone who can’t feel the measure of space which is both inside and outside the box.
Joseph Jin\’s latest post…A Key to Immortality