I was in a cult…

A few times a week I (Nicole) drive past the building where I attended a cult.

It took me a long time to actually understand and admit that I had been in a cult. When I finally did, I understood why leaving that “church” was so hard. It’s insidious. It’s not what they overtly said, but what they implied and hinted at. It was a subtle creep into my soul.

They truly had me believing that I would not survive without them, that their way was the ONLY WAY, and that I could never succeed without them.

But the ACTUAL truth was: I was and am way more capable than I gave myself credit for.

When I see that building, I see the indoctrination and lies that I lived under and believed for quite a long time. And I take a breath and thank God for the freedom that He brought me to.

And I do a little examination - am I in a cult anywhere else in my life??? Am I acting like I’m in a cult? Where am I imprisoned or blindly following along with other people, not questioning the control they continue to exert in my life?

Recently I was shocked when a friend who was THE BEST and MOST DEDICATED employee at her work was passed over for a promotion…for ZERO good reasons.

And as I suggested that she consider branching out on her own as a freelancer, she told me: “I’m not ready. I don’t have enough experience. It’s too risky.”

And I just sat there, gobsmacked, that her 10+ years didn’t make her feel qualified to freelance.

That’s when I realized: SHE IS IN A CULT!

Not the same kind of cult I was in all those years ago. But a different kind: the cult of 9-5 jobs.

She is so stuck believing that she has to have ALL the experience in order to be successful when she ALREADY has the NUMBER ONE SKILL she needs to be successful: the ability to figure it out.

There are many, many reasons that contributed toward me staying in the cult; just as there are many, many reasons that contribute to my friend staying stuck in the 9-5 cult. I will be exploring those reasons in another blog post soon.