This past week I journeyed to the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming with my family. We stayed deep in the mountains, completely off the grid in tents. As we were driving to our camping site, I noticed we would drive over many metal bars laid across a ditch. I learned that they were called “cattle guards” and were used by farmers to keep the cattle on their land while still allowing cars to pass through.
These cattle have such a reluctance to step into the “void” that they wouldn’t cross it. This simple invention kept the cows from freedom. Eventually the cows would be slaughtered and used for food.
I was so intrigued that I researched cattle guards and found an interesting story. A farmer kept having to replace the guards due to the wear from cars passing through. Eventually he decided that the cows were so conditioned to not step over the guards, that they could just paint fake ones on the ground. Many of the cows fell for it, and stayed in the land, even though they were essentially free to leave.
I began to think about the fake “cattle guards” in my life. I wondered what barriers I am setting for myself. I identified the areas in which I am holding myself back. The cattle were fenced in by paint, all due to fear. They were used to comfort, and didn’t even try to challenge what they knew to be true.
Find what your cattle guards are. Push your boundaries. Step out into the unknown.