In
the 1980s, Ross Perot spoke of the national budget deficit as “the
crazy aunt living in the basement that nobody wanted to talk about.” Do
you have any “crazy aunts”? I have two of them, Aunt Alma and Aunt
Lala. I’d tell you what makes them crazy, but if it got back to them,
they might do something crazy. But when Ross Perot talked about “crazy
aunts,” he meant something other than women who bake beans for the
family reunion. He meant anything that holds us back, that keeps us
from realizing our full potential.
Let’s
identify some “crazy aunts.” How about television, particularly the
channels you watch when nobody sees you? What about the time you spend
on-line at the office? Maybe your “crazy aunt” is a hidden addiction to
tobacco, gambling, or an unhealthy relationship. “Crazy aunts” come in
all shapes and sizes. If you don’t believe me, you ought to see Alma or
Lala! Nobody sees your “crazy aunts” because they live in the basement.
You think they are locked up. But you are never really free from their
control.
You
are like the convict in Australia who escaped from prison. He grabbed
onto the bottom of a laundry truck, and held on for dear life. Five
miles later the truck came to a stop, and he crawled out from
underneath the truck. He discovered he was now in another prison. You
and I need to deal with our “crazy aunts.” Don’t trade them in for
other “crazy aunts.” Dig down deep in your basement. Only when you are
free from your “crazy aunts” will you be free indeed.