Breaking Out of the Cage

I went to the Nine Inch Nails Peel It Back tour last night. The name was fitting. The very first thing they did was “peel back” the sound. No lights. No heavy production. Just Trent on the piano playing Right Where It Belongs.

Early in the song there is a line:

“See the animal in his cage that you built. Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?”

For a long time I built my own cage. On the surface it looked like safety. A steady career. Routines. Habits that kept me comfortable. But comfort was the glass. I thought I was in control, but really I was just watching life happen from the other side.

When I was heavier, I leaned on that comfort even more. I avoided places where I felt out of place. I stayed in routines that looked fine from the outside but left me feeling stuck inside.

What Side of the Glass

That lyric asks a question. Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?

I used to think I was the one in control, building a safe place for myself. In reality, I was on the wrong side of the glass. I was not really living.

I see this now in leadership and mentorship too. People build careers, titles, and routines that look solid but keep them stuck. They stay behind the glass because it feels safer than stepping through it. The truth is, growth never happens from that side.

Breaking Free

Change started when I admitted to myself that I was trapped. I had to stop telling myself I was safe and start asking what I really wanted.

Breaking free did not come from one big decision. It came from small cracks in the glass. Drinking more water. Moving more. Choosing consistency over perfection. Each habit opened things up until eventually the cage I built no longer held me.

As a mentor, I try to help others do the same. Not to hand them the key, but to show them the cracks they might not see yet. Sometimes the smallest shift is what sets everything else free.

A Question Worth Asking

That song reminded me how easy it is to confuse safety with freedom. Sometimes what feels safe is the very thing that keeps us trapped.

The lyric leaves the question hanging.

“Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?”

It is a question worth asking