Cagebusters in Helsinki, 2003-2005

We started another group in Helsinki, following the same principles we had with Gootimers in Turku.

I quote our 1st booklet, this is how the group challenged itself in the beginning - and named itself the Cagebusters:

We are challenging ourselves to share personal experiences - successes and failures to give us valuable ideas and fresh perspectives. Many interesting topics and personal experience stories we're presented and we look forward to presentations and open dialogue about these. What is said by who in our meetings remains confidential.

Breaking free of the cage is a common theme. How to find courage to step out of one's limiting thinking patterns (the cage)? How to keep this stepping-out process going? Is our new reality just another cage? Sharing personal experiences and supporting each other to break free of the cage creates a network of like-minded (and light-minded) people. Sharing and support turns into mentoring and help in business and with "real-life" issues. This group is a safe place to present your ideas and challenges and to gain inspiration, new understandings and encouragement. A great learning opportunity.

This breaking-free attitude led to the name of this group: "Cagebusters". We had great fun in cagebusting, but also experienced some confusion and even fear. This is how one member described her feelings:

"This cagebusting process has increased my feeling of uncertainty, but at the same time it IS my safety."


Nomen est omen, said the Romans. The name Cagebusters had a strong flavor of shaking off something, and then flying free. We continued for about two years, and then, in all friendship, we stopped meeting. I feel we got rid of our mental cages, and were ready to continue on our own. Of course, cagebusting never ends - once you step out of one mental cage, you just find yourself in another, probably bigger one. And then you bust out of that, and move on.

I have often wondered why the Goodtimers is still active and having a good time, but Cagebusters ended. After all, the approach was the same. Could it be that the name the groups chose themselves defined their mission and destiny - having a good time is something you never want to finish, but if you're in a cage and busting out of there, you don't want to get stuck but want to get it done as soon as possible.

Our thoughts create our reality, and that creates our destiny. We must be aware of, and take responsibility of what we're thinking.