Hard, Soft, Illusory

"If you want to achieve break through growth, you need to push past the fears that are holding you back." - Rieva Lesonsky

We may not be able to do everything, but we are able to do far more than we believe ourselves capable of.  The key is being willing to push:  to be willing to question our limitations as to whether they are self inflicted or there is a real wall present.

In some cases there is a real wall:  I cannot, for example, fly, no matter how hard I flap my arms.  This is a hard limitation.

In some cases there is a temporary wall:  it is conceivable that I could run a marathon, although I could not do it at the current time (well, at least not without seriously damaging myself).  This is a soft limitation, a limitation which is real but can be overcome.

In some cases there is a perceived wall:  I never competed in Highland Athletics because I believed I could never compete in Highland Athletics.  It turns out that I could (and can) compete in Highland Athletics.  This is a illusory limitation, a limitation which has reality only in our minds.

Part of the difficulty which we so often face is that we mis-categorize our limitations.  Our illusory limitations we too often call hard, our hard limitations we call soft - and our soft limitations go whichever way the wind is blowing in our minds.  This is because we do not question ourselves enough when we meet these limitations.

Do limitations serve a useful purpose?  Of course.  Not only in saving our lives (reference the man with the flailing arms as he plunges off the roof in a vain attempt to fly) but also in guiding what we do.

Sometimes limitations help us to think about what we're doing.  Just because I can do something, is it the best use of my time?  If there are limitations, why are they there?  Is it because they are truly present?  Or because my mind is throwing up barriers because it knows something I don't?

Again we return to the question of thought.  We simply don't think enough - or at least we don't think and question enough about our lives.  Sometimes we convince ourselves we want something we don't really want - and end up investing a great deal of time that could be better spent.  Sometimes we end up wanting something because others want it for us. 

But for most of us - for me anyway - the limitations tend to weigh far more on the side of creating barriers in my mind that simply are not there - or can be overcome with a some effort.  Too often we accept at face value that which, with a little consideration, we would understand to be much less than what we perceived.

Question your limitations. Make them squirm in the chair, explaining to you why they are truly hard and not soft or illusory.  And even then, perhaps cross examine them to see if they are really telling you something else than what they are claiming.

The reality is all of us - every one - is capable of far more than we do.  We need only to continue to expand until we truly reach the limits of the outer hard walls.