 What do you think of when you read or hear the phrase "Going Beyond The Limit"? Or maybe "Pushing The Limit"? To me it usually sounds exhausting and if feels like a whole lot of resistance. Not exactly motivating for me. For some people it may be just what it takes to get them motivated to reach a goal or initiate some kind of change in their lives. Unfortunately that's not the case for everyone and sometimes it prevents people from even trying for something they really want.
What if achieving something that you thought wasn't possible or out of reach turned out not be as hard as you initially thought?What if I suggested that it's not just about what you're doing, it's just really all in your head. Literally. What makes something hardest often is due to what we tell ourselves about it. The biggest limits we place on ourselves begins in our mind. The way be achieve anything great in our lives, or even not so great also begins in your mind. That's fantastic news because if it begins in our own mind, that means we can do something about it. It's powerful knowledge to have. For example, say you want to run a marathon. That's a pretty lofty goal for most people. You enjoy running, however it does not seem to come as easy to you as it does to others that you know...you don't run as fast, your knees hurt and it doesn't seem to come as natural for you. If you focus on these aspects and remind yourself of all of the reasons why you won't be able to do it, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. We don't take action when we tell ourselves things that don't make us feel good. On the other hand, if you remind yourself of all of the reasons that it would be amazing to run a marathon and those reasons are enough to make you feel inspired and excited, you can begin to see that finishing a marathon could become a realty for you. You have to see it and believe it in your mind first. I'm not suggesting that you run a marathon of course. That was an example and it speaks to my own experience. Those are the things I used to tell myself and it came to mind as a good example. As a result, I never did run a marathon or even a half marathon. But if I'd thought about if differently and wanted it bad enough, hands down I believe I could have done it. Here are some simple steps you can begin to take to reach beyond your own limits, because they often really are your own. 1. Decide what you want and ask yourself why. It's super important that you like your reason. 2. See yourself achieving your desire and try to step into how that would feel when you achieve that result. 3. Take one step at a time to get there. They don't have to be huge steps, they just have to be steps. 4. Stay consistent. Remind yourself often why you want it. Believe you can because you decided you could. 5. Be the gatekeeper of your mind. Always focus on what you want opposed to what you don't want. Your brain will try to give you all the reasons why you can't and shouldn't. Let them flow in and out. Don't allow them to occupy too much of your mental space. This can work for you in other areas in your life. If you tell yourself you can't do something, you won't. It can even help if you've experienced a loss or unexpected change. In the beginning it may seem impossible that things can get better or that you can ever be happy and fulfilled again. If we understand that these thoughts are normal and part of our process, it will take some of the pressure off. We don't have to keep them around forever. When we feel ready we can let those thoughts go and decide we'd rather believe something else. Until next time, Lisa J. ps I'd love to hear from you. Shoot me an email and schedule a free consultation!
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