Close your eyes.
Well, first read the questions, THEN close your eyes. (Then open them again. 
)
What do you dream of doing? What does your heart long for? Imagine it, feel it as though it were really happening now. You are that author, businessperson, glassblower.
Ahhh, feels nice, right? So…What’s stopping you from actually experiencing that? 
Limits.
Limits are the big bad wolf pack keeping you from getting to grandmother’s house. They’re the thief in the night, robbing you of the courage to follow your passion. They’re the little voice in your head that, when you get a great idea, always interjects with a good reason not to move forward.
The only limit you need is the one that keeps you from jumping off a cliff. When it comes to your dreams, limits suck.
So why do we impose these limits on ourselves and our dreams?
- Disbelief. Many of us grew up learning certain limitations: there’s never enough money, the only option is to go to college, you must follow the family business. The thought that you can literally custom create your life is just plain batshit crazy.
- Fear. Once you get past the absurdity and actually start to believe it, things get even crazier. Then the fear kicks in. With an endless expanse of opportunity, where would you begin? What do you even want? How will you get there? With so many questions to answer, things can seem overwhelming and we’d rather have…
- Comfort. We like our routines, we enjoy knowing what’s going on. Having a set guideline can be super comfortable – go to college, get a good job, get married and have kids? Sweet, it’s all mapped out for ya, you don’t even have to think about it. Legit enough reason…it really just comes down to whether you’re okay with this or not. If you’re reading this blog, I’d assume not. We’re here to create life outside of the box, not react to the world inside of it.
- We think we need money. We can’t possibly write a book, start our own business or become a painter until we have a hefty bank account. Money, it seems, will make our dreams come true.
- Other people. We’re afraid of how others will react. Will they make fun of me? What if they don’t support me? Most of us crave the approval of others, at least on some level.
Aside from these, you probably have your own sources of limitations. Great, so we know why…Now what can we do about it?
How can we overcome these limits?
- Realize that you do not need money first. Yes, money makes the world go ’round. But think of everyone who ever accomplished something – do you think most of them had the money first? Therein lies the problem: We think we need money first. That’s backwards – we need the mindset and action first – from this comes the profit. You don’t need money to start a blog, make contacts, or improve your mindset; the baby steps along the path of your dreams rarely cost anything, but they’re the ones that make up the big picture (living your dream for $$!) Mindset and action first, money second.
- Ignore other people.I’m not knocking the importance of others, as they can be a wonderful support system. But there are probably people in your life that unwittingly bring you down. You know ‘em – they mean well, they just want to warn you, to teach you lessons they wish they knew at your age. They might mean well, but don’t underestimate the power of their doubts. If you’re still trying to break free of these limits, you don’t need anyone trying to hold you back – your own doubts are temptation enough. Deal with these people how you feel comfortable – if they’re seriously toxic folks, can you cut them out of your life? Or maybe it doesn’t need to be that drastic; maybe a simple, “thanks, but I’d rather not talk about this,” would be enough. Do what you need to, but don’t let those limits hit your ears.
- Embrace other people. You know those people that just give off this effortlessly positive vibe? The ones that amaze you with their energy and ability to live with purpose? Those are the kinds of folks you wanna embrace. They can help you shed your disbelief and provide you with the support you need to get creating a fabulous life of your own design. Surround yourself with these kinds of influences and you can’t help but evolve.
- Change your thoughts. Every time a limiting belief pops up, question its validity and counter it with a positive, limitless thought. For example, I thought “I’ll never make enough money to live on my own.” Is this true? Am I really destined to live with my folks forever? No way. Let’s turn that right around – I will make more than enough to live on my own, comfortably, by working with my passion.
- Don’t think about the questions, especially the how’s. Endless opportunity brings with it endless questions, but if you dwell on these, you’ll become paralyzed with fear and indecision. Instead, brush off the questions, LIVE the questions. Ask yourself just one – what will make me happy? And do that. Which brings me to my next point…
- Take action. Limits can have a seriously strong hold on you. Sometimes, the only way to break free is to run like hell. So start taking action – even a baby step in the right direction can begin to shake off those limits. What’re you afraid of? Do that. Prove to yourself that you can overcome those limits. Once you start, you just might find yourself sprinting to the finish line.
These are just a handful of ways you can start working on living beyond your limits. Freedom is just a mindset shift away.
The greatest enemy of individual freedom is the individual himself.
Saul Alinsky said that, and he was right. In almost every case, nothing is stopping you, nothing is holding you back but your own thoughts about yourself and about “how life is.”
Your personal freedom to experience yourself and life as you wish is not being limited. Step into your choices and stop telling yourself that you can’t, when what you really mean is that you don’t want other people to feel the way you think that are going to feel when they see you making the choices you really want to make. Neale Donald Walsh
What would you do if there were no limits? Have your answer?
What’s stopping you?
We can be our own worst enemies. WE don’t think we can follow our dreams, WE don’t think it’s realistic, WE just wanna play it safe. We may use limits/others as scapegoats, but the reality is that WE can shape our own reality – and the possibilities are ENDLESS!
Peace, love and a limitless outlook,
- K
