- I don’t have enough money.
- I’m not smart enough.
- I don’t have enough time.
- I’m not strong enough to do that yet…
- I don’t have enough experience.
It’s easy to let your limits define who you are and STOP you.
You should always be pushing your limits, but if you’re not even at that point yet, you can do something even easier.
Don’t even try pushing your limits yet.
Instead, embrace them.
Let your limits define the parameters of the game. Make the subconsciously negative into a conscious positive.
Use them to become more creative.
- Twitter started because a text message could only be 160 characters.
- Instagram became the biggest photo sharing platform after requiring people starting to recreate the polaroid square photo and filter scheme.
- I started IMPOSSIBLE from my parent’s basement and my sister’s couch while training for an indoor triathlon.
Turn your limits into an advantage.
So you’re not the fastest person in the world. You’ll need more guts.
So you don’t have venture funding. You need more creativity.
So you don’t have a rich uncle. You get to be more scrappy.
So. What.
Stop wallowing in your pity. Make something happen.
Find your limits. Embrace them.
And never stop pushing.
Thanks Joel, I love this. Great timing too! I’m 56 and getting into ultra running after 25 years of non-ultra running and being injured a lot, due mainly to having Ehlers Danlos syndrome ( a connective tissue disorder). Four months ago, tired of taking it easy with my training, I decided to do everything I can to get my body as fit as it can be (under the circumstances). I got my mileage up to 45 a week, with lots of vertical. I was loving it! But then got a sore Achilles. I didn’t panic – just addressed as many possible causes as I could, and 10 days later it’s nearly better. Yes, I overdid things a bit – despite trying to be very careful in my progression. But all that happened is that I discovered a limit, and next time I’ll see it coming and try a different route around it. I’ve been told I’ve got the wrong body for the things I want to do, but I don’t see it like that. It’s just another part of the challenge. I accept that my body has limits, but they’re where I find them, not where other people tell me they should be. Your post has made me think about other limits I’ve been putting on myself (work, finances, relationships etc). I’m going to push those too now, and find out where they really are. Thanks again!
Your story is really impressive, Genni. Never let people tell you what you can and can not do. We all have limits, but they’re ours to discover and deal with them as we sit fit.