Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours. – Richard Bach

 

Sometimes I surprise myself. For the last few weeks, I’ve been working on an engineering project. Yes, you heard me right! I’ve been busy measuring, sketching, and lugging cement blocks and wire cages around in order to reinforce the slope on my property. 

Have I ever done anything like this before? Not really! But it’s been satisfying to challenge myself to try something new, and so far it’s coming together just fine. 

As a medium and spiritual teacher, it might seem like taking on an engineering project would be stepping way out of my wheelhouse. But as I type these words, I have to ask myself if that’s really true. After all, who made the rule that you can only have one “wheelhouse” or area of expertise? 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before…sometimes the only thing holding you back is your own belief, or lack of belief, in what you can do. 

Breaking through the invisible fence

Have you ever seen a big, powerful elephant at the circus, tethered to a small stake? They could easily break free, but they’re conditioned not to even try. Here’s how it happens. When an elephant is young and relatively small, it is tied to a stake in the ground. The stake is strong enough to hold the baby elephant, but a grown elephant could easily pull out the same stake. But it doesn’t. No matter how large and strong the elephant becomes, he believes that he cannot free himself – and doesn’t even try! 

Many people are just like that circus elephant, held back by nothing more than a pre-conceived notion they don’t even realize they’ve outgrown. 

Self-imposed limitations have the power to trip you up before you even get started. They can keep you from stepping out of your comfort zone. 

The big problem is that limitations seem so real that it’s easy to believe them. They come in handy when you want to rationalize not taking a chance, or trying something new. And they’re often reinforced by what other people have told us all our lives. 

But you have a secret weapon against self-limiting beliefs. 

Your thoughts have power.

I have to admit, at first I was a little intimidated by my backyard building project, but I wasn’t going to let myself be stoppped by the fact that I’d never done anything like that before. 

I reminded myself that I am a divine, limitless being – and that my own beliefs create my reality. I harnessed the power of my own thoughts and words to push myself forward, rather than holding myself back.  

I told myself that I was capable of following instructions and could always reach out for help if needed. But I didn’t need much help, other than some YouTube videos. It turns out I had everything I needed to be successful. 

Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars.

Are you longing to do something new, but having a hard time mustering up the confidence to get started. Think about it this way. You’re constantly evolving, maturing, and learning – and the person you are today isn’t limited by who you were yesterday. You can reinvent yourself in small ways, or big ones: 

• Just because you didn’t do well in high school algebra, doesn’t mean you can’t successfully create a financial plan for your new business venture. 
• If you were the kid who was the last to be picked for teams in gym class, you can still train for, and finish, a marathon today.
• You can have a fulfilling relationship in your forties, even if your love life was ta train wreck in your twenties. 

So much of what limits us are nothing more than stories we tell ourselves—and those stories may not be, true. 

I challenge you to create a new, empowering story of your life – from this moment on. 

Let yourself believe:

• You can be successful, and do what you love. 
• You have the freedom to take a risk. 
• You can make your own rules. 

There’s no time like right now. So I challenge you to ask yourself, “What would I be doing if I knew I couldn’t fail?” and take the first step.