Limits: Concessions We Impose on Ourselves

Yesterday I ran into an old friend of mine. We sat down on a bench outside of library where we caught up on each others lives. We shared brief encounters we had made since our last run-in, the pile of work we had sitting in front of us and our future aspirations. As we passed our casual conversational pleasantries, we began to discuss our future ambitions.  And it got me thinking.

I listened to my friend talk about past mistakes he made in the classroom, the minimal experience he had acquired over the years and the pressure he carried as a burden about the future. As I listened to him, I realized that the items he enumerated were fear dressed into arguments. While I could sympathize with him because we all carry baggage too heavy for us to cart around, it confirmed one thing to me. The reason we do not pursue our biggest dreams and goals, is due to the limits we impose on ourselves. We find excuses, arguments even reasons to not pursue our ambitions. We find that if we can justify our fears, we can sleep at night knowing there was nothing we could have done to achieve an abundance of success and glory.  

I look at people who have surrounded me my whole life and the obstacles they have overcome with all odds against them, and I cannot justify validating those who impose limits on themselves merely because they found a reason to do so.  I believe that even in the darkest room, you can find a light. You must simply look for it. It’s your determination and your passion that should drive your ambitions. No one will believe in you unless you believe in yourself. If you believe that you are worth it, people will feel that in your presence. Whether you are rich or poor, short or tall, quiet or loud, you are your own creator of limits. When you create your limits, you consent to concessions on your life.

As I left my friend yesterday, I could see the hope and desire in his eyes. I know that he will use that energy within him to pursue his goals. Brilliance is a product of our genuine desires and aspirations. Being true to yourself and those ambitions you hold dear will leave us to live a life of abundant happiness, success and peace of mind. 

“The garden of the world has no limits, except in your mind.”
― Rumi