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Are you standing in your own way of success? Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy, placing limitations on ourselves and keeping ourselves from doing what we want to do because we convince ourselves that we’ll never be able to achieve our dreams and goals. We may catch a glimpse of our life purpose or passion, but we quickly tell ourselves that we’ll never make it that far. That’s when we build our ceiling of limitations.
Other times, we’ll take on limitations that others have placed for us. Did a family member or a “friend” ever tell you not to try something new because you’d never make it? Has someone ever asked you, “Where are you going to get the money to do that?” Or told you, “No one’s ever done that before”? If you heeded their advice, then you accepted their limitation as your own, and used it to build your ceiling.
So today’s part of getting to know ourselves involves looking at where our ceiling lies. If we avoid looking at our own limitations, we’ll never be able to get rid of them. But once we’re clear on the limitations we’ve set up for ourselves, we can start breaking that ceiling down.
What are your self imposed limitations? What’s your ceiling?
Get out your notebook or journal. Complete the following exercise by filling in the blanks:
- I am afraid of ___.
- I will never have enough ___.
- ___ is too hard.
- I could never ___.
- ___ is too risky.
- I’m not worthy of ___.
- ___ is impossible.
- I’m a failure at ___.
- I am afraid to do ___.
- I am not able to ___.
- I’m afraid to fail at ___.
- I quit ___.
How did that feel? What did you learn from it? Did you get clear on your ceiling? Really stretch yourself and commit to answering each question at least once. Then review your answers and see if anything else comes up. You may find that you can think of several responses to certain statements. Your ceiling should be quite clear by the time you finish this exercise.
This activity is a very useful way to get to know your own limitations. Try to keep an open mind, and don’t judge yourself for having placed limitations on yourself. Everyone has placed limitations on their own life at some point or another, so it’s nothing to kick yourself over. Remember: there’s no failure, only feedback. Mistakes are meant to be learned from.
Also keep in mind that your self imposed ceiling won’t go away if you try to ignore these limitations, so you may as well write them down in your journal so you can start accepting them. Only then can you break that ceiling down!
