The day was long and it wasn’t until after the gym and past 10pm that I sat down to write. Throughout the day I had been thinking about the endless field of possibilities we all play in and wondered how often we even get a glimpse of who we are and what potential waits for us. When working with people at the intense level I do, I notice how so many people hold themselves back by how they think about themselves. This is true for staff and clients.
There are certain ways that these self-limits manifest:
The biggest issue is usually self-judgment about not being ok. For people that have destroyed much of their lives through addiction this judgment may seem rational but it is just more of the same self-destructive ways. Others are run by learned criticism that they continue from their childhood through their self-talk.
Other powerful limiting issues include the beliefs we have that have no basis in reality and only exist because they go unexamined. The unexamined life too often falls very short of our potential. Beliefs are just collections of words we decide are real but examined with awareness these limits can quickly dissolve.
Further limits come from a life of things not working like we expected and this gets translated into self-doubt. This doubt about who we are is a mind invention and often includes the idea that the flaws in us are to blame for our disappointments. We all our born flawless but our interpretations of the world can get negative and doubtful.
When we put the circumstances of our own life outside of ourselves through blame we make ourselves powerless. Blaming and complaining leaves us with nothing else to do since we refuse to see our part or take responsibility for the results we find in our lives.
Sometimes after a difficult time we even loose faith in things working out. We wonder, “why me?” and may even give up. This stuck place turns us toward depression and then the downward cycle can seem impossible. There is however help here but it means reaching out to others like professionals and people who care enough to help turn us in a more positive and healthy direction.
Another self-imposed limit can be ignoring our inner messages that change is essential. Turning away from these knowing messages of intuition, of gut instincts, of stuck emotions, of obsessive thinking, and of turning away from what we really want to do, can leave us feeling empty and stagnate.
These limits are not real but seem so embedded at times that it can be hard to get unstuck. Others can be very helpful especially professionals who know how to support and encourage positive changes. Please don’t hesitate to reach out when you need help. This reaching out really does shorten the suffering cycle and is good at removing the mistaken self-limits in our way.
The creative flow especially in the form of writing, journaling and other expressive ways can bust down limiting barriers. I will return with more of my barrier busting novel experiment soon.