Adversity Can Test Your Limits Or Break You
The hardest boundaries to break and overcome are those in your head. Anthony Robbins, one of the most famous motivational speakers of our time (who has probably contributed most to the field of personal change over the past 30 years) suggests that success is 80% psychology and 20% strategy.
The problem is that strategies can be studied and learned, but mental boundaries are hidden beneath one’s personality. But they don’t really exist – we make them. The only way to go beyond your limits is to understand how you created them in the first place.
The more mental limits you have, the worse your self-image will be. Boundaries distort your self-esteem, which also affects your performance. Our actions are based on the way we perceive ourselves.
Can adversity be an ally?
There are two options for facing adversity : try to avoid it or confront it. Life would be boring without problems. Difficult situations make us who we are.
Adversity forces us out of our comfort zones and into far more enriching experiences. Which allow us to grow, to discover our own strengths and resources that we were not aware of, and to use the walls around us as steps.
When you encounter adversity, remember the words of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychology: “I have been a happy man in life. I didn’t get anything easy.”
Live without limits
The only way to eliminate your mental limits is to challenge them. Before testing yourself, ask yourself if what you thought was true is actually true. That is, you have to look for real and convincing evidence. Not just the ideas you have in your head.
Once you’ve questioned your limits, think of a time when you were challenged. Think about when it was, how you overcame it, and what prompted you to try it. If you’ve never done this before, ask yourself why.
To challenge the boundaries you think you have, ask yourself what would happen if you decided to break them. This simple question, along with the simple visualization of yourself as you break through your limits, will help you shake off the fear that stepping into the unknown can cause. And most importantly, ask yourself what will happen if you do nothing. Unfortunately, we already know the answer to that question – if you don’t do anything, probably nothing will change.
It is important to be aware of what you can change in your mind. Using the word ‘yes’ instead of ‘I can’t’ is a small change that can have a huge positive subconscious effect. It opens up the possibility of achieving something you never thought you could do before. Remember that challenging your limits is the first step to conquering them.
