“Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours.” I caught this line from Richard Bach's Illusions loitering just outside my thoughts this morning. It didn't seem to be particularly menacing or like it was trying to cause any trouble, so I didn't give too much attention. It was probably just hanging out in the deserted food court waiting for Starbucks to open after the early showing of some forgotten dream sequence.
As the morning, and my caffeine intake, progressed, it stuck around and provided me with more than a few self-satisfied smiles. In fact, the longer this remembered quote lingered, the better I felt. I don't do that. Ask anyone. I'm much more of an opportunity-oriented kind of guy. I don't meet very many 'problems' where I don't also look for the gift to my being and becoming that it may carry. I'm actually pretty good at keeping my mind and my perspective open to possibilities. I wrote the book on it. Or, at least a book on it. (Insert shameless book plug here _______.)
Luckily, I was interrupted before I could injure something with all this patting myself on the back. As my life began to finish its wake-up routine, in direct proportion to my coffee intake of course, my mind was suddenly flooded with a rush of unfortunate, yet related, thoughts – memories, each bearing (and baring) a fairly hefty dose of, as yet unconsidered, awareness.
From this particular hindsight glance, I saw an awful lot of moments that I lived almost entirely from a place of fear and deeply ingrained assumptions of unnecessary limitation. And, with rare exceptions, it wasn't my words that were making the case. More often than not, it was my choices – actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings – that were doing the arguing; habits and patterns of choice that were actually creating and strengthening the very barriers I was trying to break through.
But that was then; this is now. I've learned a lot since those days and have added some pretty impressive understandings to my perspective. (Did I mention I wrote a book about this kind of stuff?)
And yet...
Here I am with a whole 'new and improved' set of hopes, dreams, wants and desires – each of them powerfully connected to my sense of happiness, meaning and purpose. And from my current vantage point, all I can see standing between me and these hopes and dreams are a whole new series of obstacles and barriers. They're quite different from my past road blocks to be sure. But I have to wonder... Well, I don't really HAVE to wonder, but I kind of want to...
In the unfolding of today's court proceedings (in the matter of Hopes & Dreams Vs. Limitations), for which side will my choices argue and give evidence?
Of course I have no idea. But I think this new line of questioning will at least make for a helpful cross-examination. And you just never know where that will lead.
Luckily, I was interrupted before I could injure something with all this patting myself on the back. As my life began to finish its wake-up routine, in direct proportion to my coffee intake of course, my mind was suddenly flooded with a rush of unfortunate, yet related, thoughts – memories, each bearing (and baring) a fairly hefty dose of, as yet unconsidered, awareness.
From this particular hindsight glance, I saw an awful lot of moments that I lived almost entirely from a place of fear and deeply ingrained assumptions of unnecessary limitation. And, with rare exceptions, it wasn't my words that were making the case. More often than not, it was my choices – actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings – that were doing the arguing; habits and patterns of choice that were actually creating and strengthening the very barriers I was trying to break through.
But that was then; this is now. I've learned a lot since those days and have added some pretty impressive understandings to my perspective. (Did I mention I wrote a book about this kind of stuff?)
And yet...
Here I am with a whole 'new and improved' set of hopes, dreams, wants and desires – each of them powerfully connected to my sense of happiness, meaning and purpose. And from my current vantage point, all I can see standing between me and these hopes and dreams are a whole new series of obstacles and barriers. They're quite different from my past road blocks to be sure. But I have to wonder... Well, I don't really HAVE to wonder, but I kind of want to...
In the unfolding of today's court proceedings (in the matter of Hopes & Dreams Vs. Limitations), for which side will my choices argue and give evidence?
Of course I have no idea. But I think this new line of questioning will at least make for a helpful cross-examination. And you just never know where that will lead.