Pushing the Limits

We're all bound by some type of limitation...
whether it be on how flexible you are, how tall you'll grow, etc.
Limits are not all frozen in place, most can be stretched, depending on how far you yourself are willing to push that boundary.

The perfect example is when you're working out, despite the pain you push through because you know that in order to grow stronger you must first endure the pain...the drive that encourages you onward is your own determination to reach your own goal...a fairly easy limitation to expand (confused? Think of expanding your limitation, on working out, to be building up how hard/how many reps you can do...like 5 push-ups to 10, 15, 20 etc.)

A harder limitation to expand is...fears. By definition the word means:

1. Feeling of Anxiety
an unpleasant feeling of anxiety or apprehension caused by the presence or anticipation of danger

2.Frightening Thought
an idea, thought, or other entity that causes feelings of fear

But thinking about it, fear is actually just a limitation of/on the mind.

*I'm sure by now we've all admitted that things that happen in the mind are not always the easiest things to deal with*

Some people have fears of bugs, darkness, tight/confined spaces, heights, deep water, there is an infinite amount of fears out there in the world. A number of people will eventually conquer their fears by facing them head on...pretty much the only way to truly overcome a fear.

Overcoming a mental fear can be harder than anything else...especially if in the past something has happened to make you develop that fear. Even though you may receive plenty of encouragement from friends reassuring you, and in some part of your brain you think 'Ok...all I have to do is try...'; you still can't bring yourself to do it. A way to picture it would be to imagine a large rock that you have spent so much time and effort (along with others helping) to push up to the top of a hill, and instead of rolling it over the hill and letting gravity take it the rest of the way, you just release it, and let it fall back down...all your hard work and effort wasted for nothing...a bit of a let down no?

Thinking about it, it makes complete sense to say, 'oh well that's easy, you just have to get yourself to do it.'....but thinking about it when it's not happening to you, doesn't do you much good. Because when you're put on the spot of facing one of your greatest fears, it's a whole different story; when your mind and feelings come into play, it is one of the hardest barriers to push through. Not impossible, but it isn't easy either...those who have succeeded in leaving their fears behind deserve respect.

We all put our limits to the test, sometimes we return unsuccessful in broadening our boundaries, but when we are successful there isn't a more satisfying feeling in the world; when you realize what you've just accomplished, and that sense of pride fills your body...it places you on cloud nine, and you feel like a super hero.

Friends can help you in testing and expanding your limits, but what it really comes down to is yourself. You're the one that decides whether to keep going or just give in...a strong will and a fierce determination can help you to accomplish anything. It's up to you to build up such a mindset and use it when you're tackling not only your own limits, but other aspects of life as well.