What are you capable of, really?
“Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths.”
— The Art of Living, Epictetus
“When you think that you are done, you're only 40% in to what your body's capable of doing. That's just the limits that we put on ourselves.”
— Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins
Can you play a musical instrument? How do you know?
Are you a good swimmer? How do you know?
Can you paint or draw? How do you know?
Would you be a good doctor, mathematician, physicist, entrepreneur, carpenter, bodybuilder, or marathoner? How do you know?
Most of us don’t really know the answer to how strong we are or how talented we really are because we haven’t tried hard enough or long enough. It’s difficult to find our limits.
The most frequently cited excuse for our failures is lack of discipline. But behind that excuse is an unpleasant truth: most of us fear the revelation of our limits. We fear the shame that comes from confronting that reality. There’s pain in learning our limits, facing what we’re really capable of.
According to Fender CEO, Andy Mooney, 90% of people who pick up the guitar, give up within three months. They will never know how good they really are because for most people, guitar takes about two years to move beyond the beginner material.
You cannot accurately assess your strengths and talents if you haven’t tried, very hard.
You are a font of creative energy and potential. Do not fear your limits. Instead, fear the lack of courage to know them (intimately). You are capable of much more than you believe.
Find out what hidden strengths and talents remain dormant within you. Find your true limits, not the artificial limits that shackle your spirit. You can be unbounded if you choose to be.