Wednesday, December 6, 2017

I Do Not Put Limits On The Many Possibilities That Life Has To Offer

            While waiting at the airport for my flight to arrive, I chatted with a woman and her young child and asked how the child liked flying.  The mother replied, “Oh, we're not flying, we're waiting for someone.  Then she added firmly, “I could never fly.”

            Her words have often surfaced in my mind, along with thoughts about how often people limit themselves and their lives by proclamations such as hers.

            While flying is not my, nor many other peoples, most favorite thing to do, by doing we have not only overcome a challenge but have, also, afforded ourselves great benefits not possible with other modes of transportation.

            Listen to yourself, do you ever say, “I'm afraid to do that.” or “I'd be afraid to do that.”  Of the two, the second is worse because it shows an anticipated fear, while the first one shows a current fear.

            Although, they seem similar upon first encountering, the words, “I wouldn't do that!” are quite different.  For there can be valid reasons for the saying of them.  They are appropriate if someone was asked to drink a glass full of an unknown dark liquid.  The words ~ would not ~ indicates wisdom, while the words ~ could not ~ indicates fear.

            This is not to say that one should be foolhardy or reckless when limits are cast aside, but rather to look at all activities as a possibility of doing under certain circumstances.

            If I were asked to do hang gliding, I would say, “No, Thank you,” but if it were the only way to escape from a life-threatening situation, I would welcome the opportunity.  Therefore, it is wise for me, when asked, “Have you ever done hang gliding?” to respond with the words “Not yet” as this accustoms my mind to the possibility of doing it.

            While if I were to reply, “No, I could never do that,” I would be building fear from which it could be extremely difficult to extract myself, even if under life threatening conditions this was the only possible means of escape.  Now when I see hang gliding on television, instead of my past response of quickly turning to another channel while saying the “can never do” words, I now say firmly my new phrase “I can do it.”

Avoid limiting yourself.  Several months ago, the baseball world was lamenting the fact that a young, exceptionally good pitcher, had to have his left elbow operated on and would thus be unable to play for the season.  He was quoted as saying that his elbow had hurt since he first started playing baseball and that he always knew that someday that he would have trouble with it and would need a complicated operation.  He put limits on himself.  He affirmed for a condition and it became so.

There is a joy and a proud feeling when one has accomplished something, whether not done previously or repeatedly doing that which is a challenge.

            A rousing, invigorating proclamation of “I did it, by golly, I did it!” is the fuel that will invigorate one for years.

It was just after college, that un- athletic, often-sick me became determined to take a Red Cross canoe course in which it was required that I get both out of the canoe and then in again while in the middle of the lake, without upsetting the canoe.  The knowledge that through perseverance I learned to do it and passed the test has helped me get through a wide variety of happenings in the years thereafter; although none involved either a canoe or water.

            If one has doubts about her/his ability to do something, a statement to one’s self (or to others if needed,) of, “If I did (whatever?) before, then I can certainly do this now.” will make all sorts of actions possible.

People should do the things that will make themselves proud of themselves because accomplishing accomplishments can transform one’s life.

            “Beware of False Pride” is an old saying, yet, also of merit is ~ “Beware of False Modesty.”

            When people are praised for an accomplishment and they respond with, “Oh, it was nothing.” or the reverse response, “Oh, no, I'm not worthy of your praise.”  They are insulting the person who gave the compliment.  It is the same as saying “You don't know what you are talking about” or “Your judgment is poor if you can say that about poor little me.”

            Always a good response to a compliment, a speaking of the truth about something that was done, are the simple words, “Thank you” or “Yes, I am proud of myself for having done that.”


            The purpose of the entry this month is transformation.  In the springtime, plants are rising out of the ground, they may look the same as they did last year but each has grown in some way.  So too can each of us grow and change, thus transforming our lives by cutting the ties that bind us to limiting thoughts and actions.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Joan! I was thinking of you and decided to look you up and i came across this. It is just what I needed to hear right now. I hope all is well with you! (Your old friend Michele who moved to Virginia many years ago!)

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