Have you ever looked at a lamp and thought how it relates to your life? Strange question, I know. That is what I thought when I first learned this concept. Think of it this way. The outlet is your personal potential . . . which is unlimited. The lamp is us and the light bulb is our output, what we give to the world.
Now obviously we each have different wattage in our light bulb. Some of us are 100 watt and some of us are 40 watt . . . but we can always grow. What provides the light? Is it the lamp? Kind of. The lamp only provides light when it plugs into the source of energy . . . the outlet. What keeps us from plugging in to our potential? Our limiting beliefs.
NO LIMITS
Limiting beliefs are like walls in our lives. Imagine standing in front of a large mountain . . . you pick the mountain. It looks like there will be an awesome view when you get to the top, but the climb is daunting. In this instant our limiting beliefs about our ability to climb the mountain kick in. Let me provide a few limiting beliefs I experience in my life.
Fear
How am I going to do this? I have never done this before so what makes me think I can do it now? I am not qualified? These are all fear-based questions. How do I cure it? Author Maxwell Maltz suggests in his book The New Psycho-Cybenetics that when we constantly expose ourselves to the object of our fear it will immunize us against that fear. So are you afraid to speak in front of people, well start doing it with small groups and gradually the fear will dissipate until you can reach your dream of speaking in front of thousands.
Control
I am a recovering perfectionist and struggling control-freak. This has a few plus sides . . . maybe (my wife would probably argue with me on that). I limit myself because big dreams require teams and if I have to control everything I will not lead well and allow team members to flourish. This control freak tendency also makes me want to know every detail of the plan and make sure it goes right. How do I grow in this? I must walk through life one step of faith at a time and trust even when things don’t go the way I want, they will work out to get me where I need to be.
“I can’t”
Often I am tempted to quit because the mountain seems too big and I can’t even see the top of it. What voice will I listen to? The one the holds the vision and says “press on” or the one that says “quit, it isn’t worth it.”
DON’T QUIT
Author Napoleon Hill in his classic book Think and Grow Rich said: “Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be operated by electricity. Despite more than 10,000 failures, he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers do not quit!”
What is the mountain you want to climb? Are you plugged in so you can grow to your full potential and shine as bright as possible? Are you plugged into the right source? Which of these limiting beliefs resonate with you? Face it head on and become the person you were created to be. Need help breaking some of those limiting beliefs? Contact me for a complimentary coaching session so I can help you reach your potential.
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