life tips

Perceived limitations you harbor about yourself can keep you from following your passions and realizing dreams for the future. You may have been trying for a long time to get a business idea off the ground, lose weight or reach a success goal you want for your life.

It’s just not happening and you may not know why. Obstacles arise – one after the other – and you never seem to conquer them enough to keep on the path to success. It’s likely not the obstacles, but yourself that’s holding you back – with perceived limitations.

Limitations can come in the form of excuses ignited from fear, procrastination and complacency or from what you learned in the past. You may feel powerless to break away because the negative thoughts they bring, the way they zap your energy and keep you in a box you can’t seem to break out of.

If you’re ever going to achieve the success you want and deserve you have to take the steps of working through the limitations you’ve put on yourself. The first step you should take is to think about something you desperately want and need and then ask yourself why you haven’t gotten it yet.

You’ll likely think of excuses and limiting beliefs you’ve held about yourself for years – perhaps even back to your childhood days. What do you say to yourself to verify these limitations?

Think about what happened to you to foster these beliefs about yourself. Did you learn anything from what happened to you? Maybe you failed at a business you tried and lost a great deal of money.

That can be a devastating blow to your psyche and hold you back forever unless you can turn that negative into an empowering event in your life. When an opportunity or idea you feel good about enters your mind, you may push it aside if you have perceived negative limitations about yourself and never visit the thought again.

Fear is usually the reason people don’t act on their good instincts and the right opportunity. There are many ways to identify your perceived limitations – including keeping a journal of your thoughts – especially the negative ones.

Life coaches and counselors are also great to help you work through your perceived limitations and put you on the right track for whatever you want to do. Challenge yourself to take action and break through the limitations you’ve assigned to yourself. Take it a baby step at a time until you’re able to see your perceived limitations for what they are – unfounded fears.

Why does the thought of success strike fear in so many people with so much potential? The answer could be because there’s change involved. Simply put, most of us are afraid of any changes that are going to shake us out of the cages which have become our comfort zone.

If you’re going to be successful, you’re going to have to overcome the fear and take action. You can begin the journey by daring yourself, setting aside your fears and taking action to meet your goals for the future.

Fear is normal – fear of snakes, heights, drowning, rejection – and the changes that come with success. Fear is a normal part of life, but unless you address those fears, they will follow you around, make you miserable and squash any dreams of success you may have.

You may feel you’re not good enough for success or perhaps you’re afraid you’ll fail and people will discover you’re a fraud. It may be time to dare yourself to success – because you have the power and the strength within you to take the necessary actions to meet your goals and make your dreams come true.

It’s okay to feel that fear in your mind and heart. The danger is letting that fear paralyze you into taking no action at all. Acknowledge that you are fearful and know that it’s normal.

Then, it’s time to face those fears and figure out what you have to do to make success happen. Begin small and with each step, dare yourself to think bigger and better. Eventually, you will have dared yourself to success.

Maya Angelou once said, “I believe the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.” When you dare to take control of your life and take action to make those dreams come true, the fear will gradually begin to wane and then you’ll forget about it altogether.

Take a moment to think about what you would do – which actions you would take – if you weren’t afraid. Write those actions down and one by one dare yourself to make them happen.

Tap in on the brave side of your personality and use the power you have to add more power and overcome the obstacles one by one until you make success happen. Ask for guidance if needed.

Take courses, read books or network with successful people – anything to give you the knowledge and confidence you’ll need to overcome the fears. When you make a conscious decision to dare yourself and take the actions needed to reach success, you’re on your way to dashing all your fears that you’re not good enough, not creative or beautiful enough and other negative thoughts that hold you back.

Think of all the challenges that bring fear into your heart and mind and then dare yourself to overcome them. Begin small and your fears of success will diminish as you go along.

Perceived limitations can be as challenging as trying to tie a rope with your hands behind your back. We know by watching athletes achieve the seemingly impossible feats of man against the elements, that the mind and body can exceed limits far past what we may expect of ourselves.

We all have that power within us. An obstacle may seem insurmountable, but rather than ask yourself if you can overcome it, challenge yourself to figure out how you can do it.

Endurance events that athletes face are no different than the challenges you face at work, in relationships or in completing goals and realizing your dreams. When you surrender your dreams to the limitations you place on yourself, you’ll never reach the vision of your true destiny.

There’s nothing deep or mystical in lifting the limitations on your life – it just takes persistence and continuous results. One thing you can do to challenge those limitations you place on yourself is to list what you want to accomplish and then think about what you have to do to get there.

Dream big. Don’t just stick to things you know and that are in your comfort zone. It’s those challenges that will spur you on to even greater things. You may change your challenges and dreams as you go along because of a change of mindset, injuries or life-altering situations, but always focus on the finish line you set for yourself.

After you figure out how you can challenge the limitations you set for yourself, it’s time to prepare for the race. You wouldn’t swim the English Channel without preparing months (or even years) ahead for the challenges you’ll face across those treacherous waters.

Prepare for your own journey through extensive training, gathering knowledge, getting your body and mind in shape for the challenge and anything else you can do to make sure you’ll be successful.

You may need to adjust your strategy from time to time as you learn, but eventually you’ll be on your way to the success you envision. Next, you’ll have to put your plan into motion.

This can be a difficult time for some because you’re afraid of failure. After all, you’ve been thinking and preparing for the race – and now you have to make it happen. But it’s far worse to hold back and do nothing than to fail because you didn’t even try.

Last, you need to believe in yourself. You are the only obstacle in your way of achieving greatness and you should never let self-doubt keep you in a box because you were afraid of failure and thought you had limitations you couldn’t overcome.

Think like a child. Children boldly believe they can climb the highest tree or venture out into the middle of the lake. Thank goodness adults are there to hold them back. Those are true limitations.

Your fear of success is false. You may have limited yourself in your thinking process or perhaps others have made you think you can’t do it. You can – and you will – cross the finish line of success when you challenge those perceived limitations you’ve set for yourself.

Never accept any thought or suggestion that limits your ability to achieve everything you can dream of to have the kind of life you crave and deserve. Get busy and begin to challenge those false beliefs!

You’d never climb Mount Everest without a careful plan outlining in detail the best route to get there. But many of us run helter-skelter into unknown areas when attempting to reach our goals without any planning at all.

We simply know that there’s an opportunity that we might want to do and begin the trek regardless of the obstacles that are sure to arise and that we know nothing about. Stress and anxiety can arise and overwhelm even the strongest of desires for success.

If you know ahead of time what the triggers are that could cause stress and anxiety, you’ll be better able to combat them with a careful plan – arming yourself to overcome any negatives that come your way.

There are several ways to plan ahead and alleviate any fears you may have regarding a situation. Pre-planning before an event where you have to give a speech keeps you from rushing at the last minute to gather knowledge about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it.

It’s not all mindset that can get you through your fears – sometimes the body and mind rebel against the food you’re ingesting or lack of exercise to keep your body fit and your mind sharp.

Caffeine, alcohol and chemicals found in most foods (especially fast foods) can wreak havoc with your moods and make your mind fuzzy. Before an event or situation you’re fearful about, make sure you stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, getting plenty of vitamins B, C and E to boost the effectiveness of your nervous system and never eating a huge meal just before an event.

Your overall health may also trigger fears and anxiety. Try to get as much sleep as possible just before an event, eat well-balanced meals and exercise – even if it’s only some stretches or deep breathing.

Meditation may also help calm any fears you have about a particularly stressful or anxious situation. Affirmations during meditation can boost your self-confidence as you think about how you’ve handled situations successfully before.

It’s sometimes those things that are most fearful to you that can lead you to realize success and fulfill your dreams. For example, if the career path you’ve chosen means you have to speak in public and the thought leaves you anxious and stressed out, you’ll want to take steps to alleviate that fear.

You could take courses, engage a mentor or strive to discover other tips and advice on how to get over the fear. Remember that you don’t have to be perfect at anything you want to try.

Perfectionism can lead to the irrational fear that everyone notices when you make a mistake or take a wrong turn. In reality, no one cares and it’s doubtful than anyone even noticed.

Careful planning was imperative to NASA’s goal of achieving successful trips to the moon – and careful planning can serve to alleviate your fears and help you realize all your goals and dreams for the future, too!

Your comfort zone is just what it suggests – comfortable for you – but it could keep you walled-in and unable or unwilling to leave that zone and face the obstacles that are keeping you from achieving your ultimate success.

Maybe you can do your job without even thinking. It’s so familiar to you that you’re blinded and may bump into obstacles without even knowing what they are or how to get around them.

You can choose from a couple of choices – either take steps to break through your comfort zone and learn and try new things – or let yourself fall backwards because there no challenges and apathy is comfortingly familiar to you.

There are ways you can assert yourself and even enjoy it so that you can break out of your comfort zone and pursue your suppressed hopes and ambitions. One assertiveness technique you may want to try is to develop new skills, learn something new or get yourself in a new routine of doing things.

Another assertiveness technique to try is doing a task for favor for someone that no one asked you to do or volunteer when someone asks for help. Become a mentor to someone and teach them what you know.

You may see what you do in a whole new light when you expose it to a novice. Welcome change in your life. If something isn’t working and you’re bored or unfulfilled, change it.

You don’t have to make drastic changes such as moving to an island, but take small assertive steps to pursue opportunities you may enjoy. Of course, it’s risky to step out of the safety and familiarity of your comfort zone.

If you’re not a risk-taker, you may have fears that make you resist challenges or new opportunities. In that case, take the steps gradually and see if you fit into the path you’re thinking of choosing.

For example, an online course that you participate in part time rather than quitting your job and heading to the unknown on a whim might backfire and make you even more fearful to be assertive.

You don’t have to quit your job or move to another country to try new things. Thanks to online opportunities, you can gradually feel your way through a new idea or pursue a new career you might be interested in.

Even if you decide not to pursue that path, the very act will give you a sense of accomplishment and help your self-confidence soar. It’s a special and valuable reward for the time and effort you put into the journey.

Getting out of your comfort zone might make you feel lost at first – like Dorothy in the Land of Oz – but eventually, you’ll see and take advantage of all the magic it offers. You’re bound to awaken passions and develop self-esteem that you never knew you had.

Thanks to computers and the Internet, it’s easier than ever to build a name for yourself and create your own success story. You don’t have to be famous to become a success and enjoy all the material things that success brings to your life.

You simply need to know how to outline and then generate your own success story. Your success story begins by finding your passion. The prologue of your book of success will be finding what you love to do and what you want to contribute to the world.

Be sure your passion is something you’ll love for a lifetime because after you reach success, it will be difficult to give it up. Then, educate yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to go to school or necessarily get a degree, but it does mean you have to research and learn about everything your chosen success story entails.

Know your limits. If your success story will take a commitment of 7 days per week and working long hours, you may not be willing to make the sacrifice if you have a family or other obligations.

Don’t commit to something you know you’ll never complete. That will ruin your self-esteem and your reputation in the business world. Maybe you only have to lower your expectations of a short timeline to reach the success you desire.

Stay healthy. It may seem strange that staying healthy needs to be a significant chapter to your success story, but it is. Don’t neglect yourself to the detriment of your health. Sticking to a good diet and exercise program while you’re busy generating your success story can make the journey much smoother and much more enjoyable.

Trust in yourself. A good success story is full of ups and downs – just like a good novel. Situations that grab your interest and spur you on to write the next page can be challenges that you have to overcome, but when you beat them, you’ll forge ahead with even more determination.

The reality of becoming a success means sacrifice after sacrifice. Just the act of preparing for success will take many hours of thought and putting those thoughts into actions.

Never sacrifice quality or your life values when seeking success. Your self-worth will plunge and you won’t ever realize true success because you’ll be disappointed in yourself.

Be sure you stick to your values and know your self-worth along the way to generating your own success story. To do otherwise would be to betray yourself and put the happy ending of your success story in jeopardy.