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February 7, 2007

Change the World: Breaking the Law of My Limits

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:10 am

What If I Stopped Saying I Can’t?

Change the World!

Those who advise people to follow their passion, no matter where it leads, are believers in intentionality*. Many meditation programs that advise that imagining ’success’, what one wants to happen, is the first step towards its realization, are believers in intentionality (the second step, they will tell you, is acting in accordance). Those who will tell you that having the courage to ‘real-ize’ what you were always intended to be and do, by living on the Edge beyond the reach of civilization’s safety net, is the only sane way to live, the only hope for us as individuals and as a culture, are believers in intentionality. And so are the ‘power of positive thinking’ and ‘appreciative inquiry’ proponents. . . .

The word intention literally means stretching toward. The word aspiration means breathing toward. — Dave Pollard, How to Save the World

If I say I can’t, you can bet I can’t.
I can argue for my personal limits with a clean, clear case of exactly what I can’t do — certain beyond certain, that I can’t do what I say I can’t. The future is easy to predict when I lay down the law of my personal limits.

Suppose just one time, or maybe once and for all, that instead of the law of my limits, I laid down my can’t do arguments?

I intend to break the law of my limits.
I will do something I once believed I could never do.
I aspire without a care, without fear of failing.
I will stretch toward, breathe toward learning.

If I trip or fall, I’ll simply adjust my steps.
If I get lost, I’ll stop for help.

I don’t need luck, when I can make things happen.

I intend to stop fighting for limits, and start exploring possibilities.

That’s a reality I can make happen.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

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22 Comments to “Change the World: Breaking the Law of My Limits”

  1. February 7th, 2007 at 8:24 am
    David Leggett said

    Such a great outlook you seem to have =)

    Living only doing what you know you can do does not do “Life” justice. Some people think that the better parts of their lives are when they have nothing to worry about, and have things all figured out… but I think the better years of our life are those times when we actually are spending our time suffering and learning from our mistakes. Life without learning is almost a life not worth living…

    I know you don’t need it, but I wish you luck anyways in your endeavors, whatever they may be!

  2. February 7th, 2007 at 8:31 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi David!
    Hey, I’ll take all of the good luck I can get. :)

    I used to seek out the hard parts in life. That wasn’t good either. My head got mangled from beating it against walls that didn’t need beating, until I finally learned that sometimes a rut isn’t stagnation . . . sometimes a rut is a place where you can recharge your batteries in order to get ready to do more another day.

    I agree that life without learning is . . . BORING. Input, I need input to keep growing!! :)

    The question is not one of avoiding the hard parts or of taking the hard road when the easy road is right there. Some folks do that, and sometimes that’s just silly. The question is do you know why you’re doing what you’re doing and is it serving you and the people around you?

    Thank you, David.

    You know you’re not a stranger here. You’re a friend. :)

  3. February 7th, 2007 at 8:44 am
    David Leggett said

    “The question is do you know why you’re doing what you’re doing and is it serving you and the people around you?”

    I really like that. Yeah, I was not trying to necessarily say take the hard way all the time :P

    But the way you put it is really nice. Is what you are doing something that you will enjoy, something others will benefit from, and something you will learn from?

    Thanks Liz =)

  4. February 7th, 2007 at 8:56 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi David,
    Sorry if I made it sound as if I were speaking directly to you. I wasn’t. I was speaking to that nebulous “you” that includes all of us. :)

    I like the way you said that last sentence better than anything so far. :)

  5. February 7th, 2007 at 9:12 am
    Mike said

    Liz,

    As the old saying goes “luck is where preparation meets opportunity”! While doing some research a while back I realized that the books “The Prayer of Jabez” and “The Luck Factor” were in fact the same content packaged for different audiences, and both could be summarized by the above saying.

    The really big obstacles to our success are generally found between our own ears. KNOWING that those obstacles are self-constructed is the most powerful tool for their removal.

    Great post; it really got my day off to a good start. Thanks!

    Mike

  6. February 7th, 2007 at 9:32 am
    Lisa said

    Makes me think of Byron Katie’s book, Loving What Is — I highly recommend it, and I use it all the time on myself and with clients.

    To the comment, “I can’t write a book. I can’t do big projects,” she would ask, “1. Is that true…2. how can you absolutely know that it’s true…3. what would it be like if you didn’t think that thought…4. is there a stress-free reason to keep that thought?”

    She adds a concept called “turnarounds” at the end that is just magical.

    Thanks for the great work Liz. It’s a pleasure to visit.

  7. February 7th, 2007 at 9:44 am
    Kian Ann said

    Hey Liz,

    Thanks once again for the inspiration. I think this world is full of possibilities when you choose to be proactive.

    Yes, we all can.

  8. February 7th, 2007 at 9:51 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mike!
    Knowing, Gustaw Holst once said, “What the minds yearns for most is not to know, but to believe.” I keep reversing and put that sentence back and forth. It’s true both ways to me.

    I need to know and I need to believe.

    Head and heart have to be there together.

    Thanks for coming to visit and for telling us about the “The Prayer of Jabez” and “The Luck Factor” — I did a big OF COURSE!! when you said that.

    You made this dialogue bigger and more important. :)

  9. February 7th, 2007 at 9:54 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Lisa
    That book — Byron Katie’s book, Loving What Is — sounds wonderful. What great way to re-record the bad tapes in our heads.

    So often we talk ourselves out doing things just because we’ve never tried them and we’ve decided at some point long ago that we don’t know how.

    I don’t draw. . . . :)

  10. February 7th, 2007 at 9:55 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Kian Ann!
    Possibilities. It’s a great word, isn’t it. I can’t help, but smile and start dreaming of new ideas when I say that word. :)

  11. February 7th, 2007 at 10:03 am
    Mike said

    Liz,

    You’re right about knowing and believing. I think of ‘knowing’ as ‘believing without doubt‘. Overcoming doubt (which is a self-constructed) is often the hardest part of any undertaking. I need to get better at it! ;-)

    Mike

  12. February 7th, 2007 at 10:09 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mike,
    I think of doubt as I think of fear.
    It has a protective value as long I know it’s there I can use in my favor. It’s when I don’t that it gets in my way and causes me problems.

    Sometimes a little doubt and fear is good thing — just like a rut. But I know you know that. :)

  13. February 7th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
    Kammie K. said

    Liz~

    What a great post…I love how you’re “Changing the World”… As a person that thrives on stretching myself, your post really resonated with me. And Byron Katie’s “Work”…Loving What Is…is AWESOME!

    When we let go of limiting beliefs, a whole new world awaits us. It’s kinda like when Dorothy finally gets to OZ.

    Thanks for the reminder to keep following our Yellow Brick Road, to face our fears and keep on keepin’ on!!
    Kam

  14. February 7th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Kammie,
    I’m starting to think that any post that draws a comment from you is a winner. :)

    I like this one too. It charged me up when I read Dave’s post, when I brought the quote over, and when I tinkered, and tinkered, and tinkered to make sure that I got my words just right for what I wanted to say. :)

    I love this passage of his . . .

    The word intention literally means stretching toward. The word aspiration means breathing toward. — Dave Pollard, How to Save the World

  15. February 7th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
    Francie said

    Boy oh boy, Liz! I think this post was meant for me today. I am a pretty positive person, and great at cheering others on - not always so good (lately) at stretching my own limits.

    I believe completely in everything that Dave Pollard says there, and your little verse is great! But… there comes the but. How do you go from understanding the theory, believing the theory to actualizing it? Especially when we (or at least I have lately) run into so many roadblocks and people who are trying to limit us?
    Takes a lot of strength, I’ve done it before, and I’m working on it, thanks to your great timing!

  16. February 7th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Francie,
    The first answer is always to stop and breathe. Then look closely what is it that those other folks want? Are they are worried about change or that you might out grow them or maybe they just don’t undertstand what’s going on.

    Crawl inside their heads and walk around there for a while. That’s growing too, you know and it’s great for relationships to figure out things from every point of view. :) Let me know what they’re thinking.

    Sometimes the quickest way to change behavior is to change our own. In this case, the answer might be to slow down. . . .

  17. February 7th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
    Francie said

    You are always right there - amazing!

    Yes, it’s my own behavior I am working on. To clarify, the limiting people aren’t people I know well. Close family and friends are very supportive and have seen me break the limits before!

    The limiters are the ones whose doors I am figuratively knocking on in effort to join their organizations or elicit working relationships, with little or no response. That’s part of the problem. I know it’s partly a numbers game, and it also takes a lot of focus - and a positive mind set! Posts like this help.

  18. February 7th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Ah, if you feel fully expressed in what you are doing, then you can relax and make room for any response they might have to you. If you have a conflict about what you are doing, take a look at it, that’s where the limit is . . . not in the other people. :)

    People don’t hold us back. We do that for ourselves. And darn aren’t we good at it.

    PS. I’m one of the best at getting in my own way. :)

  19. February 8th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
    Fab 5 on Friday 02/09/07 - Spirituality Applied to Life - Balanced Life Center said

    […] Do you want to change the world? You can start by breaking your own limits. Liz ponders what the world would look like if she stopped saying, “I can’t.” She even shares a powerful, rhythmic edict. […]

  20. February 25th, 2007 at 4:29 am
    Empowering Links: Week of 11th February - Life Coaches said

    […] Living on the edge of your potential and having the courage to stretch out even further is the only sane way to live. Liz asks what would happen if we all stopped saying ‘I can’t’. […]

  21. February 26th, 2007 at 8:55 am
    Empowering Links: Week of 25th February | Business, Internet and Coaching Skills for Personal Trainers Online said

    […] February 25, 2007Empowering Links: Week of 25th February Best personal development resources for the week: Relax, let go and have fun manifesting what you want into your life. If you’re getting all bent out of shape forcing things to come into your life, you’re probably off-track. Christine Kane shows you how to start right by starting small with the law of attraction. Shift into an overwhelmingly powerful state in a matter of minutes. Let Tony coach you the Emotional Flood Process personally in this free audio coaching session. Like anything else about Tony, it can be pretty intense and fun Be prepared! Stand out to get the girl of your dreams. 5 steps to getting the girl of your dreams with cute Lego photos to guide you along. Living on the edge of your potential and having the courage to stretch out even further is the only sane way to live. Liz asks what would happen if we all stopped saying ‘I can’t’. Spend a day doing the opposite of what you should be doing. This is something I do when I have tons of things bearing on me and loads of stress, and when signs like a lack of energy and enthusiasm signal me it’s time to grab a time-out. Feeling overwhelmed with too much to do or life in general yourself? Pam gives us 5 tips to make things easier. The people you choose to spend time with, what you choose to put into your mind, and the dreams you choose to have. These are the 3 choices that make you who you are. Being happier requires you to be thinking about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. After more than a year of her Happiness Project, Gretchen makes a refinement of her earth-shattering happiness formula. And finally, use Keith Ferrazi’s free Life Coach Tool to help you today to get focused, diagnose what’s getting in your way and build a dream team for support. […]

  22. February 27th, 2007 at 3:47 am
    Empowering Links: Week of 25th February | Business, Internet and Coaching News for Personal Trainers Online said

    […] February 25, 2007Empowering Links: Week of 25th February Best personal development resources for the week: Relax, let go and have fun manifesting what you want into your life. If you’re getting all bent out of shape forcing things to come into your life, you’re probably off-track. Christine Kane shows you how to start right by starting small with the law of attraction. Shift into an overwhelmingly powerful state in a matter of minutes. Let Tony coach you the Emotional Flood Process personally in this free audio coaching session. Like anything else about Tony, it can be pretty intense and fun Be prepared! Stand out to get the girl of your dreams. 5 steps to getting the girl of your dreams with cute Lego photos to guide you along. Living on the edge of your potential and having the courage to stretch out even further is the only sane way to live. Liz asks what would happen if we all stopped saying ‘I can’t’. Spend a day doing the opposite of what you should be doing. This is something I do when I have tons of things bearing on me and loads of stress, and when signs like a lack of energy and enthusiasm signal me it’s time to grab a time-out. Feeling overwhelmed with too much to do or life in general yourself? Pam gives us 5 tips to make things easier. The people you choose to spend time with, what you choose to put into your mind, and the dreams you choose to have. These are the 3 choices that make you who you are. Being happier requires you to be thinking about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. After more than a year of her Happiness Project, Gretchen makes a refinement of her earth-shattering happiness formula. And finally, use Keith Ferrazi’s free Life Coach Tool to help you today to get focused, diagnose what’s getting in your way and build a dream team for support. […]

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