Assumed Limitations: The Pressure We Create

Assumed Limitations: The Pressure We Create

Inspiration comes in many forms.  For me, it can be words, phrases, pictures, songs, smells...I could go on.  When I heard this phrase, it touched me so deep.  I could see it. I could feel it.  I understood it as soon as it touched my ears.  It was something I was familiar with but didn't have the language for.  Thanks, Sarah Jakes Roberts.

My mind recalled this phrase last week when everything felt so compressed.  I had an overflowing to-do list that also included new responsibilities that required additional time, preparation, and focus.  As usual, I wanted to accomplish and perfect everything on my plate without dropping the ball.

Before I even began, I had already decided something...

There isn’t enough time.
I’m not fully prepared.
I can’t give this what it deserves.

Nothing had failed yet. Nothing had fallen apart, but internally, I had already limited myself.  

Assumed limitations.

Sometimes we stretch timelines not because we truly need them, but because we need comfort. We rehearse and rehearse because it calms our nerves. We tell ourselves we need three weeks to prepare, when in reality, we’ve already built the skill. Then, when that extra time isn’t available, anxiety shows up and it's only because we’ve convinced ourselves that we're incapable.

This time, something powerful happened. I did the work, I showed up, I delivered, and when it was over, I realized the weight I had been carrying was something I placed on myself based on my own preconceived assumptions about false limitations. 

I did it and I did it all extraordinarily well...not to say I wasn't exhausted.  I was reminded that I can do all things! 

How often do we create pressure by assuming we are behind?
How often do we shrink our own capacity before we’ve even tried?

Where are you second-guessing yourself?

Where are you adding unnecessary superficial space?

This isn’t about ignoring real challenges. Some seasons are genuinely heavy. Some circumstances are painful and complex. We honor that. We also have to be honest about when the limit exists only in our mind.

Let's challenge and promise ourselves to stop assuming our own limitations.  

Tune in to the full episode on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the stories, the lessons, and the advice a wise man by the name of the Honorable Raymond D. Kemp shared.