There are a couple areas where I have taken flak related to my book Release. Sometimes it has happened after a talk and sometimes I get an email about it.
Both areas are in the segment I refer to as Harnessing Your History.
The first area has to do with dealing with pain from the past rather than ignoring it or suppressing it. People have challenged me that this is a “negative” approach and we just need to forget about it and move on. But the fact is, pain that we don’t deal with begins to affect us deeply and might pop out when we don’t want it too!
The other area where I take some heat is when I point out to people that they cannot be and do anything they want, despite all of the voices saying otherwise in pop culture, esp via the self help movement. Some have fired back at me and said that it is wrong to suggest we have limits.
So it was refreshing today to get an email from someone who subscribes to my Release email series, thanking me for pointing out this issue of limitations:
Thank you for this email. It’s refreshing to see a more realistic view of our abilities. It’s been a while since I read or heard something like that. I think it was years ago something I heard or read from Zig Ziglar. I do think there are many areas where we don’t have the talent or interest to excel at that. I personally need to focus on areas that I have the talent and/or the interest in it.
Exactly! Recognizing our limits allows us to focus on the things for which we are truly gifted and can excel.
I have posted the email that elicited this response below. If you are not currently on my Release email list you can access it here: Sign Up for Release Emails
You even get a free pdf version of the book out of the deal!
Here’s the email:
Brace Yourself.
What I am about to tell you might not fit your worldview. It is possible no one has ever told you this before. In fact, it’s likely you’ve been told the exact opposite. Which makes it all the more urgent for you to hear it now:
Live Within Your Limits.
That’s right- you have limits. You can’t do whatever you want to do, be whoever you want to be, or go wherever you want to go. In the world of “motivational BS” as I call it, you are told that you are limitless. Very flattering, very appealing, but very false.
Don’t get me wrong; most people function at a fraction of their full potential. Many people think far too lowly of their own abilities. But the corrective to wrong thinking is not a lie.
Here’s my suggested corrective: You have incredible possibilities. You can accomplish amazing things. These will continue to surface in the stages of Release ahead. But your limitations are gifts that will focus you on the areas in which you can excel, rather than wasting time on things where you can never advance beyond mediocrity.
Mull on this new thought for a moment.
Now start making a list. What are some things you ought to say good-bye to, toss aside, to create space for the things for which you are fitted for excellence?
Don’t spend too much time on this- the obvious things should surface quickly. Perhaps you will have the courage to ask someone close to you to give their input. This issue is revisited in a small way later on in Release.
Warren Buffett put it this way: “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
You have phenomenal potential. Make space for the things for which you are gifted for greatness.
Press On!
Daren
