Break The Chains of Limitation

The biggest complaint I get over and over again from people when they read my blog is, “I don’t want to have to make big sacrifices to succeed.” The biggest misconception in life is that it takes significant sacrifice. Yes, it brings change, and sacrifice often happens, but it also takes ADDING in things in life that will help you with your goals. Adding in things that typical people aren’t willing to add. So, instead of looking at life as inevitable sacrifice and misery until you achieve your goals, look at your job, business, finances, relationships, health, and happiness as something that needs attention. If you want to break the chains of limitation and win big, keep reading.

What is stopping you from achieving your goals? Most often, it is your chains of limitation. What type of chain do you have wrapped around yourself? Do you even know the chains are there?

Chains of limitation put you in a vicious cycle. You’ll notice the same issues keep coming around, you make similar choices, and your actions are mostly the same- all while you wish you had different results. You’ll face toxicity you don’t even realize makes you sick. You feel discontent and stuck in the chains. Let’s look a bit closer and see how to break free of this never-ending cycle holding you back.

Here are a few ways to cut the chains and break free:

1. Be open-minded and a little spontaneous. When a setback happens (and it will), search for the lesson to be learned or a new opportunity. Life is less about what happens to you and more about how you react and move forward. This is not a talent. It’s a skill that takes time. You CAN teach yourself to see opportunity in adversity.
2. Take your goals one step at a time. A big chain of limitations is comparing yourself with others. You might just be getting started, and someone else may have put the effort in for months or years. Take YOUR goal and break it down into achievable steps. Be purposeful. You can eat an elephant one bite at a time.
3. Another limitation is time management. If you manage your time better, you can avoid having to sacrifice. For me, I take advantage of my phone’s calendar app. Everything goes in it- even if it is something that only takes 5 or 10 minutes. If it’s not in there, it doesn’t happen. If it is in there, I’m able to use my time wisely. Find what works for you and stay consistent.
4. Rid yourself of the “all or nothing” mentality. Incorporate the word ‘and’ into your vocabulary. Instead of assuming you must cut out something in your life to make room for your goal, find a way to do both. It might mean 80% less time playing golf AND more time working on your hustle, but you don’t need to stay away from the things your love for good. You can play golf AND spend time achieving your goals.

Take the nuggets of wisdom and put them to use in your daily life. Is there a quote you love, or do you focus on a daily mantra? How do you apply it to your everyday life?

I can remember when I heard the quote from Allen F. Morgenstern: “work smarter, not harder.” Advice, some of the most outstanding entrepreneurs of all time, will follow. Sure, it is excellent advice. But if you aren’t Benjamin Franklin or Henry Ford, how can you apply it to your work today? The answer is to find ways to save time and energy for the things that matter and let go of the things that cost you time and energy. Sometimes you need to have guardrails to keep you from going off track. If the guardrail is solid, it acts as a bumper, and if it’s broken, you’re bound to get off track.

The main guardrails are as follows:

• How you take care of your body
• Your friends and family circle
• Your job/career enjoyment
• Finances and how you manage them
• Your spiritual health
• Life-long learning and personal development

When you have these guardrails aligned, you will notice that you can break yourself free from the chains of limitations you set upon yourself. Why? Because all of the above can withhold its own set of achievable goals. The life you want is just around the corner, and you can be free from your shackles. So what can send you flying off the cliff? Three big guardrail breakers. Steer clear by reading below.

Do you have control of your emotions and actions?

Sure, sometimes we react in a way we are not proud of, but most of the time, you can keep yourself in control. You might not be able to control what happens in your life, but you certainly can control how you react. When we lose control of our emotions or actions, we plow through the guardrails I mentioned above. Pushing through the guardrails is like locking the key to the shackles on us. Don’t put these limitations on yourself!

Believe in Yourself

When the chains of limitations hold us down, our confidence tends to go down the tubes. Sometimes changing your emotional state is all you need. Don’t go off the rails or down a rabbit hole. Instead, make an intentional change of your physical state of being. It can be a cold shower, doing jumping jacks when you’ve been sitting all day, or jumping up and yelling “WOO!” until your lungs hurt. The key is to jolt yourself right out of the stinkin’ thinkin’ that leaves you trapped because low confidence is without a doubt a chain of limitation you can lift from your life.

Willingness to Learn

You are never too far advanced or high on the ladder to learn something new or improve. All too often, I see people think they have reached the peak of their education regarding career and beyond. Even experts take classes and hire coaches. If you aren’t willing to learn, you are placing a large set of chains of limitations on yourself. This one can veer you right off course.

Gratitude

Having a grateful attitude switches something in the brain from focusing on everything going wrong to magnifying all the good things in your life. All it takes is making gratitude a habit. Every day before you go to bed, list at least two things that leave you feeling grateful. Find something to be thankful for, even if it has been an awful day.

Chains of limitation aren’t permanent. You can cut them loose anytime. So if you’re not getting what you want, take a look at your guardrails, find the broken ones, and get to work. You are never in too deep to be a lost cause!

The fact that you’ve made it through this post is proof you can overcome the adversity you’re facing. Why? Because you WANT to! Stay consistent and give it time and nurturing. Those chains don’t have a chance!

Originally published at https://aaronbouren.com on November 29, 2021.