Remove Self Limitations

I am in Acadia National Park with my family this week, exploring the beauty and natural wonders that this coastal park has to offer. As a family, we don’t just drive around and hop out of the car periodically, we also like to hike, to get away from the roads and into the woods and see as much as we can. Consequently, there will be some hills, maybe even steep ones, we have to climb. Yesterday was no exception. After spending the morning driving the first half of the scenic road on Schoodic Peninsula, it was time to do a little hiking. Not much, maybe a couple miles, but it involved some elevation gain.

We planned on taking the trail that had a more gentle incline to it, but as all the parking spots were taken near the trailhead, we had to drive a little further to find parking near the steepest trail to the top of Schoodic Head and the overlook there. My daughter almost didn’t go because of it. Her legs hurt, she couldn’t make it, it was too steep, it was too much. Pretty much every excuse she could think of she used, but somehow we convinced her to go, and she flourished. She complained a little on the way up, and it was sure steep, but she made it there and then all the way down and back to the car.

The point is, we are all way more capable than we give ourselves credit for. Whether it is hiking a steep trail, meeting new people, expanding a business, trying a new hobby, we can achieve and flourish more than we think we can. Self doubt and self limitations can be debilitating and can hold us back from enormous potential rewards, if we have the fortitude to quell the inner voice saying we can’t or it’s too hard. We need to move past ourselves and just do it. Just try, take the fire step, then the second, and before you know it you’ll be on top of the mountain looking down on everyone else who didn’t believe in themselves.

Do something hard today, make yourself uncomfortable, take the first step and see where it leads. Be different today and get of your self doubt and self limitations.