Living Beyond Limitations

May be we can’t just flap our arms and fly, but we can invent the airplane

Most people live within their limitations. When hearing a new idea that excites them, the first thought is, “but I can’t do that, because” or “I can do that, but ..”.
There are two types of limitations: internal and external.  

Internal limitations are about self-image and skills .

A clear thinker and social commentator that I know writes about his views. But he holds back, thinking, “I am only an economist”. He is more than that: I learned a lot about social transformation from him. But he won’t let himself live to his full capacity.

Internal limitations are in our heads – they are created by confusion and fear. They are based on past experience.
What if we drop the projection of the past onto the future?
Then “I don’t know how to do that” becomes “I don’t know how to do that yet!”. And “I don’t do that” becomes, “I’ve never done that before!”.

Then there are external limitations like,” I want to, but my wife/boss/people around will not agree/support/accept”. Some of them are real. Real limitations are based on who we are. For example, I can’t flap my wings and fly. If we don’t respect real limitations, we put ourselves in danger. But we will not know the difference between our internal and real limitations until we test them. And even if we fail, we learn and grow.

Here are some tips for testing limitations :

• Try to change what you are saying from, " I don't do this"  to “I’ve never done this until now.”

• See yourself as a person who has done certain things in the past, and can do different things now.

• Consider this: If another person can do it, then I can do it. Maybe not as well. But I can work my way up to going to do it well.

• Pick a goal – something new and different – and working to make it happen. To reach a new, different goal, we must work in new, different ways. That means leaving some past limitations in the dust.

• Consider this: If we dream it, we can do it. Maybe we can’t just flap our arms and fly, but we can invent the airplane. Imagination becomes reality. Make your dreams real.

Inspirated by Sid Kemp
http://www.sidkemp.com/ 

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For information about Enough is Enough Anti Violence Movement visit: www.enoughisenough.org.au

Add Some Fun into Every Single Day

Over a hundred years ago Einstein proved that everything in the Universe is made out of energy. In more recent years David Hawkins has proved through extensive kinesiological testing that everything and everyone has an energy vibration and that energy vibration changes depending upon how we feel. Our emotions are the energy source that helps us create what we want and sometimes what we also don't want.

When you feel happy you are in a higher energy field. For the most of the people feeling good about themselves and having fun place them into a higher energy field. Now if you only experience one of these states there is a very good chance you will achieve your goal - feel happy.

But how can you think about fun and feel good if you are surrounded by annoying people, problems and so on?
You do it by focusing on one step at a time. As we get older it’s so easy to get caught up in our responsibilities, commitments and caring for others that we forget to have fun, so you may have to do some serious soul searching.
Fun can be reading a book, watching a movie, socialising with friends, playing a sport, taking a dance class. Make a list and keep adding to it. Write down everything you have ever wanted to do, places you want to visit, experiences you want to have. Then start making conscious choices every day to act more courageously. You don’t have to face your greatest fears, just take regular action which requires some courage. This takes you out of the field of fear and into a positive energy field.

Ask yourself what needs to happen for you to feel good about you. For a lot of people self esteem results from achievement, and this is a trap that I’ve fallen into many times. The problem with achievements is that they can always be taken away from you. So focus on who you need to be to feel good about yourself, internal feelings of self worth can never be taken from. Choose some values, define how you would act as that person then commit to living by them.

The more you act on your values the better you feel about yourself. When you let your fears go and you feel good about yourself, you are having fun and you feel happy, you place yourself in a state where miracles can become an everyday event.

Inspirated by Anne Hartley 

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Tools and techniques for a happier life
Happiness & Its Causes
5th Annual Conference 
- 5-6 May 2010, Sydney
Happiness & The Human Spirit: 5/5/2010, 12:15, Personal Stories -
Ken Marslew, Founder, Enough is Enough

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Power of "I AM" in a Recovery Journey for Alcoholic and Other Drug Issues

Power of  "I am" - when you say "I am", followed by any statement, and you add certainty to it, it becomes your reality.. in many cases, your identity. When you combine these two powerful words with emotion, everything around you moves to support that statement.

I drank from the time I was 13 to the time I was 24 and I drank heavily. I avoided any responsibility for years, and I had a very strong Identity that defined me.For years I thought, "I am being punished". Because of that Identity, I took all the terrible things that were happening to me and placed the blame on God. And there finally came a point, based on many experiences that opened me to new possibilities, that I created a new Identity.
A point came where I had to say with certainty, "I am an alcoholic". And when I said those words, things shifted, and on an unconscious level, I no longer was able to make excuses for why I was drinking. I now had the identity of being and "alcoholic".

By acknowledging these things, it gave me a starting point, to begin correcting my life. By making the statement that I was an alcoholic, everything I knew on an unconscious level came up to support me in that statement:"OK, if you'are an alcoholic, you need to act, think and be like this." So when I reached a certain point, and Identity that used to serve me, no longer did and began to limit me.

Let me explain conscious and unconscious for the moment. Your conscious mind acts as a filter. It filters things through your beliefs, rules and values. Your unconscious just absorbs everything like a sponge. Your unconscious is called to action by your conscious mind based on how you direct your focus.

I started taking actions that supported me in becoming a recovering alcoholic. The identity changed from ,"I am an alcoholic" to "I'm recovering. I am no longer drinking." With this shift of "I am" and adding the certainty to the new statement, my unconscious started pulling different references and resources to support this new Identity.

Every time you put something after the two most powerful words "I am" and you say it with certainty, your unconscious will accept that as your Identity and do things, millions of things, within nanoseconds to support you in that moment.

Understand that we can change our identity at any point. Most people don't even realize how they create identities for themselves and change them. People walk around all day long, making excused and complaining saying, "I am lazy." Or,"I'm a procrastinator." But, when we say things with certainty, our unconscious mind does everything it needs to do to support us in that statement. The things that get us into trouble and that we take for granted are the simple statements. We make a mistake and say,"I am a failure." And we say it with completely certainty based on the mistake we made without even thinking about it. The more times you tell yourself something using powerful words like these, the more certain you become in it being true. When it you gain that certainty, it becomes your truth, it becomes your Identity.

Keep track, how many times do you say, "I am____", something that empowers you and how many times are you saying "I am______", something that is dis-empowering or tearing you down. Become aware. Then start changing how you address yourself.  A small change in your Identity can make a major shift in your reality. 

by Willard Barth

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Peer managed, self help group to help with recovery and relapse from alcohol and drug use
Smart Recovery Group
www.enoughisenough.org.au

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To keep up to date with our news, new articles and current events connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and our E-Newsletter.
For information about Enough is Enough Anti Violence Movement visit: www.enoughisenough.org.au