Step Outside Your Ability Bubble

If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time thinking about how to grow.

How to push your own boundaries, whether physical or mental.

You might be happy with who you are… but you’re definitely not satisfied.

You know you can be more, so you want to be more. It’s as if your potential, your purpose, your highest destiny were pulling you forward to where you need to go.

One question worth thinking about:

Why aren’t you already living that life?

Why aren’t you in full command of all your potential?

Now, when I say ‘you, I don’t mean specifically you. More the collective you, which includes me. Doesn’t nature shape creatures towards their greatest selves, allowing them to compete, survive and thrive?

How come we didn’t evolve into creatures with full access to our inner potential, right from birth?

It’s a big question.

One of my favourite analogies is we’re like trees. The potential of the tree lies in the seed, but the seed isn’t the tree. Not yet. And branches can grow in any direction, but not every direction.

But the simplest way to think about it is fear.

You might have the potential to be the greatest public speaker in the world… but if you’re a feudal peasant, unlocking that potential would get you killed.

No one speaks to the masses except the nobles. Threaten their power and they’ll loosen your neck.

A more day to day example:

We all want more confidence. And you know the best way to get confidence?

By being competent.

If you’re too confident for your skills, you’ll fall on your face. If you’re too convinced (and convincing) you can perform the surgery, land the client or solve the equation, you’ll overstep your abilities.

Fear has its uses.

It keeps you in the bubble of your skill level.

If you can’t speak in front of your Toastmasters club, then you should be afraid to speak in front of your board of directors.

The problem is when we treat fear as a hard barrier.

Because you can step just outside the bubble of your abilities.

(And when I say ‘can’. you know I mean ‘should’.)

It’ll probably be scary. That’s a great sign – it means you’re in unfamiliar territory.

It’s here where we grow.

So face your fears, probably in a controlled manner. Do things that scare you, preferably when the stakes are low.

Because you’re going to have to face them eventually.

When you do, the stakes might be much higher.

Whether you practice between now and then is up to you.

You can begin that simple self-improvement technique now.

And enjoy its benefits for the rest of your life.

If you really want to take your mind to new places? To improve more you dreamed possible?

You might want to read about this mind training program:

guided-thought.com/monster