Breaking Through Personal Limitations

Breaking Through Personal Limitations

“The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth. Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past the limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization.” - Joseph Campbell

It’s entirely normal for us to run into some sort of wall in our lives, whether that’s in the work that we do or it’s in our personal lives. In fact, I’m often reminded that feeling in a creative rut is actually a good thing. Why? Because we are then aware of the situation. And that’s no easy truth to acknowledge.

David Foster Wallace made that quite clear when he gave his “This is Water” commencement speech. In it, he said, “It is extremely difficult to stay alert & attentive instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your head.” So if you have a voice in your mind that calls you an imposter or overly criticizes every single detail so much that you freeze, know that you are most certainly not alone.

So, how does one break out of a rut and push through personal limitations?? I’m going to offer five considerations. Give it a try and let me know what works for you:

  1. Take Your Artist Self on a Date

The whole purpose of art is to evoke awareness in another, to break a mold, to get someone to think… different. So, take your artist self on a date.

Yes, seriously. I repeat. Go ahead and take your artist self on a date. You can even add in dinner and a movie if you’d like. Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way, argues that when we take our artist self on a date, it helps us think beyond our own barriers of thought. Yet, she’s not the first one to suggest this.?

We all have many parts that make up our whole, one of those is a creative part that absolutely loves creating, yet it needs nurturing and attention.

So, what does this look like?

I often go to an art gallery with a notebook to write down my thoughts on a few pieces that call to my attention. For instance, when I lived in New York? I would go to COSM, a beautiful new-age art gallery that displays Alex and Allyson Grey’s psychedelic artwork. The Grey’s work is awe-inspiring with huge paintings that take cubism and turn it internal. One image stood out to me in particular: a beautiful painting of a woman nursing her child that shows the outside, inside, and ethereal energetic systems of both the mother and child. Okay, I honestly cannot put their art into words, so take a look here to see what I mean.

For one hour, I walked around the art gallery (both indoors and out) and then sat down with my notebook to write a poem, then a journal entry where I flushed out my thoughts.

It was only an hour, but it was enough to tilt the way I look at things.

Consider taking your artist self on one date this week. The only criterion is that you go alone. Go for a walk on wild land if you’re trained to handle such conditions, visit an art gallery, go to the library and read something new, or just walk around a new neighborhood. A break from routine is what matters most to shock the nervous system just enough to pay attention.

2.? Read a Challenging Text

Even if it’s just 30% of a book, consider checking out a book on something you know absolutely nothing about. For example, I knew very little about organizing, and picked up Marie Kondo’s book, Spark Joy, and it has opened my mind to the freedom that comes from tidying up our lives.?

3. Mimic Stoic Discipline

When I read the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca’s letters, one thing stands out to me. And that’s the habit of discipline.

Seneca argues that if we discipline ourselves to experience a worst-case scenario for a short time, we no longer allow fear of that scenario to control our lives. For instance, if you fear losing your money, say from leaving a salaried job to pursue an entrepreneurial dream, then Seneca would suggest you experience living in poverty for a short time, from one day to one week. Or you could try living off a dollar a day as two college students did in the powerful documentary, Living on One Dollar, but I understand if that’s not in your cards right now.

Or if living off of rice and water scares you, consider trying it just for a day.

Shake hands with what scares you. That way it no longer has control.

4. Dive Into Philosophical Inquiry

Consider joining a group at a local coffee shop that dives deep into philosophical inquiry. Doing so forces us to think outside our own confirmation bias. Meaning, while surrounding ourselves with empowering people is great, doing so traps our thinking into a bubble. We see this now more than ever with the social media bubbles we can live in.

For instance, when I moved to San Diego, I joined a few people and created a Junto after reading that Benjamin Franklin did this frequently in his lifetime. We meet every month and discuss topics that deepen our understanding and widen our perspective.?

For those of you in New York, Ron Gross runs a great Socratic gathering at Columbia University. When I went, I was in awe of who showed up: One college professor at Columbia University, a few homeless who live on the harsh streets of Manhattan, one middle-aged woman in need of career change, a couple of college students, and a marketing consultant. We disagreed more than we agreed and had a heck of a time doing so. One thing is for sure: I walked out of that discussion with my head spinning with new thoughts.

5. Organize a Mastermind

Consider creating a small mastermind group of 3-5 people where each of you has a similar goal: to launch a business, to create a podcast, to better your teaching practice, or to be a better mother/father, for a few examples.

The thing here is to have one A-level person in the group who has pushed through the barriers you are working to push through. For instance, if you are working to launch a new business, ask someone to join the group who can coach you all through the difficulties in starting up a new business venture.

Do you need to pay them? Most of the time, no. They will equally gain much from the mastermind because here’s a secret: When you teach something, you really, really, really, actually learn it. Teaching concretizes learning.

Sometimes though, it does pay to hire a coach who will mentor your group to push through the barriers. This holds true for sports just as much as it does for personal growth.

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What about you? Which of these tips rings true for you, if any? As always, I’d love to hear from you and learn of other ways to break through personal limitations.

Wishing you all a beautiful week ahead, full of love, light, and adventure.

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