“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

One of my favourite stories revolves around running a mile in under four minutes. Naturally it is dubbed the four-minute mile. Now, as a man who consistently runs 5K in under 30 minutes, I can tell you how astronomically impossible a four minute mile sounds.

Basically, you have to run at a speed of 15 mph to accomplish the feat. Many deemed it was impossible for the human body to do such a thing. That was until Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Bannister was of course an experienced runner and at the ripe ol age of 25 years young. Still, that was quite the feat.

The best part of this story is that ever since Bannister ran the four-minute mile, over 1,800 people have done the same thing. It was once thought to be impossible until one person did it. Since the reality of it being attainable was proven, many others believed they could do it as well. And they did. Again and again.

We approach so many things in our lives as impossible as well. Belief is the biggest hurdle to get over. When we truly believe we can do something, we can. We can move mountains. We can achieve all of our goals. Make fire. Lift a car.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” -Henry Ford

One of the biggest reasons I live by the mantra of “I Can Do This” is because for the longest time, my inner monologue was the opposite. I wouldn’t even try things because I didn’t believe in myself enough to do them.

Even little things. There were times in my life when I wouldn’t attempt to change a tire, or fix the leaking sink, or do push-ups. Yes, I was at my lowest in terms of my mental health and confidence, but it’s ridiculous to think back to how I was limiting myself.

We all live within the structure of our self-limiting beliefs. Let’s call them SLB’s going forward, because we’re gonna talk about them a lot.

Our SLB‘s keep us in our own little bubble. They place boundaries and barriers on what we can accomplish in our lives. This is where we struggle with balancing our realism and our optimism.

If you grew up poor and you had your parents talking negatively about money, you probably have some SLB’s on becoming financially successful. You tell yourself stories about how rich people are bad, and having money makes you a bad person. It’s just a story you tell yourself and you believe it. And since you believe it wholeheartedly, you distance yourself from being rich and financially secure. You repel financial success.

If you eliminated that SLB, and realized that money is an amazing thing, and a lot of rich people use their money to give to others and help make communities a better place, then you could start to find success yourself.

If you grew up being told you are never going to make something of yourself and that you are destined to be a criminal your whole life, you probably have SLB‘s in your confidence. You probably don’t even attempt to obtain a rewarding career. You instead make choices that lead you down a life of crime and substance abuse because that was all you were presented with.

Instead, we should look at those who we admire the most. The people who shatter their SLB’s and start believing they can do anything are the people we look up to with awe and wonder.

Alan Rickman, most known for his portrayal of Snape in the Harry Potter films, didn’t start acting until he was in his mid-20s. He worked as a stage actor and didn’t get his big breakout role until he was 41 when he played villain Hans Gruber in the mega hit Die Hard. What if he gave up acting because his SLB was that he would never be more than a stage actor???

Colonel Sanders, yes the founder of KFC, is a well-known late success story. He worked various jobs and careers throughout his life, and didn’t start making chicken until he was 40 years old. It still took another 25 years before his secret delicious recipe for fried chicken became an outstanding success. 65 years old. I can only imagine how many times he thought he was doomed to end his life as a failure. Instead, he persevered and became one of the most successful business entrepreneurs at an age when most are retiring. What if he succumbed to the SLB that he was a failure??? We wouldn’t have that delicious chicken today!

We all have magic within us. We are all totally capable of achieving anything we set our minds too. It’s all about taking inventory on our SLB’s and figuring out where they come from, and how we can flip the script.

When I was dealing with confidence issues, I was encouraged by a particular practice. I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, and I started writing down all the things I can do that at one time, I thought I’d never be able to accomplish. I have that piece of paper to remind myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. I have the proof right here.

So, I encourage you all to do the same. It doesn’t matter how small it is. Hey, as children we probably watched our parents mow the grass and wonder how they do that before it became our job to push the mower. Write it down.

The dyslexic’s who finally read an entire book. The obese who finish their first legitimate workout. The addict who has one year clean and sober. The former homeless who is holding the keys to their new apartment. We are all capable.

You, the one reading this, you are capable of so much more than you have allowed yourself to be. So, make it your mission today to evaluate your self-limiting beliefs. Eliminate the one’s that are holding you back. Write down a list of things that you have already accomplished that you never thought you could have at a previous time.

Keep that pen handy, because you’re gonna need a few more notebooks as you write down things you will be accomplishing soon!