Limitations

Last night I was hit by a single strange thought:

"Who am I?"

I know it's kind of an existential thought. But for some reason last night that question would not let me go. So I pushed on that question. "Who am I?" begat "Who do I want to be?" begat "Who have I become?" And that question got me thinking:

"What beliefs do I have that form my boundaries and mold the soft clay of who I am?"

And if my beliefs are boundaries, and boundaries are limits, then what limitations am I placing on myself that I'm using to form my own character?

Benjamin Zander has a great talk on TED that explores self-imposed limits through the lens of classical music. He essentially says that the classical music industry has limited itself by saying that only 3% of the population loves classical music. A self-imposed limit. But he asks the question ... "what if we're wrong?" ... "what if that 3% limit is our own limit?" ... "what if everyone loves classical music they just don't know it yet?"

That goes to the heart of "Who am I?" It begs the question of "why am I limiting myself?" Not just for individuals, but for businesses, for organizations, for cultures.

So here's the question: "What limits are you placing on yourself right now that are keeping you encased in this self-imposed box?" What people are you connecting / not connecting with? What career do you have / don't have? What food do you eat / avoid?

Ask yourself: "If I wasn't ... " "with person X"/"doing job Y"/"living in Z" ... how would my life be different and why have I boxed myself in with these limits?

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale