Have you ever noticed how much you talk to yourself? Not out loud chatter, but with the thoughts you think inside your own head?
And have you ever stopped to think about how many of your thoughts are true?
Go ahead. I dare you. Think about what you thought today.
For instance, did you tell yourself you couldn’t do something you were perfectly capable of doing?
I did. Only I didn’t realize how I let that lie limit me until I took action that proved me wrong.
Let me explain.
I was out running today in this beautiful, spring-like weather. Because I haven’t exercised in the past three days and because I didn’t get much sleep last night, I told myself I would only have enough energy to run for 29 minutes. (That’s about how long it takes me to run 7 loops around my one-street neighborhood.)
I told myself that running seven loops would be a challenge today and that I would be doing good to finish in 29 minutes.
The truth is I didn’t feel like running more than that today, so I set that goal to make me feel good about just getting by and not pushing myself the way a champion does. In other words, I lied to myself about what I was capable of accomplishing today in my workout.
Then something weird happened when I finished my seventh loop in just under 29 minutes. Instead of stopping to walk and cool down, I sped up.
I wanted to see if I had enough energy left to run for just one more minute and make it an even 30 minute workout.
When I hit the 30-minute mark, I was halfway down the hill and picking up speed. If I pushed myself, I believed I could make it to the bottom of the hill in another 60 seconds.
So I kept running. Faster. I gave it all I had. And I made it down the hill and around the cul-de-sac as fast as my super slow Schaefer speed would take me. (My fast is actually kind of slow!)
I sprinted to a finish time of 31 minutes.
As I walked up the hill and recovered from my final two-minute dash, I wondered how else I was limiting myself. I had just run more than I thought I was able to run during that workout, so what else could I do that I’ve been telling myself I couldn’t do?
I’m still pondering answers to that question for me, but right now I want to know about you.
What have you been telling yourself you can’t do? How have you been limiting yourself?
What do you think you could accomplish if you were honest with yourself about your abilities?
Think about your answers, then share them in the comment section!
To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean
