How to Break Free of the Limiting Thoughts and Expectations of Others
How high are you willing to jump?
“Every day we make the choice whether to continue feeding our minds or to only reach so far and no more.” — Jill Reid | Real Life
Do you sometimes feel all bound up, as if something is holding you back from being the best you can be?
The truth is what you’re experiencing is all too common, the result of restrictions and barriers placed on us by others. As a result, we tell ourselves we can only go so far, and no more.
Unfortunately, we may start to believe it’s true— even though we know deep down inside there’s so much more we can accomplish.
Here’s a short excerpt from a story in the Real Life book that takes this concept to new heights. I hope you enjoy it.
The Secret to Leaping Without Fear
An excerpt from Real Life: We breathe, We sleep, We eat … And in-between, We live
Many years ago, I read an article about how to train fleas. I’m not sure why it was of interest at the time, but it caught my attention. It seemed to be a fairly simple process — and pretty straightforward.
This is essentially how the method was described:
By nature, fleas are always jumping.
To train them, put fleas in a glass jar and close the lid. As the fleas begin hopping, they will hit the lid. This behavior will, by instinct, continue for a few hours.
To eliminate the discomfort of impact, the fleas will eventually begin making shorter leaps, until reaching a height just beneath the hard top, essentially learning the lid is as far as they can go — a virtual ceiling.
When all the fleas are jumping to a level below the lid, you can remove the top.
The fleas are now fully trained and will no longer hop beyond the height of the open jar. While they still have the ability to do so, the fleas have established a self-accepted boundary, their newly-installed behavior formed from pain and learned limitations, convincing them they can only jump so far—and no higher.
Fortunately, we’re not fleas.
Read the full story in Real Life — Book One of the Real Life Book Series. Available in eBook ($4.99) and paperback at RealLifeBookSeries.com
Here’s the Book Trailer for Real Life, for a closer look at what’s inside …
In health & happiness,
Amazon | Real Life Newsletter | Writers Perch Newsletter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website
Jill Reid is the author of Real Life, Discover Your Personal Truth, Life in Small Doses, and Please God, Make Me A Writer. Her books, videos, and newsletter explore life, relationships, health, and personal success strategies for working through the challenges of everyday life.
