The only limitations are the ones that you impose on yourself. It has been found that when our mind accepts something as impossible, it gets utterly difficult to achieve that, even if it is quite attainable. On the contrary, history is filled with instances when almost impossible feats were achieved by ordinary people( it is a different matter that those people never remained ordinary after they achieved the impossible). Not only we impose the limitations on ourselves, but also argue for these if someone puts a case against these limitations. In that case, we make these limitations an integral part of our persona & then it is impossible to do away with them. The easiest way to achieve BIG things in your life is to reject everything that is ordinary, easy to achieve or does not challenge your limits.
If detachment is a bliss, why don't we exercise it? The only reason I understand is that it is not properly understood by us. We misunderstand detachment as giving things up & leading a frugal life. Yes, detachment may mean so but, more importantly, it means to accept the fact that things are not to be attached to but to use & after a certain period, to let go of these. Why only things; let go of your past if it is troubling you, or someone who is the cause of pain in your life. To accept detachment, you have to renounce your ego as well & that is a tough task. Isn't it? Ego acts like a glue to get ourselves attached to things or people. So the only way to detach from things is to let go of your ego & the rest will take care of itself.
Most of the people live life in the past. They spend their days brooding over what they could have been, and nights thinking about why didn't they get favorable conditions to succeed. The fact of the matter is, no one ever became successful by harping upon past failures or circumstances. If you continue thinking about things of past, the day is not far away when you become the same- a thing of past. 'There is' always sounds better than 'there was' or 'there could have been'. Yes, successful people also think about failures, but only to understand those not to cry over missed chances. They reach to some conclusion & leave failures where these belong to- in the past. Successful people never carry forward their account of life. They only update their present account & live life in 'now'. And that is only what matters !
Life is very clear about its operating system. Either you act in your life or you are acted upon. When you act, you feel the power. But when you are acted upon, you surrender this power & life takes control of you & your affairs. Most of the people say that they have been very busy all their life; working in a particular company; climbing up the corporate ladder; raising a family or earning big bucks. And by the time they realize that all their life they were not acting but were being acted upon by circumstances, by boss, by spouse or may be by their own kids, it is too late. Their purpose is more external than internal. Give importance to everyone around you but link them to your internal purpose. You will soon realize that it not only brings happiness in your life, but brightens their life too.
"We become what we think about all day long," said Emerson. Our thinking not only affects our being, but also our character. When a child is given to think that it is all fine to speak a few lies here & there, he becomes a liar. This is when the seeds of his character are sown. The next time he will not look for the disadvantages of lying or whether it is immoral to lie or not. He will only try 'to reason' all his lies. Even if he comes across some people who stress on speaking truth, he would tend to ignore them. Those initial thoughts which were embedded in him will repel any new thought formation. Many parents complain about children going out o hand at a certain stage in life, but they conveniently forget what did they sow when the child was young. Now is the time to reap the harvest even if it is a bad one!
From the very beginning, we are taught to emphasize upon gaining knowledge. We are also taught to conform to the system. In short, we are taught to suppress our imaginative faculty. And by the time we grow up, our imagination dies a slow but sure death. There is nothing wrong in gaining knowledge, but not at the cost of imagination. Generally speaking, when we acquire knowledge, imagination is the first victim. While knowledge gives us information about a particular subject, imagination teaches us to go beyond. Knowledge teaches us to be within our limits, imagination tells us to break the limits. Knowledge guides us to follow a pattern, imagination hints at breaking patterns.
It is our wrong perception that changing circumstances around us force the change in us. It is other way round. When we change, the circumstances also change, for better or worse. Circumstances don't & should not have the power to force the change on us. The power to change rests with us. Circumstances only impinge upon our life when we allow them to do so. And then we complain that they made us. The moment you think so, you abdicate your power to change. And with that, you also sacrifice the joy of living. In a moment, you convert from master to slave. What a pity !
