“If I cling to the notion that something’s not possible, I’m arguing in favour of limitation. And if I argue for my limitations, I get to keep them.“
Gay Hendricks
Last year, I took some time away from the business for a while during my sabbatical – too long, according to my colleagues!
Upon my return, I found myself worried about picking up working again and that I hadn’t kept up to speed on the latest developments, and nervous in case I’d forgotten things.
I was advised to give this book a read to see if my worries were unfounded and to my surprise, they were. I know how lucky I am to have that time off; I’d found great happiness travelling around the world with my husband and after reading this book, I learnt what my problem was – I had reached my upper limit!
Hendricks discovers a problem with us as human beings: the Upper Limit Problem.
He claims we get worried when we feel good, and when we reach the upper limit of positive feeling our brains create a series of unpleasant thoughts to deflate us. In other words, we sabotage ourselves when things are going well.
We hit that invisible ceiling fearing that too much happiness or success is unsustainable. I think that’s where I was!
The fear, anxiety, and doubts that came with pursuing success aren’t your only limits. Hendricks places a lot of the blame on the upper limit, and the fear of success itself.
The book goes on to explain that worrying is not a sign we’re thinking of something useful, and there’s no point worrying over something we have no control over. Worrying is only useful if we can take positive action.
To overcome worrying, you need to ask yourself, “Is it a real possibility or is there any action I can take to make a positive difference?” Hendricks suggests that by recognising this pattern, we can consciously choose to break through our upper limits and thrive.
Hendricks also suggests that everyone has an innate resistance to happiness through complaining. If you believe it, just consider this question:
What if you went through an entire day with nothing to complain about?
Can you even imagine that?
If you think about it that way, you might start to realise that we’re all uniquely addicted to our patterns of complaining:
“It’s too hot; it’s too cold; it’s raining again; it’s too expensive; it’s not good enough; I have no time; it’s Monday…”
The list goes on and on. The more we complain, the more we can find to complain about.
Hendricks demonstrates how to eliminate the barriers to success by overcoming false fears and beliefs. He provides readers with a practical, step-by-step roadmap for eliminating these toxic behaviours and achieving their dreams.
So, if you’re struggling to push past your worries or fears, I’d highly recommend giving this book a go.
