“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” Arthur C. Clarke
In some areas of my life, I’ve spent a lot of time being told that I’m not good enough. So much so that I’ve come to believe that I really am not good enough. Is that something you can relate to?
For me, one of my main areas of apparent incompetence is around technology. It’s great when it works. But when something goes wrong, I’m stuck. Because I’ve been told that I’m no good at it, I don’t seem to be able to even try to find my way through. My frustration kicks in, and I give up before I start.
Over the past few years, I’ve started trying to overcome this particular limitation. I know I’ve got a good head on my shoulders. I can work my way through understanding most things if I really put my mind to it. So, why wouldn’t be able to research at least some of what’s considered relatively basic about technology, even though to me, it seems like gobbledegook? If the information is out there, then I should have as much chance of finding it as the next layperson.
Tonight was one of those occasions. I came up against a problem where my writing app was not syncing across my devices. It took me a couple of hours, probably far longer than someone who knows what they’re doing. But eventually, I realised that the issue was down to the storage on my phone, and I was able to solve it. At least it’s working at the moment!
What limitations do you put on yourself? What has someone told you about your riding, or your horsemanship, or your communication, that means that you give up before you start? What are you not prepared to even have a go at because you believe you’ll fail, or because you’ve been told too many times that you’ll fail? I wonder if that’s true? I wonder if those limits are real? I wonder if the person or situation who was making you feel that way was no longer there, whether things would be different?
© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021
Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity, and compassion
