Boundaries can stop our growth, they can halt our motion forward, and they can sabotage our legacies. But boundaries are also barriers that we impose upon ourselves.
Assume There Are No Boundaries
Assume there are no boundaries in your life. Imagine there are no boundaries in your primary relationships, no boundaries regarding children, no boundaries geographically, and no boundaries financially. Then think, “what would I do if nothing stood in my way.”
By default, we always put boundaries in place, and it inhibits our growth. We do that because we want to be real. We want to be realistic. There are boundaries that we naturally put in place—based upon our life experience and how we were raised. I believe that babies do not start out with fear, but they are reinforced to fear over and over in their upbringing. Some of this is necessary, like, “don’t touch that stove” or “don’t walk across the street without looking both ways.”
Think about entrepreneurs. They break through barriers. Sometimes they don’t even acknowledge them. Take boundaries out of the equation, and then dream. Those dreams become growth when you connect them with clearly defined goals.
Now Break Your Old Patterns
Breaking free of old, tired patterns facilitates growth. When you break a pattern, you’re going to experience fear and loss. You’re also going to run into promoters and detractors, both of whom are necessary to keep you balanced. There’s a lot of roadkill on the road to success, but it’s how you build your path.
Your Vision Thrives Without Boundaries
Think about your vision and where you want to go. What can you own and take control of as you move forward? Dream first. Negotiate later. Ideally you want this vision to exist in a perfect world with no boundaries, like we touched on in the first step. Always remember you can negotiate the terms later. Remove those external realities so you have a chance to take more risks.
If I would have accepted geography as a boundary, I would have never moved out of Missouri, to Connecticut, and I never be sitting here in Rhode Island a mile and a half from the beach. Was Newport, Rhode Island, a part of my original vision? Not quite. Was Connecticut? Yes, but there was an evolution there. There was a risk that was taken only because I removed those boundaries.
It’s all up to you to take a step of breaking through those artificial boundaries to build your new vision. Are you ready to take that step?
