More Than Just a Postage Stamp, Thrive Learning Institute

Why is it that everyone seems to think that there is a limit to how much one may accomplish. Who's to say how far one may go.

Ready for a funny analogy? I assume people can go farther than postage stamps. When I mail a letter, it can only go so far as the postage will allow. A large package with a two cent postage stamp on it would not make it very far and it would most likely return to its origin. For some, this is the way life is. We are labeled to only go so far and then we have to stop because we lack the necessary credentials to continue. Well, I don't recall seeing any postage stamps on me telling me when I have reached my limit; I assume I can keep going until I personally decide to quit. We can blame our disadvantaged circumstances or our pessimistic nature on anything we want but the truth of the matter is that we are the only ones who can say when we have reached our personal limit.

I can't even number the times someone has said to me “I can't do it”, “it's not possible”, “I can't win”. Well, sometimes I look at them and think, “you're absolutely right”. Perhaps that makes me seem a bit crass but in reality it's the truth. If you pollute your thoughts and mind by telling yourself that you are limited, that you can't do it, then you have failed before you ever tried. I can't seem to get people to understand that concept.

A few months ago I was speaking to a friend about a sports team he is on. Actually, he wasn't just on the team; he was the coach. He was telling me all about how they didn't even really have a chance and that the other team was better than they. Well, I looked at him, and told him that with his attitude he was going to discourage his team and eliminate any chance they had of winning.

Seriously, I strongly believe that this can be applied to education and business as well. If you constantly tell a student or employee that they cannot succeed, whether it be through your words or your actions, the chances are far greater that they will simply give up and quit trying. I don't think that we understand the implications that our words have on others.