Belief Limits Capability.
On thinking about what limits one's ability, it occurred to me to recount the story of an elephant. When young and in captivity elephants can be tethered with a chain to a post that is firmly set in the ground. They learn by experience that limits their mobility at that early age and lack the strength to break for freedom. As time passes they grow to maturity but even though with little effort they could break the chain that tethers them, they do not even attempt to break free. This is a particular case and not claiming this happens to all elephants in captivity but it does highlight how a certain believed mindset can alter behaviour on such a large scale.
Another example is what happens to fleas kept in a jar without a lid; they would simply jump out of the jar. Once a lid is put on the jar, the fleas after time learnt not to jump so high to hit the lid and when the lid was removed those fleas still did not jump high enough to escape the jar.
In a similar way what I attempt to do could be limited, not by lacking the ability but thinking something is beyond my capability. That conceived concept and subsequent scenario often stops me from even attempting something new.
An interesting event occurred when an artist challenged an invited audience and asked this question. Can you draw? The majority of the audience members shook their heads and murmured no. The artist pointed out that when asking the same question of very young children the majority would reply that yes they could draw. In this case the adult audience had interpreted the question as how well can you draw. Of course the object of the function was to demonstrate that with a little application we all can draw, even if it is copying a few lines that result in an individual cartoon.
The crucial point is, why over time, the experience of life makes a difference in the belief of what personally can be achieved. It could be negative attempts or knock backs gradually build and instead of being dealt with at the time, remain in the subconscious and have an undue influence on the confidence to tackle something new.
It is well known that having a confident mindset when approaching doing anything will always end in a better result than being timid about it. Challenging oneself is the key to getting the most out of life. The limit of whether I attempt something new or succeed at something I thought not possible before, could simply be in my mind and how I approach the task.
Another example is what happens to fleas kept in a jar without a lid; they would simply jump out of the jar. Once a lid is put on the jar, the fleas after time learnt not to jump so high to hit the lid and when the lid was removed those fleas still did not jump high enough to escape the jar.
In a similar way what I attempt to do could be limited, not by lacking the ability but thinking something is beyond my capability. That conceived concept and subsequent scenario often stops me from even attempting something new.
An interesting event occurred when an artist challenged an invited audience and asked this question. Can you draw? The majority of the audience members shook their heads and murmured no. The artist pointed out that when asking the same question of very young children the majority would reply that yes they could draw. In this case the adult audience had interpreted the question as how well can you draw. Of course the object of the function was to demonstrate that with a little application we all can draw, even if it is copying a few lines that result in an individual cartoon.
The crucial point is, why over time, the experience of life makes a difference in the belief of what personally can be achieved. It could be negative attempts or knock backs gradually build and instead of being dealt with at the time, remain in the subconscious and have an undue influence on the confidence to tackle something new.
It is well known that having a confident mindset when approaching doing anything will always end in a better result than being timid about it. Challenging oneself is the key to getting the most out of life. The limit of whether I attempt something new or succeed at something I thought not possible before, could simply be in my mind and how I approach the task.
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