If you don’t think you can do something, you’re probably right. Nothing stops productivity, growth and development more than self-imposed limitations. These are not original thoughts, and I’d credit them to an author or speaker, but frankly the credits would probably be longer than this post, so I’ll refrain.
When we start out as infants, our minds are nearly empty. Other than the sounds of our mother’s heart and her voice, we know next to nothing. Within hours of birth, we see light, faces, hear voices more distinctly and our knowledge base begins to grow exponentially. By the time we’re about a year, we are laughing, making sounds, understanding words we can’t clearly repeat but we try. We’re possibly walking or in the case of some running and our knowledge base has continued to explode.
By the time we’re in first grade, we talk, recognize colors, shapes, letters, animals, loads of people, know important days like our birthday, Christmas and the 4th of July.
We continue to learn both helpful and painful lessons that form us into who we are today. By our twenties we are formally educated, able to drive and use other complex machinery including computers. We’ve had our hearts broken and hopefully learned to love again anyway.
We find ourselves today at whatever age, condition and education level we achieved in the profession of Real Estate with a desire to succeed and a fear of failing. We’re asked to do things like cold call, knock on doors, hold open houses for absolute strangers, tell people their homes aren’t worth that they think it is or a website says it is. We are told to ask for the business, let people know what we do, be forward in social environments even if we are at heart, introverts and shy.
Did anyone tell you as an infant, “you can’t walk, you shouldn’t try”? Did they tell you that making friends at school might not be easy and you’ll likely be rejected by someone who you wanted to be friends with. What about dating? If you ask the person out, they may say “no”, but did you try anyway?
Growing means stretching, trying new things, finding out that even if you’re not “good” at something you may be able to do it anyway. Our comfort zones can become prisons if we fail to push out of them and try new things. Are you afraid of public speaking, try Toastmasters. Are you afraid your spelling and grammar skills lacking, start blogging, let spell check or other tools help you. Are you afraid of meeting new people, join a club, 
organization, social group, church, synagogue or mosque and reach out to others there. Find a hobby group that shares some of your passions; photography, remote control air craft, quilting, crafts, music, etc.
The picture is of our son graduationg from Washington State University earlier this year. When he graduated High School, he had no plans for college. A girlfriend encouraged him to stretch his goals and he acheived more than he expected.
It's also of my wife Elsie, who a few years ago, decided to join a gym. At first she didnt know what she was doing, but then got a trainer, worked hard, changed her diet and lost over 60 pounds.
Finally, I'm writing this blog without my editor in chief. Relying on tools and previous experience to get it mostly right.
When you think you can’t you have two choices, give into the feeling and stay where you are OR look back on all you’ve accomplished to date in life and realize there were many things you didn’t think you could do, but you did them anyway. Leave your comfort zone, stretch beyond your self-imposed limits to find out what you are truly capable of. You might not enjoy every experience, but you might find out you were able to do things you didn’t think you could and add one more accomplishment to your life’s list.
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