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You Are Capable Of So Much More

A reminder to push yourself to your limits and beyond.

By Eric BurdonPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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You Are Capable Of So Much More
Photo by Windows on Unsplash

One of the most fascinating aspects that I learned about productivity stems from a study that I discovered a few months ago. The study looked at a group of runners and measured their performance time for running a circuit.

The interesting part about this study is that after a period of rest, the runners received their time for completing the circuit. However the time they received was a smaller time than what it actually took them to complete that circuit.

When asked to do the circuit again, the researchers asked the runners to try and complete the circuit in less time than their "first time."

What the study uncovered was that a good portion of the runners in that study did complete under their "first time."

What this means for us as individuals is that even the most simple of tasks that we do can exceed our own expectations. These runners improved their times without requiring any additional physical training at all.

They merely had a mental shift in their mindset and what they feel they could do.

Only the runners know the specific details of what they went through, but this study serves as a constant reminder that we are capable of more than what we think we are.

I like to use this particular study to prove my point as many people time and again often talk about breaking past limits through quotes or sheer hustle.

I don't believe that merely doing and keep working at it will be all that helpful when you are going beyond your limits. It's an overall good mentality to build a rhythm and habits, but not for breaking any glass ceilings figuratively speaking.

Instead, it makes sense that in order for people to go beyond their limits, there has to be some kind of mental shift.

As simple as it sounds to shift your mindset, saying it is a lot easier than actually doing it. I know from my own experiences that it's easy to build up a habit and do something, but it's something else to excel at it.

So what kind of mental shift is needed? Well, I've got some idea of what it could potentially be based on my own experiences.

The experiences that I'm pulling from is from my own writing experiences. At the beginning of my writing career, my main priority as a writer was to simply write.

Much like any content creator out there though, I started to run into issues. It wasn't so much that I was running out of ideas, but rather the overall quality of my writing wasn't the greatest.

I jumped from topic to topic and there wasn't a lot of editing on my part. I focused purely on writing and hoping it would gain traction.

This went on for the first year or so until something changed. It wasn't a swell in audience but rather a shift in my mindset. I didn't read any articles on writing, but made the decision that I could do better with my overall writing.

I could put more care and consideration in the topics I want to be writing about.

Furthermore begin to interact and engage with other writers.

In time, my writing started to improve and while I haven't seen much of a shift in audience, my writing is something that I feel confident about and that people are spending time reading.

Looking at my overall experiences, I can narrow this down to specific core aspects that will help you to achieve more than you can imagine.

  1. You need to pinpoint specific areas that you can build yourself up on. With the runners, they focused on how they could run more efficiently all in their head. For me, it was a matter of looking at my writing and recognizing what I should be doing and yet was avoiding.
  2. It has to be a habit that you're already well versed in. When I first started to write, I had a specific routine I went through. It's at a point now where if I get a topic to write about, I write it. There doesn't need to be extensive planning or brainstorming involved. The more natural something is to you, the easier it is to find areas to improve upon and develop.
  3. Achieve a flow state for this skill. It's along the same lines as being familiar with the habit or self-disciplined in that area, but from my experiences there's a difference between being in a flow state and merely doing the work consistently. I was able to write consistently, but the writing wasn't good. When I'm in a flow state, it's natural and there is a huge difference between writing when I'm in this state and writing for the sake of writing. Make sure the skill you are looking to develop is something that can bring you into a state of flow.
  4. Lastly, have an area that can help facilitate your growth. The runners had circuits. I have my office in my apartment and cafés. My writing made a big leap when I reached out to people and determined my writing could be better. The next big leap was when I was able to enter into a state of mind where I wrote how I felt and stayed true to myself. The latest leap was when I had an environment where I could be myself and broaden that environment and morph it however I like in a way that benefits me. If you know what is needed in an environment to help you practice your skill, the more you can stretch it to other places and practice this skill in other areas if that's appropriate.

Grow Your Skills And Be Amazed At What You Can Do

I don't believe in the sky being the limit of our capabilities, but during times of duress, we as individuals can do remarkable things when we put our minds to it.

With the information that I shared, I think that people can manifest these bigger leaps in growth more organically. This is a system that has helped me in the past and has brought me to a place where I'm confident in my skills. I'm not sure if my writing is worthy of awards or anything like that, but my skills have been honed due to these techniques and I hope yours will to.

To your growth!

Eric S Burdon

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About the Creator

Eric Burdon

I used to say a lot, now I do a lot. Sharing advice, stories, aspirations, and thoughts along the way. Want to be a better person? Read some of my stories to help you grow and shine brightly!

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