By Shazad
Humans generally hate being reminded of their limits or told there are boundaries to things. We like to rightfully challenge the very idea of restrictions to our thinking and behaviour. It’s natural for a person to want to say and do whatever they want without fear of some fine, censorship, or worse. Sometimes a limitation or boundary is exactly what is needed to make things work and even encourage better thinking. I want to explore some of these scenarios with you.
In sports, boundaries literally define the playing field. The players and observers both know what is IN vs OUT of bounds in the game. It prevents unnecessary arguments by having some lines clearly marked and some officials paying attention to those violating boundaries. Our lives need a similar definition of what is and are not acceptable behaviour in ourselves and others. We also need clear guidelines on how much is enough regarding food, play, work, exercise, and money. We can tailor our lives to suit our needs but there is no denying we need to know the limits of the game we are playing or the scope of the thing we are spending our effort on. Without these, we risk going all over the place and abusing time, money, energy, and life itself!
How do you encourage creativity and teamwork in kids or adults? You tell them there is a limited time to play or a limited budget that can be allocated to a project. You may say that there are only so many people that can be in a group or, you may have a technology limitation. Whatever the restriction is to the resources people have, they tend to find a way through a problem in some incredibly imaginative ways. Sometimes it’s not the most experienced or best financed that succeeds. It can be those that are under-financed or totally new in the market. They figure things out despite all the financial constraints. Many great inventions from cars, planes, personal computers, and online services were a result of creativity winning the day for cash-strapped and unknown people who brought something to life and shared it with the world. You can view your limits the same way. Creativity is available to us all. Celebrity status, a Million-dollar bank account, attractive looks, and royal ancestry are not.
The human mind loves a challenge and there is no better way to get a person going than to tell him or her that they can’t do something yet. Maybe you tell them that they are not tall enough, old enough, or “European” enough. Whatever labels others put on us or we think about internally require some mental gymnastics and physical labor to overcome. We started this discussion admitting that humans absolutely detest being restricted and desire freedoms of all kinds but we end up in a situation where all life itself has depended on humans being challenged as individuals and groups, in order to evolve. We could not have created global companies full of diverse people if we were not challenged to live together with other classes, races, and speakers of different languages. By facing such challenges, humanity grew and so did its capacity to generate wealth, and create products and services which improve both education and healthcare. The International efforts to create peace, go to space, and clean up the environment are all examples of sections of humanity being challenged by very big problems they didn’t create on their own but which require the global population to address. No one nation or even one giant company can do it all, and that’s why cooperation is needed. One challenge leads to another and we agree that we can’t make things happen on our own. Together, we can succeed and also thrive despite the limitations.
I’m a big believer in an open mindset and letting people (mostly) do what they want to do as long as it’s not hurting others. At the same time, I have learned to appreciate not only the need for limits but also their immense value at work and personal life. I cannot imagine a world where there were no boundaries on the road or restrictions on how water, air, and soil can be used. It’s completely unimaginable to think about unlimited free time for kids to play online or for people to work every hour of the day, 7 days a week. In so many ways, limits and boundaries save humanity from tyranny, confusion, and loss. Consider what your healthy and useful limits are in all aspects of your life. Use them to thrive every day!
Want more Awesome writing from us? Go to this link and order your copy of the Awesome Life book today! Click Here to Buy The Awesome Life Book By Clicking Our Affiliate Link Here!