Note for new readers: Throughout December, I will be posting my personal responses to Reverb11. My posts will be a bit different than usual—more vulnerable, less polished, more frequent, and probably more interesting! However, you can expect some “special” posts during the month as well. If you’re interested in reading more typical content, check out a few of the most popular posts. Regardless of what you’re reading (or not reading), welcome and happy December!
8. Limits. We often learn our limits the hard way. Were there any limits you realized this past year? Alternately, what self-imposed limits were you able to move beyond this year?
I’ve noticed quite a few limits over the past year. Some of these limits I’ve moved beyond; however, for many of the limits I’m still working on decreasing their power within my life (one little action at a time).
- Reality vs. Vision. I’ve limited myself by thoughts of where I imagined myself to be at this point in my life. When my reality has not aligned with my planned vision, I have focused solely on how to regain this alignment—how to “fix” what has gone wrong. This thinking has limited my ability to create a new vision and realize that just because life is different than I imagined, that I don’t need to “fix” it. This new vision can be exciting. I can continue to dream big and trust my intuition even though things didn’t work out the way I had originally planned. I am working to weaken the self-imposed limits and look at my life with a bit more curiosity rather than certainty.
- Past vs. Future. I’ve let my past (successes and failures) hinder my ability to rewrite the future—to create new habits, new dreams, and so on. This limit is difficult to move beyond, but something I hope to focus more attention on in 2012.
- Actions vs. Emotions. I also realized that I’ve limited my actions based on my emotions. When things got tough, it was easy for my emotions and thoughts to dictate my actions. I realized this limit during 2010, but during 2011 have made great strides in challenging the extent to which I allow my emotions and thoughts to control my actions.
- Blogging. I’m no longer trying to be the “perfect” blogger. I am playing with different topics and having much more fun as a result. It’s becoming easier for me to let down my guard and be more vulnerable in a public forum and at the same time to continue to write inspiring posts about lessons learned. I’ve learned it’s okay to show that you’re human and filled with flaws. It doesn’t devalue what you do know and the knowledge you can share with others. I’ve learned a lot from wearing so many hats and want to continue to share knowledge from my different experiences. I don’t fit into a particular “category” within the blogging world—design, fashion, lifestyle, family, diy, business, extreme personality, etc.. I’ve tried to make myself fit into a category in the past, read countless e-books on blogging, taken courses on the topic, etc.. and while it’s interesting intellectually to understand the culture of these different blog communities, I’m okay not following the rules and letting myself organically manifest my own genre of blogging.
- Paper Products. I have an extreme love for beautiful paper products. However, I’ve always limited myself to being a consumer or simply a paper groupie. But over the past year, I’ve begun creating sketches for different designs and ideas. And I’ve thrown out many of these sketches—attributing them to the products of daydreaming. But I can’t stop thinking about them and realize that there is no need to limit myself because this feels so indulgent and crazy! I told my husband about this crazy idea and he didn’t understand why I wouldn’t go for it. I’ve done far scarier things in the past. Why not give it a try? Finally, I took the first step and reached out to the one person I trust completely to help me bring this dream to life. And in 2012, I’m going to make this dream happen. I’m releasing this self-imposed limit. I’m going to bring this idea to life.
- Structure and Flexibility. I am most productive when I’m in my normal day to day routine. I crave the structure of knowing how and where my day will unfold. My office space is my landing pad, the place I feel organized and prepared to attack any project. Over the past year, I’ve been traveling far more than usual which has challenged my ability to feel grounded while on the go. And I haven’t done too well! I realize that I need to create a bit more structure for myself when I’m away from my “landing pad” so I can maintain a certain level of productivity. There are emails to answer, posts to write, projects to move forward, and so on. This self-imposed limit is going to be the most difficult to diminish, but one that is necessary for me to confront in order to feel a bit more at ease when traveling.
image: artsyville
