Break the chains that hold you back!

Doug asks, “What is the strongest mammal that currently roams the earth?” I didn’t know so he follows up with, “I’ll give you a hint,” and then he finishes off with some strange sound by blowing hard through his lips. (To get the full sound effect, check out the short video related to this column.) When the children were little, he taught them to make the same sound. Imagine the noise on road trips with Doug and the kids all blasting out that strange sound at the same time!

I guessed that the strongest mammal is not a whale, especially since it doesn’t roam the earth. “True” he says, “I might have given a poor imitation, but the right answer is – the elephant. If you have ever watched an elephant at a circus, maybe you noticed that he had a little chain around his leg and it was attached to a small stake in the ground. You might have wondered why the elephant, who can lift tons, didn’t just pull that stake right up and walk away. It’s because when the elephant was small, he had a heavy chain around his leg. The chain was attached to a large stake that was driven deep into the ground. When the baby elephant tried to pull up the stake and get free, he just couldn’t do it. He would try and try and finally give up because he believed that it was impossible to get free.”

Those beliefs and behaviors are known as learned helplessness. Could it be that you have some “learned helplessness” in your life? Do you have a “stake and a chain” that hold you back? Take a few moments and think about three things that you would like to do but you believe you can’t do them. Those are limiting beliefs and they are like being “chained to a stake” because those beliefs are holding you hostage. Take time to identify the limiting beliefs that are keeping you from what you really want in life. You can confront those limiting beliefs by looking at your strengths, recognizing challenges you have overcome and acknowledging what you have accomplished in the past. Also, it can be beneficial to have someone, such as a coach or a friend, to affirm you, support you, and hold you accountable to help you break the chains of your limiting beliefs.

There is a saying by Henry Ford, “If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right”.

Positive beliefs will help you take steps forward. Doug encourages, “Just begin by doing one small step after another. Completing a series of small successes will help build your confidence and belief that you can go farther. Soon you will be able to accomplish things you never thought possible.”

I reminded Doug that’s how he trained for a marathon. He agreed, “Yes, that training is a good example of taking a series of steps. I started small, just running part of a mile, then a mile and gradually I increased the distance. Nine months later, I was able to run a marathon of 26.2 miles.”

I believe that in any “marathon” or challenge in life, the last two tenths of a mile is often the hardest. When you are near the end, close to reaching your goal and things get tough, don’t give up. Do what you need to do to get “across that finish line”. We wish you success as you unshackle any chains of limiting beliefs that bind you so you can enjoy your best life.

Here’s a challenge: Write down the limiting beliefs that “chain” you. Then write down the strengths you have and how you will use them to confront and move past those limiting beliefs. We invite you to let us know what happens in your life as you break your chains and set yourself free.

© Lynn Nodland 2017
Chanhassen residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are owners of The Balance Center. Doug and Lynn can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com.