Limits.
Let’s talk limits.
It’s my least favorite word. As someone who regularly tries (and fails) to do everything I want to do, being reminded that I have limits is an endless frustration. Living in between the two worlds of “I am unstoppable as long as I am accommodated for” and “I have limits that need to be recognized” is a tiring, discouraging fight.
Look, I’ve always been a person of extremes. I love things or I hate things. Life is wonderful or miserable. I dive in fully or I quit. So being told that I can do some of the things but not all of the things is a surefire way to get me to want to do none of the things. I lived so much of my life in slow motion. Advocating for accommodations to speed me up is easy. Advocating for myself to be able to slow down is so much harder. After reaching out to my friends for support, one thing stood out in their supportive responses: I can be unstoppable within limits.
...but I have to tell you, even writing that just now was difficult. It’s a concept I don’t quite have a grasp on yet. Unstoppable within limits? Doesn’t that mean I’m stoppable? How can I be powerful if I’m limited?
My friends tell me that by asserting my boundaries, my goals can be achieved, that I am a powerful force within my own boundaries. One reminded me that every force of nature has limits. Working within its limits is what gives the force its power.
Tornados, hurricanes, even rainbows all have specific limits to make them happen. Their limits don’t make them any less powerful or awe-inspiring. In fact, that they have to work within these confines makes their existence even more extraordinary. If a rainbow could happen in any weather, would we think it was as beautiful?
Knowing I have limits, and respecting these limits, can (and will!) harness my energy so that I can be powerful, be unstoppable. My path might need a few more rest stops than others, but I promise you, I will be getting to that destination.