When Facing Limitations
How does one become what they want to be while living with limitations? In this article, I aim to share the perspectives life taught me to resolve the troubles that people feel when they are met with limitations. To overcome limitations, it takes dedication to get to know yourself and constant practice to shape yourself into what you envision. It’s important to admit that you do not have to know to open yourself up to learning and adaptation, trust whatever direction you have chosen to be your lead and let yourself get curious about unconventional methods to resolve your limitations and further discover who you are. In whatever is set out for you, keep remembering that you are doing what you can to align with the natural process of life. Control won’t always be in your favor, but you can trust that life is blending your efforts into its process.
In the dance with limitations, our first caution often labels inability as fixed. Yet, this conclusion is but a starting point—a canvas for our responses. Life doesn’t prescribe a single path; it offers a vast landscape of possibilities. Our reactions are reflections of what to keep aware of and what is to be built upon. Chaos may erupt, control slip away, but within this dance, we keep growing. We choose our steps, sculpt solutions, and embrace the art of possibility. Amidst the tempest, clarity appears. Every living being grapples with limitations, shaping their narrative. So, let’s blend caution, chaos, and resilience; let life unfold into a masterpiece in progress.
In whatever comes your way, always remember that every living being meets limitations and that we each handle the decisions we make and the direction we head towards. Some limitations will cause chaos and spread to those around us. Control will feel scarce, a resolution will seem impossible but those are the moments to pause and decipher reality. What caused the chaos? Was it something that you could control? What would you have wanted to happen? What were you able to do for your cause?
In my adverse experience with neurological diseases, I have learned to not expect what I wish for and to work with what I’m given. With epilepsy, there was no control over when or how a seizure would occur, and the reactions it could arouse. Sudden decisions and emotional management had to constantly be made to deal with the effects of the situation. I learned that keeping set principles kept me aligned with natural processes.
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
Always focusing on why I was living made dealing with ambivalence more tolerable and easier to recover from. When everything I envisioned proved not to be, trusting in my why aided me to admit when I was wrong in judgment and recognize the errors to improve. My awareness of life grew with each event I chose to learn from.
In knowing the situation and your measure of control, you will know where to place your energy and know when it’s best to step away. Meeting what you don’t want is inevitable and the choices you make will figure out where you go. If you feel like there isn’t worth in the situation, then trust that you’re being guided to change directions. In whatever reactions that arise, make time to return to the feelings you want while letting the changes take shape for you.
When disorder was an inevitable outcome, I learned that those were the moments to let go and trust the universe. In stepping back to let things continue, I had the opportunity to understand life’s process. Choosing to patiently stick to my principles, connectivity grew with every situation.
When the situation is inevitably in disorder and you need to adopt an unconventional approach, it’s time to get curious, admit that you don’t know and accept the situation for what it is. To admit not-knowing is to drop your expectations, clear your mindset to adapt and accept the growth opportunity. You won’t know it all in the moment, but you can’t know until you try it.
Neurological diseases taught me that conventional means are not required for everyone. When an unexpected seizure happened in an unfamiliar environment among strangers, I had to let go of whatever I thought to make room for new knowledge. Accepting and preparing for unexpected events helped me to discover the many ways that intentions can be achieved. Being led to try the unexpected taught me that there’s always more to discover beyond what we’ve been taught. Innovative solutions became doorways for discovery with lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom or book.
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” -Stephen Covey
In conclusion, I believe that limitations are a product of thoughts and beliefs that we choose to feed. We will find ourselves in situations that signify our limitations in the moment but what that reaction turns into is dependent on the thoughts we feed it. Our reaction is our intuition alerting us and we have the choice to decide what the situation will mean to us. An obstacle can be another brick on the wall before us or it can be the next mountain we conquer. A challenge can highlight our inability, or it could lead you to a new ability. There will be times when a limitation must be accepted and that could be because it is your time to pause and reassess. It’s up to us to pay attention to what’s happening, make a choice that’s meant for us and find understanding from the occurrence.
