Show Me the Limits
Every time I think I have done something as well as I possibly can, I learn something new that takes me beyond that last milestone. Can it go on indefinitely?
Well, maybe if I were immortal and my mind was the size of a planet. However, since neither of those things are true (as far as I know, anyway), I’m going to say, it can go on as long as I’m still learning new things.
<picture Mike holding up right hand in some sort of oath position>
So, that being said, I vow to always try to learn new things so that I am always testing my own limits (and maybe even exceeding them).
Limits have, for me anyway, another name that some of you might be familiar with: Comfort Zone. We all have them. They aren’t necessarily bad things. They are simply those boundaries where we know what results will come from what actions on a reliable basis. Usually, those results are some level of success.
We tend not to journey beyond our comfort zones because that can be scary. We aren’t 100% sure of what we are doing or what will come from our actions.
In other words, the possibility of failure is always looming.
The problem with always staying within our comfort zones is we really never grow. Whether it is our jobs, our hobbies or just some aspect of our lives, we get to the point where we are comfortable and we stop moving forward.
That is one of the reasons I like to talk to other people about what they are doing. Since everyone has tried different things, maybe I can find ideas that are worth giving a shot. That can be done in virtually any part of our lives.
Take writing, for instance. When I hear of a writing opportunity, I usually ask myself, “Have I written something similar before?” If I have, then I have some idea whether I can be successful or not. I also have some idea of how long it might take to do.
If I’ve never written in then genre before (i.e. Zombie Erotica), I’ve got to decide if I want to risk writing it or not. Lately (the past couple years or so), the answer has usually been yes. Sometimes the results have been good and sometimes the results have been less than stellar. The important thing in either case is, I’ve tried it and I’m now a little more versatile than I was the day before.
The same thing definitely applies in promotion and marketing. I will readily admit that I feel marketing to be a week point for me. That’s why I work so hard at it. When I hear of a new promotion idea, I usually weigh the level of effort versus the possible returns before I move on it. I always put the idea into my back pocket for possible use in the future.
Knowing your own limits is a good thing. It allows you to move beyond them with your eyes wide open. Scary? Yes, it can be, but it is worth it in the end.
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