These Are the Only Feet I Have

I recently had an opportunity to spend a few hours with one of my grandsons. We took advantage of the time and played like four year olds. (I don’t know about you but I don’t get to do that often enough, obviously it is frowned upon if you don’t have a four year old with you.) I told him how big he is getting and he responded with, “I know I just keep getting bigger and bigger.” I asked him if he would ever stop getting bigger and he said, “Maybe, when I am as big as my Dad.” But you could tell he wasn’t sure and you could see his mind working. Will I ever stop getting bigger? Is this growth thing permanent? I wondered if he pictured himself walking down the street, towering above the trees, greeting his neighbors who hadn’t been blessed with the everlasting ability to grow.

Then it hit me, why don’t we think that way anymore? Is it the fact that reality has set in or have we settled in to reality? There is absolutely no reason why our businesses can’t grow to be the size of Microsoft, General Electric or City Bank. Often we limit ourselves based on perceptions. I noticed that even at four years old that my Grandson was limiting himself to the height of his Father. Of course we realize that genetics makes that a reasonable assumption but I doubt, as proud as I am of him, that he realizes that.

What limits have you unconsciously imposed on yourself? Is your business growing as much as it could be or have you set limits that slow its growth process? In some cases, the limits are intentional and proven. If someone decides to grow their business to the point where it can provide a reasonable income for their family and then limits its growth so they can spend more time with their family, they certainly can’t be faulted.

As long as our limits are intentional and realized they really can’t hold us back. It is when we allow limits imposed by others opinion or learned from lessons that don’t really apply to create barriers for us that we truly are limited.

I should let you know that I love to learn from my Grandchildren but this is the same Grandson who, at two years old put his shoes on wrong, and when I pointed out to him that they were on the wrong feet he said with all seriousness, “But these are the only feet I have.”  And you know what? He was right!