You Are Stronger Than You Think

How strong are you?

That is a tough question to answer, whether you are a man or a woman.

But, really, I want to ask… how do you define your strength?

How do you know your limits?  How do you know just how much you’ve got?

When push comes to shove, we often discover that we are much stronger than we think.

What is Strength?

Strength is not always about pure physical strength.  (Rarely so, in our modern world.)

Rather, it is about willpower.  Discipline.  Drive.  It is about the capacity to get things done.

I know some people who are intellectually strong, but they get very little done in their jobs. And I know others who find work extremely challenging, but are able to move mountains by their sheer drive and hard work.

They possess inner strength.

More interesting, is that these productive hard-workers often don’t even notice the load. Bystanders are not only amazed, but often ask, “How do you do it?”

The answer usually comes back, “I just work harder than the others.”

So, why are some people able to do more?  What gives them added drive?  What gives them extra strength?

Could it be, they have simply given themselves permission to do more?

Self-Imposed Limits

What I have observed is that most people impose their own limits. They limit their output based on self-framed constraints of their capabilities and strengths.  Sometimes these boundaries are based on past experiences.  Sometimes they are based on perceived capacities.  Sometimes these limits are based on nothing.

I can’t do that.  (Why?)

That is too much for me.  (How do you know?)

I can’t put in that much effort.  (What would happen if you did?)

I am not smart enough to solve that.  (Can you be sure if you haven’t tried?)

So, how do we break through these limits?  How do we get stronger?

Pushing It…

Ironically, even though we are talking about inner strength, one of the best places to see self-imposed limitations is at the gym.  I see people going through the motions of working out, but are nowhere near their strength limits.  They wave a bunch of light weight dumbbells in the air, and then wonder why they are not seeing results.  Many of them could probably lift 2X the amount of weight they are using.

The same thing applies to daily life.   Many people are going through the motions, but are nowhere near their limits.

If you want to be stronger, you have to push your boundaries.

Pushing it is what it takes to increase your limits.  In the gym, bodybuilders discovered this long ago.

But, the same principle is true when it comes to inner strength.  Discipline and drive.

Want to test your limits?  Push yourself.  Test your self-perceived constraints to see how accurate they are.  Make sure your goals are slightly beyond what you think can be achieved.

You Are Stronger Than You Think

Most people underestimate their strength.

As you go through your day, challenge your capacity.  Test your limits.

Push yourself, to find your true boundaries and define your strength.

When you discover how much you’ve really got, you may surprise even yourself.

What are your self-imposed limits?  Which do you need to push?  When have you found that you were much stronger than you thought?

Related Posts:

What’s Blocking Your Path Today?

Tomorrow is Always Tomorrow

Procrastination is Contagious

26 thoughts on “You Are Stronger Than You Think

  1. This was exactly what I needed to motivate me.

    It has been 2 weeks I am learning for university state exams, and today my drive toward the finish line is going weaker and weaker… after tommorow is my big day to try to pass it succesfully.

    Damn, I need to push myself toward the finish!

    I’m happy I have discovered this article on Twitter, by chance. Now it is time to play the “Rocky IV motivation video” and then back to my “business” to finally reach the top, to pass the exam! =)

    Thanks Craig for this, you can’t imagine how this article helped me.

    P.S. The website is looking great, I see u r using Standard Theme, good choice!

  2. I feel like I just had a shot of adrenaline right to my heart. Thanks, Suzie. So true.

    Hey, I’m in NH, too. Hope our paths cross sometime soon. Looks like we share a lot of similar interests and passions. 🙂

    Best,
    Lani Voivod

    1. Oops. I just committed a pre-coffee blogging gaffe. I discovered a link to this post in my Twitter feed and mistakenly thought the Tweeter was the author of the post. Sorry I called you “Suzie,” Craig. My bad. Still, love the post! (And of course, if you ARE in NH or New England, I look forward to our paths crossing eventually.)

  3. A lot of times it’s about plateau and finding a comfort zone. A lot of times you’ll find yourself a bit happier being challenged to do better, work harder, be faster. That’s the real comfort zone.

  4. SO TRUE! I’ve been experiencing this at the gym again for the last months. I had stopped working out at the gym for about a year and I remember I was pushing myself then. But I brought it to a whole new level :-)I am now doing strength & muscle gain weight training at maximum capacity for 3 to 5 reps. I leverage every fiber and every neurone I can to push more and more weight every week. Before each series, I put myself in as close to a peak state as possible – jumping, hitting my chest, grunting, screaming, closing my eyes and focusing, repeating “yes, I can do it” – whatever it takes!So I’ve been doubling almost all my weights in a couple of months. And I look at all those guys with bigger arms and shoulders and am amazed how I can often push twice as much as they do!And when I think I reached my maximum capacity, I increase my weights, have a good laugh about it, and go for it 100%.If only I did that for intellectual work to the same degree :p Great post! I shared it on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

  5. SO TRUE! I’ve been experiencing this at the gym again for the last months. I had stopped working out at the gym for about a year and I remember I was pushing myself then. But I brought it to a whole new level :-)I am now doing strength & muscle gain weight training at maximum capacity for 3 to 5 reps. I leverage every fiber and every neurone I can to push more and more weight every week. Before each series, I put myself in as close to a peak state as possible – jumping, hitting my chest, grunting, screaming, closing my eyes and focusing, repeating “yes, I can do it” – whatever it takes!So I’ve been doubling almost all my weights in a couple of months. And I look at all those guys with bigger arms and shoulders and am amazed how I can often push twice as much as they do!And when I think I reached my maximum capacity, I increase my weights, have a good laugh about it, and go for it 100%.If only I did that for intellectual work to the same degree :p Great post! I shared it on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

  6. Craig,

    This is just my personal opinion, but I feel that for me, the inner strength is harder to achieve than physical strength.

    However, as a rule of thumb is: if the thing you are doing makes you feel uncomfortable, it is a good sign. And I’m talking about uncomfortable in a positive meaning. It could be like speaking to a group of people.

    Inner strength is like a muscle that you have to exercise. More you exercise the better it gets.

    Anyway, this world would be full of strong people if we would just let go of our limiting beliefs 🙂

    Timo

  7. Craig,

    This is just my personal opinion, but I feel that for me, the inner strength is harder to achieve than physical strength.

    However, as a rule of thumb is: if the thing you are doing makes you feel uncomfortable, it is a good sign. And I’m talking about uncomfortable in a positive meaning. It could be like speaking to a group of people.

    Inner strength is like a muscle that you have to exercise. More you exercise the better it gets.

    Anyway, this world would be full of strong people if we would just let go of our limiting beliefs 🙂

    Timo

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