How a psychological phenomenon called the 'upper limit' is holding you back in business and in life.
Updated: Oct 26, 2022
If you’re going to do one thing for your personal development today, make it reading this blog post about the phenomenon of the Upper Limit.
I first heard about the Upper Limit in a Forbes article. In short, your Upper Limit is a psychological hiccup wherein your mind immediately tries to bring you back to a “safe place” once you’ve achieved a milestone of success. It’s a term coined by Gay Hendricks in his book “The Big Leap.”
Have you ever noticed that right after you secure a dream job, find a great relationship, or feel as though you’re at a place in your life where you’re happy and have everything you need, that’s exactly when you become overwhelmed with stress, worry, fear and doubt?
It’s not a coincidence.
We, as sentient human beings, actually have 3 minds:
1. Conscious mind
2. Subconscious mind, your identity/programs – this is where the amygdala in your brain keeps you safe by operating in fight of flight from potential dangers
3. Unconscious mind, your soul – dreams, meditation and intuitive hits
If you’re anything like me (and most people) and you’ve experienced trauma (or multiple traumas,) your brain is not accustomed to feeling good for long stretches of time because your subconscious mind registers that as foreign and potentially dangerous.
It’s also true that when we have everything we want, we are more vulnerable than ever because fear tells us that we could lose it. So instead of enjoying it, many people find themselves becoming more anxious, paranoid and neurotic.
I’ve learned that you have to consciously [pun intended] control and interrupt your negative thought pattern or else you’ll get stopped at your Upper Limit every time. That’s when your life will look like 〰 (constantly hitting your upper limit and coming down again) and not a series of upward trends with periodic plateaus of relishing in enjoyment and celebration of your accomplishments 📈📈📈
The phenomenon of the Upper Limit also sheds light on the fact that we are actually programmed to seek comfort and not happiness.
Don’t let your Upper Limit stop you from achieving your NOW goals. And certainly don’t let it stop you from operating in alignment with your craft.. #progress 📈