Labels and Limits

I wanted to share some thoughts stemming from Friday's’s post, Limits on Learning. I’m sure there are many reasons people put these limits on themselves, but one major factor is how we label ourselves. Our limits are a function of our labels. And it goes far beyond labels on our intelligence or capacity for learning. These labels could include a declaration we place on ourselves regarding our personality, our appearance, our talents and myriad of other applications.

Let me explain what I mean. Ever since I’ve been a teenager, I’ve struggled with shin splints and ankle injuries which had often made running painful and laborious. But I read in a book once that exercise was good for me, so I continued to run despite the inconvenient nature of it. Then, about eight years ago, I sustained a pretty severe ankle injury while dragging a Humvee in a strongman event. The damage was bad enough that even months later, after running just a mile or so, my ankle would get so inflamed that I wouldn’t be able to move my foot and would limp for days. I stopped running and labeled myself as a “non-runner.”

Because I didn’t run consistently, the ankle never re-adapted to that activity and if I ever did run, it was difficult if not excruciating. But that didn’t matter too much because I was not a runner. I resigned myself to the fact I wouldn’t be able to do much running and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was a non-runner, so I didn’t run, and running thus remained difficult and painful.

This year I determined to reverse that. I had to relabel myself and begin viewing myself as an aspiring runner rather than a non-runner. I knew it would be difficult and I had a lot of rehab to do in order to build up my ankle and shins, but I would start with what little I could do. I would start where I was at, but I wouldn’t stay there.

It hasn’t been a smooth process, but I have made progress despite the challenges and setbacks. I’m still no marathoner, but running is no longer the huge barrier it had been. The wall in my mind is coming down. And I learned something very interesting in this process. For the last eight years, I thought my ankle is what had held me back from running. It wasn’t. It was my label.

Be wary of the labels you’ve given yourself that may be adding artificial, but nevertheless, intimidating limits on your life.

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