I’m writing this post a few days after attending the TEDx Austin event and a few days before I hit the pavement to run 26.2 miles in the Austin Marathon. The TED event was amazing and I’m sure the experience will continue to resonate inside me for quite some time. Some people have asked me who my favorite speakers were, and that’s a tough question to answer; however, one particular quote continues to stay with me.

Tanya Streeter was the last speaker. She is a gorgeous tall blond athlete who holds the record for free diving, and she is also an activist for the preservation of our oceans. She shared several stories with us, which all revolved around limits. She said (and I’m paraphrasing) that limits do exist, they just aren’t where we think they are.

I think of this woman, who has absolutely pushed herself to her limits, both physically and mentally. The thing is…she’s not afraid of those barriers of limitations. She greets her limits with a smile and holds a curiosity for where those limits may be. There is no fear involved, or sense of failure. For her, its about exploration.

This one message applies to so many areas of my life and I wanted to share my thoughts with ya’ll. I know we all experience mental and physical limitations of some sort, or at least the fear involved with wondering where our limits exist. Hell, maybe some of you are wondering if you’ve already reached your capacity as a human, that this is all you’ve got to offer the world and yourself.

As I gear up for the marathon, for proposing my dissertation this semester, and hopefully some day becoming gainfully employed as a psychologist – I know that this concept of limitation will come up for me. I’m realizing that its nothing to be afraid of. I’m realizing that these so called limits I think are ahead of me, are completely made up! So, let’s play with what we think is possible. Possibility cannot live inside of self-imposed limitations. And, if we meet those limitations, it would be something to celebrate because that means absolute potential has been reached.