The single greatest obstacle to our own progress in life is very often ourselves.

Quite unknowingly, each of us walks around with a self-imposed ceiling on our own abilities. The ceiling is almost always invisible to ourselves, although it is often very obvious to others who know us well.


The challenge of our lives is often not to do more, but to stop getting in our own way. We need to find the right route to the results we want, and spend less work and effort blasting away at activities that do not serve us, even if we unwittingly think that they do.

Most people have the ability to achieve tremendous success in their chosen field of endeavor. The only limiting factor seems to be how much they themselves believe they can achieve. Often, that level of self-belief is terribly low.

It is quite common for highly talented, intelligent people to be overtaken by others with less talent, and less obvious intelligence. However, what these others have in abundance is enough self-esteem, self-belief and sheer persistence to be willing to take a difficult task on and stick at it until they achieve their goal.

In brief, you can say that the group of people who succeed take less stock of the obstacles, are more willing to be embarrassed, have few problems being seen to be trying, and are hungry for the success they have set their hearts upon. Moreover, this can be in literally any arena; material or spiritual, physical or mental.

Rather than working harder, most people need to learn how to work smarter. Here’s the perfect analogy for that…

You’ve seen how a fly will repeatedly bang itself against a window, vainly trying to get out? That’s what it is like to work ever harder, but doing the wrong thing.

By contrast, if the fly could just try a new direction, it might find the open door on the other side of the room. In comparison with banging away endlessly at the window, simply flying in a new direction is relatively effortless, and definitely a MUCH quicker way to achieve the end goal.

Many of us are like that fly. Perhaps we want to earn more money, so we just spend more hours at the same job, or else we find an evening job that may be completely different, but where the pay rate is about the same. The results of this sort of strategy are linear, not exponential. It never occurs to us that ther emight be an altogether different way to proceed that would yield exponentially greater results, often for far LESS effort!

However, if the same person sat down and actually spent some time thinking, planning and strategizing how to create a more prosperous future, the answers would surely come. Most of us are not used to actually using our brains in an active fashion. Most of the time, what we do is to use it purely passively, e.g. learning, responding to information, etc.

Maybe the answer would be to start a new business, or to retrain in a better paid profession. Within a few years, that person could be on several multiples of the former income, AND be doing work that involves fewer hours, less strain, and is altogether more suited to that person’s talents, hopes and dreams.

The same holds true for other field of human endeavor. So why don’t more of us take the second option rather than the first?

There are many reasons, but here are just a few…

(1) There are not many examples of people taking this sort of action. Most of the people around us are like the fly, consistently performing the same hopeless actions over and over, but expecting better results each time.

(2) Perhaps we are just resigned to it. Our self-belief has fallen to such lows that we really don’t think we are capable - or worse still, worthy - of something better. Maybe we feel we lack the intelligence, the contacts, the talent, or the opportunity to achieve the quantum leap we dream of.

(3) If you are like most people, you were raised in an environment where it was the norm to live under a low ceiling. Parents and relatives transmit their own values and beliefs to their children, and many people live the thoughts, beliefs, and limitations of their parents (and even grandparents, because these limiting beliefs can get passed down the generations) without even knowing it.

In order to break through our own self-imposed ceiling, there are a number of requirements. Firstly, we must actually WANT to do so. Strangely, enough, a lot of people do NOT. They might think they want greater success, more money, more recognition in their chosen field or whatever. However, the reality is that they do not; at least not when it comes to actually DOING something about it.

Hence, you have to honestly ask yourself if you really DO want to reach new levels in your life? Or, are you willing to settle for second best? Strange as it may seem, many people prefer the latter because it is frankly too plain frightening to believe in themselves, to take some risks, and go after what is really in their hearts to achieve. The price is just too high to pay.

However, assuming that you DO wish to make the breakthrough, the important thing to do is to actually take a long hard look at the situation, but with new eyes.

So, you need to sit down and examine your situation, your assets, your talents. This might take a lot of time, but it is time well spent.

In what areas are YOU beating your head endlessly against a wall? Are you doing work that is meaningful and productive to you, or not? Is there an easier way, that may be totally different from what you are currently doing? Could the answer even lie in a complete 180 degree turn?

It would be helpful in this self-examination process to get input from other people who know you - relatives, friends, co-workers; basically, anyone who knows you well and can give an objective opinion. Ask them what they see as your talents and strengths. Ask them what they think you might be really good at.

Ultimately, what you have to do is develop a real passion for something you want to achieve with your life, and then pursue it with all your energy. That is really how to develop genius, and harness the power of the universe to come to your aid. These things only happen when you are caught up in what you love to do.

Then, it is much easier to break through the artificial ceiling; much easier to believe in yourself for great things, and far easier to make them happen. That is the way you make a quantum leap; by doing something you love and just getting progressively better at it, and more involved in the whole process.

If you find yourself still living below that low artificial ceiling, ask yourself some of these searching questions. Be willing to take a completely new direction. If you find that you really do want to break through to new levels, make a mental commitment to do so, and then take immediate action upon that commitment. Keep following up on your action and don’t take no for an answer.

Begin the process. Stick with it. Have faith. Miracles really can happen, even today.

Copyright 2006. Asoka Selvarajah. All Rights Reserved.