Leverage your limitations

I was already complaining
before I arrived at the
dojo that day. I was tired from four days of business
travel, and my ankle was
throbbing with the pain of a
sprained Achilles tendon
that wouldn’t heal.

As I stretched to loosen my
53-year-old body, I looked
around at the other students,
most of whom were almost
three decades younger. I
envied their youthful energy
and thought of how much
more difficult it was for me
to keep up my training with
the added challenges of my
job, a demanding schedule
and my aging muscles — all
obstacles that I believed
they did not face.

At this same moment, I
noticed a new student in the
class. She was a beautiful
blond girl standing patiently
while one of the instructors wrapped a protective
cloth around her left hand
in preparation for sparring.
Even though I could only see
her left side, it was easy to tell
that she had the lean, muscled
look of an athlete.

“Now, there’s a perfect
example,” I thought. “Youth,
athleticism, beauty — that
young girl has everything.”

And then she turned to face
me. Where her right arm
should have been, there was
only a portion extending from
her shoulder about six inches.

As the class began she took
the spot next to me, saying
“Hi, I’m Cindy.” For the next
hour, I watched in amazement as this remarkable
young woman responded to
every command from the
instructor. While I struggled
to complete my push-ups,
Cindy finished them easily
using only one arm. Jump
squats, forward rolls, lunges
and sit-ups were all done as
well as anyone else — and
without a single complaint.

But most remarkable of all
was Cindy’s ability to spar. She
refused any help with her boxing glove, opting instead to
hold it in her teeth while
working her hand inside and
then sealing the Velcro closure
with her chin.

In the ring, she was fearless,
jabbing with her left hand and
slipping the blows that would
have been defended by her
missing right. Her punches,
knee strikes and kicks flew
with devastating accuracy.

When class was over, I
introduced myself and asked
Cindy if she would tell me
the secret to her unshakable
spirit. Over the next 30 minutes, she gave me three powerful keys to overcoming
life’s challenges.

Accept who you are. Most people spend tremendous energy
in hiding their limitations, and
then live with the fear that
others will discover them.
The need to be perfect can
become a debilitating prison
whose walls are defined by
all that you lack. As Cindy
said, “My amputated arm is a
part of me, a part of what
makes me unique. If I hide it,
I’m only making myself something less. But if I just accept
it, then I’m free.”

Self-confidence and a strong
sense of personal worth come
from more than just your
strengths — they come from
accepting every aspect of
who you are. When you
accept yourself, you know
your own value without
needing the acceptance of
others to confirm it.

Take responsibility for your life. “It’s easy to let your limitations become an excuse for
all the things you didn’t have
the courage to do,” Cindy said.
“I could have believed that a
person with one arm could
never be a fighter, but it
wouldn’t have been true.”

Refuse to let your limitations
define you, whether it’s a
physical limitation like Cindy’s
arm or your financial position,
education or age. Instead,
have the courage to push out
of your comfort zone. You’ll
never know your true capabilities until you try.

Leverage your limitations. “Not
having an arm has actually
made me a better fighter,”
Cindy said. “Because I can’t
defend on my right, I had to
become quicker to avoid
being hit. Because a left jab
is my only punch, it had to
become stronger. And
because I only have one arm,
I had to really develop my
kicks. My real strengths as a
fighter all came from my one
limitation.”

Look for the leverage in
your limitations and focus
on where they can make you
stronger. When you do, you
will find the courage and
strength to move beyond
limitation to create the life
you want.

JIM HULING is CEO of The Jim Huling Group, a strategic consulting company enabling leaders and
their teams to achieve extraordinary results. Jim’s leadership experience spans over three decades,
including 11 years as CEO of a successful technology company recognized four times as one of the
“25 Best Small Companies to Work For in America.” Jim is also the author of “Choose Your Life! a
powerful proven method for creating the life you want.” He can be reached at href='mailto:jim@jimhuling.com'>jim@jimhuling.com.