I saw this picture of myself this morning and was momentarily flooded with emotion. It’s an odd thing to catch yourself from the outside looking in and be like,

“Damn, that’s joy right there. You found yourself and turned inside out.”

And as you know I went through a season where I was fighting for this joy. Sure, I was happy, but I wasn’t full like this.

I’m wondering, have you ever done what I did? Have you either unconsciously or consciously limited yourself? Your level of success? Your full potential? Your joy? Your opportunities, relationships, freedom?

They say that we’re often either afraid of failure or afraid of success.

However you define success, let me ask you, are you afraid of it?

Are you pressured by others to stay status quo?

Are you afraid of leaving others behind, or what they’ll think of you?

Are you attempting to not overshadow or intimidate others?'

Do you feel unworthy of success and afraid of what allowing that will feel like?

What do you imagine would happen if you began to really step into what that looks like?

Will people think you’re arrogant?

Will your family be pulling on you for money?

Will people call you a fraud as you begin to change and grow?

Will you lose things and people if you dare to grow?

Will you gain unimaginable goodness if you remove limits?

Here’s the deal, whether you stay status quo, or boss up, there will be a struggle. You get to choose which battle to fight.

Option 1: Limit yourself

When you limit yourself, the war is within and you are on the losing end because you abandon yourself one tiny piece at a time.

You’ll have constant internal tension on some level. You’ll feel small and limited because you KNOW you’re not stepping into your fullness. Some semblance of peace in relationships may be maintained. Or ease. Or consistency. You will get what you’ve gotten. It’ll be predictable. And to be fair, there’s something to be said for that.

In order to choose option two, you’ve got to want your greatest potential more than you want the comfort of what you know.

Option 2: Be limitless

Alternatively, if you decide to show up for yourself and make decisions that line up with who YOU are at your core, the internal struggle subsides.

Joy emerges. Freedom is found.

Now, the struggle will become external with other people. Other people who don’t live your life. They don’t know your thoughts, dreams, visions, or potential.

They could not possibly know just how much you’re shrinking for them. I’m going to say it louder for the people in the back.

You’re shrinking for them.

And by the way, they’re scared too. Every time you shed a layer, and they see your power, they’re faced with their own decision. Will they break cycles and quit abandoning themselves for others? Will they risk losing the approval of others in order to walk a path of purpose and fulfillment?

That, my friends, is their choice. It’s your choice too.

We cannot control how other people think and feel about us, or what path they choose in life.

But listen, we get one run at this life.

Speaking from experience I’ve gotta ask… how do you want to experience this one life? What are you really willing to sacrifice? What opportunities will you be giving up? Who could you become (that you won’t) by limiting yourself?