"Do not enter" signs, concrete barriers, "no minors allowed"-- these are all examples of the limitations that the world has placed on people. Most of them make sense. The do not enter signs keep you from getting into trouble by going on to private property. Concrete barriers keep you from swerving into another lane. Age limitations are meant to keep minors from places and things that they can't handle. They all make sense. There are some limits though, that I don't understand.
I realized something earlier today that I decided was something worth sharing: I realized that everywhere I look I see limitation after limitation. Humans are constantly looking at what they can't do to determine their success. Yes, everyone knows that humans have limits-- we can't fly, live under water, and we aren't indestructible. It's common knowledge. But since when are we supposed to start defining ourselves based off of these limits? Shouldn't we instead be basing ourselves on what we are able to do? It's ironic that we make New Year’s resolutions, or new semester goals for school, and yet we don't always believe in them. Aren't they set because we believe in our potential and not our limitations?
When I was in middle school I was on the track team and ran hurdles. The irony of the situation was that I was one of the shortest girls on the team. I would look at the hurdles and cringe because there was no way someone as short as I was could possibly get over one, let alone a whole 100 meters of them. After a couple days of practice though, I was able to run the whole length with only a couple mistakes, and by the end of the season I ran them better than the tallest girls. Now I'm able to jump a little better than some girls. At the time they were obstacles that kept me from my goal--the finish line. By the end of the season they were pillars responsible for teaching me how to improve my jumping skills, while still reaching my goal. Sometimes people need to learn to look at the obstacles in their life in the same light. They aren't there to trip you up necessarily, but instead they are there to help you achieve something beyond what you thought possible.
Faith is something that is typically associated with religion, but maybe we, as humans, need to have a little faith in ourselves. Believe, regardless of the limitations you have, that you can succeed in whatever you put your mind to. Don't let limitations be your defining points that put an end to what you want. Let them be a starting gate that you run out of and away from because you know you can do better. We need to start setting goals we would normally shirk away from because we believe in the possibility reaching them. And no matter what, make sure to jump over those hurdles because in the end they will help you on your way to wherever you are going.