As we go through life, there are many instances where we set out to do something and seem to hit a brick wall. Or, we think we can do something and all people tell is us is that it isn’t possible or we can’t. We hear no so often that we start to doubt our own abilities and begin to believe that they may actually be right.

Growing up this was a problem that I faced early on. I didn’t have the greatest self esteem and it wasn’t hard for me to let people feed my own self doubt. However, at some point something changed in me and failure no longer became a viable option. In fact, if people told me no then I would make it a mission to find any way possible to turn that no into a yes.

Perhaps it was because I liked a challenge. Maybe I needed to prove to myself how strong I was. There is even the possibility that I just wanted to prove to the person telling me no that they were wrong. The more that I did that, the more sure I became of myself and soon it wasn’t about proving them wrong but about proving to myself my own capabilities.

When we set out to do something, the only limitations on the ability to accomplish our objective are the limitations that we place on ourselves. Often at the first sign of adversity we abandon our effort, when in reality if we persevere a little more sometimes we learn that we were often just out of reach of our goal. When exerting that extra perseverance winds up in success, the feeling that we get from accomplishing our objective can be quite amazing.

Think about the times when someone said no to you and you simply say OK. Who is to say they were right? How we do know that their effort to keep us from doing what we wanted to do was simply because it was something they wanted for themselves? That is why it is incredibly important to follow your gut, listen to your heart and exhaust all avenues before you give up.

As I said earlier, the only limitations that have are those that we place on ourselves. Think about that the next time you want to accomplish something. Never let anyone get in the way of accomplishing your goal. We can be our own best friend or our own worst enemy. I for one choose the former.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron