One of the biggest challenges faced while growing up was learning how to exceed the boundaries enforced by old fashioned parental figures super glued to limitations.
Constantly the step father rang out, “You’ve talked longer than five minutes on the phone…hang it up or I’m yanking it off the wall!”
“You can’t play basketball at the school on weekends because if a window is broken, you’ll be blamed.”
“I don’t care if it’s 8:30…its bedtime!”
So what happened? When comparing the pages that make up then and now it’s easy to see we had no difficulty deciding what to accomplish on the corner of walk and don’t walk. What we wanted, we got…even if it’s really a lot!
Experts like Leo Babauta have no problem calling it way too much. Not just in materialistic value but too much information, clutter, books, movies, music and too much to do. The one things we don’t have too much of…time and space.
We fail in the department of pulling off what our parents tried to drive into our thick skulls…we are living a life without limits. Topping the list…spending. Studies show if the average person is given $100 nearly 90% of it is spent on nothing that matters.
We no longer have a life to fit into.
Just like the weight cuddling our waists and booty shakers, excess weight in the house, garage, shed and storage unit is slowly dragging our tails to the ground because Oprah hasn’t figured out a way to convince Jenny Craig to put us on a junk collecting diet.
The idea of having it all has weakened us, completely diluting our power and effectiveness. No way! It’s not true! I’ll fight you on this one…wait wait…there’s a ceramic planter sale at Wal-Mart? And they’re really cute?
You would never eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without enough of the yummy stuff unevenly spread across the bread…so why are you allowing your life to be so thin? Stare into the windows of a passerby’s soul and you’ll be introduced to a mirrored image of a self whose not only tired but without any desire to lift the remote control to change the channel, “Let me just think it and poof I’m on Channel Nine!”
Want to experience a great wakeup call? It requires red dye and a gallon of water. With weekends arriving much faster than it did when we were kids, our life and style has to be filled with fun loving things we can compare with the Jones family when we get back to work Monday. Each time you purchase something this weekend…pinch two drops of red dye into the gallon of water.
But hold on a second Mr. Radio man! This is an evil test! How can you do this? We’re trying to get America back to work! We need this economy to pump up the volume! It’s 100% pure American to buy buy buy!
Absolutely! But we’re doing it without limits.
True story…expert’s claim our last national slide into a recession was during the 1980’s. I openly admit I didn’t feel it. Why? My first wife and I had twenty six credit cards. Sweet! I love America! I can’t wait to get back to the store! The marriage ended in 1993, 80% of the stores are no longer in business and the bank who gave us four cards has changed its name three times and I’m still trying to pay it all off.
What? Get a consolidation loan loser! Why should I? Every month when I rip open those statements I’m constantly reminded of where I never want to walk again.
Ever notice the number of times a baseball team trades out their pitcher on the mound? If you allow him or her to limitlessly stay in the game, they become worthless. No I am wrong…how dare I forget the easier route to take? Steroids! Power drinks! Whatever it takes to keep the body in motion because we live only once baby!
Limitless are building companies who clear a section of land that’s taken a single tree nearly forty years to reach beyond the old bugger whose been stealing the sun next to him. Once the trees limbs are stretched and feeling brilliant…along comes the human who learned the most idiotic lesson in life, “If you build it they will come.”
When a coworker brags about their dedication and loyalty being limitless that’s a true sign of weakness and instantly Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice would pick them out of a crowd and sharply say, “You’re fired!”
Limits create focus. Limits build strength. We’re taught to simplify which eases stressful situations off our backs. Limits help you achieve while showing others the importance of time and how keeping a firm grip on managing it leads to a more effective platform.
You’ve heard of the term one foot in the grave…guess what’s nearly got your second foot in the box? Emails, daily worthless tasks, time spent on the cell phone, blogs that need to be read or written, internet exploration and tasks your boss doesn’t want to deal with so he or she has laid them on your desk and they were due ten minutes ago.
A gallon of water and red dye…there’s no better way to measure the distance you travel when documenting your lack of limitations. Your goal shouldn’t be to reinvent Kool-Aid but rather a gigantic jug of southern sun fried sweet tea to sip while watching deer and squirrels dancing with the stars in your backyard.
This is where I usually type in, “Steal my art…..” Are you kidding me? I’m the absolute the worst on setting limits which means we can grow in peace together. I’ve lost two incredibly close friends to heart attacks and still haven’t caught a clue.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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