After writing yesterday's post about limits and how they can sometimes benefit us, I realized a point I might have unintentionally made. It may have seemed like I was saying that we should simply embrace our limitations with no hope of ever overcoming them.
I don't believe that at all.
Continuing with my basketball example, I don't ever want to settle for what I can presently do. Just because I'm slower than I used to be, that doesn't mean I can't work hard to improve my speed. I can always get stronger and regain at least some of the vertical leap I used to possess. In fact, I believe that if I worked hard enough I could probably surpass what I used to be able to do. But, since I currently am in a slower, less athletic state of being I must embrace it to get the most out of it. If I commit to exercising, losing weight and practicing my jump shot I will no doubt improve and then I can embrace that state of being to maximize my results. But for now, I am where I am and I want to use it to be the best that I can be.
In the example of trying to fix the dryer, I'm not just going to accept the fact that I don't know much about dryers and never try to work on one again. Through my mistakes and talking with the repair man yesterday I've already learned a lot about dryers. If the need to work on one ever arises again, I'll probably seek direction before I just dive in. For now, though, I embrace my ignorance of dryers and understand that trying to repair one will probably be a failing endeavor. In the future, however, maybe I'll learn enough to be able to do simple repairs.
So, while I still feel we should embrace our current limitations in order to be the most effective we can be, I also believe we can change our limitations by improving ourselves - but then we must still embrace whatever state those improvements leave us in.
OK, philosophy class is over.
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