There used to be a small house just around the corner from where I lived. Every time I drove by, I’d think, “That would be the perfect little counseling office.” It was maybe 500 square feet, just big enough for the dream I had at the time. I would daydream about buying or renting it and finally living out what I believed was my purpose.
In the book Psycho-Cybernetics, the author talks about expanding your self-concept. He explains how we often carry subconscious limiting beliefs that create a ceiling on what we think we’re capable of.
Recently, I drove past that same little house and realized—it’s far too small for what I’m building now. And yet, at one point, it was my dream.
Here’s the lesson: when I let go of what I thought was best for me—what I believed I was capable of—I was able to accomplish so much more than I imagined. And I’m still going.
It reminds me of a trip to the Oregon coast with my family. We were watching the waves when we spotted a seal swimming in the distance. My four-year-old son grabbed his monocular and searched frantically, saying, “Where is it?” We told him, “Lower the monocular, look with your eyes first, and once you see it, then you can focus in.”
Sometimes our perspective is too narrow. We cling to a path we once believed was right for us, even when it no longer fits. But if we loosen our grip on how things should unfold and simply take one step at a time, we may find ourselves in places we never thought possible.