I’ve always been fascinated by people who’ve done things differently. Those who fall into line and do things exactly as everyone else does them have never impressed me. They don’t do anything differently, accomplish anything great, or stand out in any way. They’re so trapped by the boundaries of their culture that they never step or even think outside the box. In contrast, the people I love learning about understand that those boundaries are only imaginary, so they’ve been able to do things that most others would consider impossible.
Ashrita Furman holds more Guinness World Records than anyone else and is always looking to transcend his limits by breaking more records. Wim Hof does incredible feats of endurance in frigid temperatures and has a great deal of control over both his body and his mind by using special breathing techniques. David Goggins pushes himself as far as he can with everything he sets out to do, whether that’s extreme distance running or stretching out for hours every day. They each show, in their own ways, just how far the human body can be pushed and what it can accomplish.
Transcending artificial limitations also applies to interactions with others. It’s commonly thought that people can’t be talked out of hateful views, yet that’s exactly what Daryl Davis has been doing with members of the KKK for decades. In a similar way but from a different starting point, Christian Picciolini and Megan Phelps-Roper left their past lives behind and have dedicated themselves to helping others follow suit. All three of them work miracles through communication and inspire others to do the same.
These are just some of the many people who show that mental limitations are our greatest obstacle. Think something is impossible? You’ve set yourself up to fail at it by giving up after trying it once or refusing to try it at all. Think you can do something? Then you’ll stick with it long enough to find a way to make it work. Those with the problem-solving mindset accomplish tremendous things while those with the mindset that sees every difficult task as impossible are trapped in the small, narrow, limited world they’ve created for themselves. Because everyone who exploits the glitches in the Matrix is also human, they show that you don’t have to have it all together before you can do great things. Many outliers wear their flaws on their sleeve but that doesn’t stop them from doing what they do. If anything, complete self-acceptance allows them to make a difference while also serving as an example for those who may struggle to love themselves. It shows that they can keep one foot in their current reality and the other foot in the reality they wish to create, thereby acting as a bridge between the two and attracting those who wish to join them. Here’s to all those who see through the the programming, master the game, and stick around to show us how it’s done.