You'd think that you'd know best where your limits are, but many people misjudge their true capabilities. there are instances when we are capable of so much more, but our self-confidence falters and we lower our targets to fit our perceived abilities. we may succeed, but personal victory will elude us as we fail to reach our individual zeniths of achievement. complacency creeps into the mind, and soon we find ourselves unable to break through the glass ceiling which we have ironically created for ourselves; a self-fulfilling prophecy of incompetence.
On the other hand, aiming too high could have its own drawbacks if not handled properly. failing to reach our unrealistic targets will only serve to chisel at the tiny fault lines in our resolve; the little whispers of "are you really good enough?" and "do you really think you can do that?" which form hairline cracks all over our minds. eventually, the cracks will deepen and everything will split wide open, leaving our weaknesses exposed to every criticism and insult out there.
which is why you always use a stepladder to reach for the stars: little personal victories, slowly progressing onward and culminating in that final goal that seemed so distant at the bottom of the steps.
now if only i could start adhering to my own words of advice. when everyone looks up to you to achieve the unimaginable, it's easy to look down and succumb to vertigo, wishing that you were back on the ground with both feet planted solidly on earth. when you've climbed to a certain height, it becomes very difficult to simply accept the cheering and support down below. you start to lose faith in words of encouragement and focus more on the ladder rung in front of you which looks set to break at the slightest draft. then the really heavy questions start setting in:
can i even make it to the next step?
isn't this high enough already?
