Can you live with no limitations?

I have just completed a meditation as part of the Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21 days of meditation programme. Day with the key theme ‘I deserve a life with no limitations’. It really made me think because I have had problems with the idea of ‘deserve’ and ‘deserving’ and felt that it made for a very selfish type of mindset, but it is also, as this meditation has shown, an agreement with yourself that you are worthwhile that you have value, and that you do deserve good things in your life. And then for the first time today, I really looked at this idea of limitations.

I have been wanting to lose weight for a while, well for life really, and whenever I’ve thought of ‘no limitations’ it’s interpreted in my brain as – I want to treat myself and I can, I can do this for myself. No limits meant not restricting myself – I can go and have this meal because there’s no limitations.

I realised today, that, you have to limit some areas so that you can live without the limitations that may be your bigger goal. So, for me, my bigger goal is being able to wear the clothes I want to wear with no limitations of size, cut or self-confidence in achieving the look I want. It means going to the places I want to go too no matter the price or location, live in the type of house I want to live in and travel when I want to travel. That for me is the real living with no limitations.

Therefore, when I eat a box of chocolates or go treat myself to a three-course meal or cake or any of that yummy immediate gratification stuff (yes I did just slip that in there), then I’m limiting my life because not only do those foods make me put on weight. They also make me feel ill, particularly as I am gluten and lactose intolerant. And so, again, where I have seen the gluten and lactose intolerance as a limitation the realistic view is that it is my dietary situation, which does come with its limits but is my current situation. The real limitation here is that eating these foods, and then dealing with the nausea, the bloating, the vague feelings of depression that they bring is a significant limitation because the affects really limit my life, mentally and physically.

My connection with the meditation this morning has really started to shift how I see this idea of limitation and made me quite excited about exercising and eating properly. Or eating for my benefit I should say. Knowing that when I do this, I will have less limitations on my clothing and styling choices. A definite benefit will be an increased positive view of myself because I would have achieved this goal that I have had in my head for a long time and, hopefully, I will be able to do it more mindfully, so I recognise when I have reached these goals. I am really going to continue thinking on this idea of, I deserve a life with no limitations, and see where this will take me. I am quite excited about the idea.

What areas of your life have you placed limits on that are getting in the way of you living a life of no limitations? Could it be procrastination? Could it be lack of focus? Could it be lack of self-esteem? These are some of the areas that I am really thinking about. Let me know how you are addressing some of these things.