Following on the argument of our previous posts ‘How Acknowledging our Limits is Source of Happiness, but Is That Enough?’ and ‘Why We Need to Challenge Our Limits for Full Happiness‘, while we need to acknowledge most of our limits to be happy, how should we proceed to challenge those limits?
Of course it is a mainstream view nowadays – and that I have quoted in this blog – that “Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone“. I fully concur with it, having several times jumped outside my comfort zone.
But should you jump outright? It can be dangerous to jump without a parachute – or at least without the minimum of precautions.
Hence here are some key rules which I believe need to be followed when attempting to reach beyond one’s limits – while still maintaining a sufficient degree of happiness now and in the future:
- don’t test all your limits at the same time – narrow the challenge and continue to acknowledge the other limits,
- before you depart, make sure that the journey will be enjoyable, do not just focus on the ultimate goal (the journey will necessarily be somewhat uncomfortable but at least make sure it will be fun and interesting!)
- be flexible on where the journey will bring you – just choose the general direction, but remain flexible on the circumstances.
Yes, we need to challenge our limits, but let’s do that in a way that brings us satisfaction and builds happiness along the way.
By the way – when do you start?
