The Limit Does Not Exist, But It Should

"If the limit never approaches anything, then the limit does not exist." Bonus points if you understand that reference. All math aside, there's something to be said about limits. Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of a support system and having people in your corner who know how to encourage and push you. Today, I'm going to speak a little bit about the other side of the spectrum. And that's understanding your limits.

Your immediate response to that might be, "There are no limits! The limit does not exist(still funny)!". And that is part of the problem. As much as we as a society love to gorge on stories about superheroes, people who were just ordinary like you and me before the incredible happened, we have to keep in mind that they're just that: stories. Real people have their limits. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that.

Unfortunately, we as people have really begun to internalize the tales of the heroes we love so much. We see Tony Stark and Steve Rodgers, not as archetypes of the natural human disposition, but as Iron Man and Captain America, the savers of the world who can push through anything. We see them, and we try to be like them. Not in the same way, of course. Can you imagine wearing that stars and stripes spandex costume? No. We try to be like them by pushing ourselves beyond reasonable capacity. We see these characters and say, "Iron Man got a moon dropped on him and got back up, so I can definitely push through these challenging circumstances." Don't get me wrong, this is an admirable quality. But it is also unrealistic.

I say it is unrealistic because there are only so many times you can tell yourself, "I can push through, I can push through." Sometimes you can't push through. No matter how much you actually want to. It’s an ugly truth. Sometimes the answer lies not in never giving up, but knowing when to take a break. We face a ton of outside pressure already, not to talk of then compounding that by being unwilling to admit you've reached a breaking point. You are fallible. I am imperfect. We might not be superhumans like Wanda Maximoff or Black Panther, but that doesn't make us any less powerful. When you understand the power in acknowledging that you can be a hero without the "super" part, you take the pressure off of yourself. Once that pressure is off, you can really start to do amazing things.

What I personally love most about the Marvel movies, isn't all the fight scenes or the displays of superpowers. What I love most is that we have these characters who have these super things happen to them, but those "super" things don't stop them from being human. Humans who have differences of opinions and ideologies. Humans who get jealous of each other. And yes, humans who reach their limits and take a step back. Even Iron Man has to take the suit off sometimes and just be Tony Stark.

I say all that to say this: you are capable of extraordinary things, yes. You are capable of pushing yourself beyond your limits. However, just because you're capable of something doesn't mean you should always do it. Understanding your limits means knowing that it's okay to push and it's also okay to rest. Allow yourself to rest. Don't always be Iron Man. Being Tony Stark is just as cool.