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Most limits aren't real?they're just comfort zones we've decorated.
That's the truth behind John Maxwell's Law of Expansion: Growth always increases your capacity.
You?re capable of more than you think. You've just got to challenge the walls that tell you otherwise.
The Limits We Create
When people say, "I can't," what they often mean is, "I've never tried."
The mind is quick to draw boundaries. It tells you what you can't handle, what's too much, or what's "not for people like you." But those limits aren't facts?they're familiar.
And familiarity is a lousy substitute for potential.
Growth doesn't happen inside your limits. It happens when you test them.
You?re Capable of More Than You Think
Back in 7 Life Lessons from the Trailer Park, I said it this way: most limits aren't real?they're just comfort zones we've decorated.
We decorate them with excuses that sound reasonable: I'm too old. I'm too busy. I'm not ready. But those are just ways to stay safe?and small.
Every breakthrough I've ever had started the same way: with doubt, a deep breath, and a decision to try anyway.
Capacity expands when you do.
Expanding from the Inside Out
Expansion isn't about adding more tasks?it's about growing who you are so you can handle more of what matters.
The truth is, most people don't hit capacity?they hit comfort. When life feels full, it's often because priorities are scattered, not because potential is maxed out.
Here's what expansion really means:
- Mentally: Believing there's always more to learn.
- Emotionally: Managing pressure instead of avoiding it.
- Spiritually: Staying grounded while stretching further.
As you grow, your capacity stretches?not because life gets easier, but because you get stronger.
The Marines Taught Me Expansion
When I joined the Marine Corps, I thought I knew my limits. The training quickly showed me otherwise.
Every time I hit a wall, someone would push me further. I learned that "exhausted" wasn't the same as "done," and "can't" was often just "won't."
That mindset stuck. Expansion isn't about perfection?it's about persistence. You don't need to be superhuman; you just need to stop quitting at 80%.
How to Expand Your Capacity
You don't grow capacity by accident?you grow it with intention. Try this:
- Ask better questions. Replace "Can I?" with "How can I?"
- Stretch daily. Do one thing that challenges your comfort zone every day.
- Manage your energy, not just your time. Rest doesn't reduce capacity?it restores it.
- Learn from those ahead of you. Capacity grows faster when modeled by others.
Each small stretch adds up. Before long, what used to intimidate you becomes your new normal.
Make It Count
Expansion isn't about doing more?it's about becoming more.
Growth will always ask for more from you?but it will also give more back.
So stop living at your old limits. You were never meant to stay the same size.
Breathe. Stretch. Grow.
Because you're capable of far more than you think.
? Next week: Law #15 ? The Law of Contribution: Growing Yourself Enables You to Grow Others.