On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her book, Let It Be Easy: Simple Ways to Stop Stressing & Start Living, life coach Susie Moore shares insightful gems. Here’s one of my favorites:

If you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them. But if you argue for your possibilities, they expand.

We are experts at knowing our limitations. We defend them doggedly. We set up Judge Judy-style courtrooms in our heads and play the part of the prosecution—against ourselves. Against our own possibilities.

What if we flipped the script?

Next time you’re about to prove a personal limitation, pause. Is it helpful, to you or anyone else? I’ve never found it to be so.

Are you “too sensitive”? Maybe you’re highly empathetic, and that’s a superpower!

Are you “disorganized”? Maybe you’re an action taker who focuses on the overall mission over tidy perfection.

Are you “on the bossy side”? Maybe you’re a natural, confident leader.

What’s there to apologize for or explain away, exactly, here?

Here’s a fun exercise. Imagine you’re responsible for defending your possibilities in a courtroom. If you had to be your own attorney for just five minutes, what would you say about who you really are and what you can do?

Source: Let It Be Easy, pp. 65-66