Real Liberation

We humans experience two kinds of limitations: physical and mental.nnI had a remarkable conversation with a woman about physicalnlimitations. Nancy was a sufferer of M.S. She could no longer walk andnspent her waking hours in a wheelchair.nn "I'm not 'confined' to a wheelchair," she insisted one day. "Itndoesn't confine me. It sets me free."nnShe asked me, "Do you want to know my reason for living?"nn"What is it?" I wondered.nn"To liberate people. To set them free. Before I got my wheelchair,"nshe explained, "I had trouble getting around. Now I can go places!nHowever I can free people, I want to do it."nn"People speak of being 'shut in,'" she continued. "People who arenconfined to a room or a house or a bed are not 'shut in.' They'ren'shut out' - shut out of activities and shut out of people's lives. Sonmy mission is to liberate people, to set them free, however I can."nnBecause of her disease, Nancy now helps people find ways of gainingnmore physical freedom. But we humans suffer from other kinds ofnlimitations, too. We need liberation from enslaving beliefs andnattitudes.nn"Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginarynlimitations inside his head," says J. H. Brennan. "While the burdennremains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquestnof Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back."nnWhat burden of limiting beliefs and attitudes are you walking aroundnwith? Do you ever say, "I can't do that" or "I can't change this ornthat"? Do you ever think that you'll never be able to pursue yournpassion or achieve a cherished dream? Do you believe that other peoplencan experience the good things of life, or simply be happy, but notnyou? These patterns of thinking are as much of a burden as a sack ofnrocks tied to your back.nnListen to these words from Darwin P. Kingsley: "You have powers younnever dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do.nThere are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations ofnyour own mind."nnOkay, certain limitations are a part of life. You may be more able tonsee those that are physical. After all, "stinkin' thinkin'" can beneasily hidden. But, as Kingsley says, when you get rid of limitingnattitudes and beliefs, those rocks tied to your back, you'll discovernpowers you never dreamed of. You'll do things you never thought youncould do! And you'll be truly free.nnBesides an unhealthy mental outlook, what have you got to lose?