You have no idea how much living you are missing out on by letting your limitations control what you can and cannot do.

It’s important to realize that your mind should be setting the tone for the course of your life, not the other way around. If you are letting random happenstance and “life parameters” to dictate the state of your mind, you are a slave.

This is the difference between a “can do” person and someone who constantly complains and makes excuses.

Don’t settle for limitation and mediocrity.

The good news is, limitations can be overcome. Over the years I’ve developed numerous methods for circumventing and conquering limitation, with varying results.

Here are 3 of the best mental techniques for moving past limitation and living life on your terms.

Root Your Self Into The Present

I can’t tell you enough how important this is.

So many self-imposed limitations and problems are created when people “live” in the past or future.

By this I mean, people who are attached to past and future outcomes.

You cannot change the past, first of all. What is done is done, and cannot be undone. You made your choice, and must have no attachment to it.

This means no regrets. You cannot dwell on the past, in any way. This is the origin of much limitation.

Obsession with the past limits your capacity to function in the present. It makes you second-guess, it makes you emotional, it makes you trapped.

Likewise, the future is not yet written. It does not yet exist.

You cannot waste emotional or mental energy “wondering” or “worrying” about the future.

You have to live in the moment to create the future you want.

In order to best stay in the present, you must practice mindfulness.

If you find yourself mentally wandering off toward the past or future, remind yourself gently to focus back onto the now.

All that matters is the present moment you are currently experiencing.

An old trick that sages use is to “breathe the present.” This means to take a deep breath through the nose, filling your diaphragm, while letting your mind rest.

Don’t think, don’t worry, only focus on the breath.

Hold your breath at its apex and gently count for a  few seconds. Repeat this breathing as necessary for a minute or two to completely bring your awareness into the present. This will make you far more effectual as a person and work toward removing your limitations.

Be Mindful of Your Words and Actions

Your limitations are a cage that you build or dismantle every second of every day, with every one of your actions.

Actions and words shape your world. Every action or word can be likened to a brick of a house.

What kind of house are you building every time you speak? Every time you act?

Are your words and actions positive and selfless? Or are they fostering limitation?

Do they come from a place of non-attachment and lightheartedness, or is there an ulterior motive?

What do you seek to gain from the words you speak? Do you want to hurt people? Shame them? Teach them? Scold them? Force them to “feel” a certain way?

Be mindful of your actions, but especially be mindful of your words.

The unaware are flippant with their words, not understanding that their words help manifest outcomes.

The surest way to living a life of limitation is tossing about emotionally charged, negative and attachment-based words every day.

Do not gossip. Do not emotionally extort. Do not manipulate. Do not gaslight. Do not seek appraisal. Do not delight in the misery of others. Do not speak from jealousy, anger, or hate.

Unless you want a life full of limitation of course.

The relationship between what you speak and the nature of your life is a direct one. We are talking about simple laws of energy here.

A word is energy laden with intent. This intent touches other people and creates outcomes based on what you are “sending” out.

This is a simple concept that takes years for some people to understand.

Don’t be a slow learner in this department. You can radically transform your life and eliminate many of your limitations and problems simply by watching what you say and do.

This goes for your thoughts as well. To think a thing is to say it. In terms of energy, there is often little difference.

Practice Mental Humility

This is something not many people talk about, even other mindfulness coaches. However, it’s extremely important if you want to remove your limitations.

You have to be more humble.

And I don’t mean physically humble. Anyone can do that.

In fact, a lot of “physical humility” is a sham. You’re not actually being humble, you’re just placating another person but inside your head, you are cursing them.

Real humility occurs on a far deeper level, and when you actively engage in it, man does it transform you.

Mental humility covers a wide range of topics, so I’ll narrow it down a bit.

The first thing to remember is that you are not as important as you think you are. Stop worrying what people “think” about you, stop thinking there is “hidden meaning” behind what people tell you, stop always wondering what people are doing when you’re not around. It’s all attachment-based behavior that is predicated on you believing yourself to be far more important than you actually are.

I have a hot take for you that you may not like, but it’s the truth: people don’t actually care about all the things you think they care about.

They don’t care about your hair, what you’re wearing, the fact that you tripped a little when you got in your car, or about anything else superficial.

There are always superficial souls out there who care, in a rudimentary sort of way, about these things, but on the whole, you have to get out of the mindset that you’re under some kind of spotlight.

You. Are. Not. That. Important.

No one is analyzing you to see if you got another wrinkle. No one is wondering if your shoes are name brand or a Chinese knockoff. No one is wondering why you ordered 3 Big Macs instead of the salad. No one cares.

In fact I can’t stress that part enough. People are busy with their own life, their own problems, their own struggles.

They couldn’t care less if you got another grey hair or have mud on your boots.

And if they do, they are working from a place of deep attachment and are not worth your time anyway, so there’s no use giving a damn.

This is the exception however. To be free of limitation, you have to humble yourself and realize you are not the center of the universe and are not under any kind of scrutiny.

No one cares. Stop obsessing over your actions and projecting your insecurities into other people’s personalities. You are the one who cares, not them.

Freedom comes when you realize that you don’t need to be attached to these physical circumstances and beliefs.

Another aspect of mental humility comes into form of what I can mental-emotional congruity.

Let’s say if someone “wrongs” you in some way. You are aware enough not to act out of spite, so you brush off the wrong doing. Yet in your head you are thinking what a horrible person they are.

This is not mentally congruent.

People are smarter than you give them credit for. Just because you feign humility on the surface, doesn’t mean that is the signal you are transmitting.

To be truly humble is to understand that people make mistakes and that someone is no less of a person because of this “wrong” you have suffered. This is the mentality you have to have, otherwise your attachment to the outcome will limit you.

You also have to be aware of reality versus the fantasy that we play out inside our heads. Did this person actually wrong you, or did they just bruise your ego?

Did they really inconvenience you or did you inconvenience yourself by putting yourself in a bad situation?

Seek first to find the origin of bad happenstance in yourself, because it is you, after all, who manifested what you see before you.

It should be noted that it’s nearly impossible to be truly humble about a problem that you yourself created.

In other words, to be humble about someone wronging you, when in actuality the person did no wrong and it’s actually you at fault, would mean admitting this to yourself. This is something many cannot face, and which is why I place importance on mental humility.

You have to actively practice true mental humility, otherwise your attachments will constantly put “roadblocks” in your way.

The constant obstacles that are created when you form attachments to outcomes hem you in and make life into a suffocating maze.

Let go. Life isn’t the emotional labyrinth you make it out to be.