When was the last time you said, “Hey I’m just a Human”. Many of us use this statement in our lives very frequently. We use it whenever we try our hands at something and are not able to meet someone’s expectations or our own expectations. I want you to pause for a moment and think about what you actually mean when you say this. If you think deep enough, what we are essentially trying to say is that we as human beings have limitations. Yet, we all know of people (human beings like you and me) who have gone beyond these limitations. People who have demonstrated that the only limitations human beings have are the ones which we impose on ourselves.
You are creating a limiting belief
Every time you use the words “I’m just a Human”, you are unconsciously creating what is known as a “limiting belief”. A limiting belief is something which stops us from taking action and believing in possibilities. One of the greatest stories said about the potential of the human body is the story of the 4 minute Mile. According to legend, experts said for years that the human body was simply not capable of running a mile in less than 4-minute. It wasn’t just dangerous; it was impossible.
In the 1940’s, the mile record was pushed to 4:01, where it stood for nine years, as runners struggled with the idea that, just maybe, the experts had it right. Perhaps the human body had reached its limit. On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, running the distance in 3:59.4. Barely a year after Bannister’s accomplishment, someone else ran a mile in under 4 minutes. Since then, the mile record has been lowered by almost 17 seconds in the last 50 years.
President J. F. Kennedy once asked Dr. Wernher Von Braun what it would take to build a rocket that could carry a man to the moon and bring him back safely to the Earth. Von Braun answered him in five words, “The will to do it.” The same is true for the goals you wish to achieve (most of which are probably a little less daunting than putting someone on the moon…!).
The question is not whether you Can do it. Rather it is “Will” you do it?
You are closing doors to opportunities and possibilities
When you say “I’m only Human”, you are in effect closing your doors to possibilities. We are fortunate enough to be born as humans because a human being means endless possibilities. Everything in the world you see came into existence because some human being somewhere saw the possibility and had the imagination and dedication to make the possibility a reality. This is a quality only we as humans have. No other known creature on this planet has the ability to create things and make things happen in the same manner as humans can. The fact that we are humans should be seen as an ocean of possibilities rather than a ceiling of limitations.
Being a Human is a Possibility, Not a Limitation….. Sadhguru
You stop learning
The moment you say “I’m only human”, you have stopped yourself to learn from the experience. Most of you have heard the great stories about all the famous people who succeeded after they failed. The likes of Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates, Winston Churchill and many others have proven time and again that failure is only a stepping stone to move up further.
I don’t know about you, but I watch and read about all these people regularly and it keeps me motivated. It reminds me than as humans one of our best qualities is our ability to reflect and learn from our experiences. Imagine if Larry Page and Sergey Brin said “We are only humans”. Despite the failures Google has had, today it has transformed how we run business and lead our lives. For all you know you came to this page using a Google search.
Be a Student, Not Human
So the next time you catch yourself saying “I’m only Human”, stop yourself and think about what you can learn from the experience and how you can grow.