Your Limiting Belief System

When I was a teenager, I felt I could do anything. Almost. I had a mother who told me “You can do anything you want in this world.” I didn’t know until years later what a gift that was.

Of course, I found out that my skills and abilities had their limits. I wanted to play baseball for a living, like my heroes Juan Marichal and Willie Mays. But I wasn’t fast or big enough to make the team in high school, my pitching had neither speed nor accuracy, my bat consistency was pathetic, so I never played organized baseball past the Babe Ruth League level – no matter how much I loved it and spent time playing. At the time, I believed I couldn’t make it. But I didn’t put enough time or effort in to prove myself wrong.

Besides, my attention was strongly draw to music, thanks to the arrival on the American shores of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, the Yardbirds and many other mid-60s bands of the British invasion.

So I became a drummer. Actually I was pretty good. It felt natural to me. I felt at home behind a set of skins. In high school I played in every band I could possibly get in: stage band, orchestra, concert band, pep band, marching band, swing ensemble. I always like to say it kept me in school, but the truth is probably not so straightforward.

About the age of 16, I became enamored of radio. A close friend of mine worked at the local station part time and I would visit. The idea of radio enchanted me, recalling days when I used to listen to Wolfman Jack late at night with my transistor under the covers.

So I pursued radio by attending Mt. Hood Community College’s two-year radio program. At the same time I signed up for jazz band, even though jazz was the style of drumming I was least skilled in. Wouldn’t you know it. The MHCC jazz band was nationally renown as one of the best, and the drummer – I forget his name – was deemed to be the next Buddy Rich. Or whoever.

I was 18. And intimidated. I dropped the class. Looking back, my limited belief system got the better of me. Had I taken the attitude that I could take the class and still learn from the best, but not be intimidated, I would probably have been fine. But hey, what did I know, I was 18!

So I headed off to a radio career that spanned 25+ years, doing virtually everything there is to do on-air: morning show, mid-day, afternoons, evenings, talk shows, sport talk shows, flying traffic reporter, street news reporter, news anchor… I gained a world of experience.

The belief system is an interesting thing. Often we are captured by the parameters drawn by the circumstances of our youth. Some people recognize those limitations and break out. Others never see what’s holding them back and stay in virtually the same economic and social realm as they were born.

One of the strongest belief systems has to do with faith, spirituality and religion. People go their whole lives – in fact, give up their lives – and never waver in their belief in a particular faith. Even though I grew up in a Presbyterian church (my dad was a pastor), my mom encouraged me in many ways to think for myself; to challenge convention. As conservative as my family seemed to be from the outside, my brothers and I were encouraged to find and follow our own paths, wherever those paths may lead. And my parents were as open-minded as anyone from their generation.

“You can do anything you put your mind to!” my mother would say.

Well, no. There are physical limitations. I couldn’t play professional baseball, or be a linebacker with the Dallas Cowboys.

Let me repeat what my mom told me: “You can do anything you put your mind to!”

Sure you can! What’s holding you back? Do you hear family and friends pooh-pooing a new business venture you’re interested in? Do you ignore them and forge ahead, or do you heed their warnings? The truth may be that they don’t want you to succeed and rise out of your current economic status because it will make them realize they could do the same – if only they put the time and energy into finding out how.

Many people don’t want you to succeed because it would expose their own belief system that tells them they have no chance of starting their own business.

I think it’s necessary to examine, and challenge your belief system if necessary.

What beliefs are holding you back from doing what you want in life?

baseball photo credit: photophan2   || drummer photo credit: rutlo

studio photo credit: andybee21