Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.

—Richard Bach, Illusions

The first time I read Illusions, this was not one of the lines that caught my attention. The second time, it leaped right off the page and got caught in my brain. I never would have thought I was one to argue for my limitations, but how often did I catch myself thinking that I couldn’t do something because of: lack of funds, lack of time, lack of talent, lack of support, lack of energy, lack of perfect location, lack of younameit.

I remember sitting in my first teaching position interview and being asked a question about the barriers (limitations) the students in that school face on a day-to-day basis. At that point, 98% of the students in the school qualified for free or reduced lunch. My immediate response was that I was one to more quickly see possibilities and potential than to give in to barriers. This is true when it comes to my students. But is it true when it comes to me? Do I still sometimes argue for my limitations and see them as stronger than my potential? Yes. Do I more often now push beyond those limitations to see what could be? Yes. This is a daily – sometimes moment-by-moment – choice.