I recently watched a film which has left me pondering something ever since.The film was called Limitless (2011), and it starred Bradley Cooper as a struggling writer who has lost all motivation in his work and in his life. One day he is introduced to a powerful drug called NZT-48 which gives him the ability to access his brain’s full capacity. As a result, he has laser sharp focus and a perfect memory and goes on to become hugely successful and very wealthy.It made me wonder what potential we could all unlock within ourselves if we were to remove the limiting factors in our lives.Whilst there is no magic pill that lifts all mental and physical performance barriers, would it make a difference to people if they believed there was?If there was a placebo pill that stimulated our minds and made us believe we were limitless, would everyone suddenly start excelling in their lives?The truth is, we can all be limitless.We all possess this power within us to be limitless but there are also lots of barriers and limits to success, some are internal factors and others are external.In order to remove these limits, we must first identify what they are and how they hold us back. From here we can think about how we can overcome them.

So, what are the most common limiting factors in our lives?

1. Self doubt

Our minds are one of the most powerful tools around and when it starts to plant seeds of self-doubt, it can become a hugely limiting factor to our success. There are multiple reasons behind the cause of self-doubt, maybe you’ve failed at something in the past and you’re afraid that will happen again. Perhaps you’ve had an experience in the past where someone told you that you weren’t good enough or maybe you’re prone to comparing yourself to others and have lost confidence in your abilities. What’s important is to know that you can harness your self-doubt and use it to propel you forward. You are in control of what you think so when those critical thoughts creep in you need to catch them, acknowledge them and remind yourself that you are capable and you can succeed. Don't fear failure. Instead think of failure as your best teacher. It helps you identify your areas of weakness so you can improve and grow.

2. Skills and Education

It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to progress within your work or interest without having certain skills and knowledge. Many people fail to realise that learning is a lifelong process so it’s no good undertaking a course or training session and assuming you now have all the skills and knowledge you need to reach your aspirations. Someone once told me that that, “to earn more, you must learn more.” Now this doesn’t have to mean spending hours reading textbooks or undertaking multiple diplomas. Knowledge and skill can be gained through having an open mind, embracing new ways of thinking and reflecting on different experiences you’ve had. Another great way to strengthen your knowledge is to find a mentor, someone who is excelling in what you aspire to do. There’s no one better to learn from!

3. Fear of failure

As mentioned in point one, the fear of failing can be hugely debilitating whether you’ve actually experienced failure in the past or are simply terrified by the thought of it. This fear is what will keep you stuck at a certain point in your life. A point where you crave achieving your dreams but are too afraid to go after them. Sounds pretty miserable and frustrating to me. “Failure” is simply a label that we deem to be negative. What about all the experience you gather along that journey, all the skills you gain, contacts you meet and lessons you learn? If you start on your journey being anxious about failing, it’s going to negatively impact how you approach things. Instead, think about redefining failure and setting small goals along the way instead of simply focussing on the desired outcome. This way you’ll appreciate all the work that goes into achieving your goals and alleviate your fear of either succeeding or failing.

4. Our Network

As humans, we are typically a product of our surroundings therefore by surrounding yourself with positive and inspiring people you’re likely to become just that. These are the people who are going to encourage you, support you when things don’t go to plan, will allow you to speak about your dreams and goals and will share their own expertise to help you realise them. In contrast, being surrounded by negative people will make it much harder for you to pursue your goals and are more likely to have the attitude of “I told you so” if things go wrong. Just like we have the power to control our thoughts, we’re also in control of who we surround ourselves with so think about who is shifting your focus away from your goals. Being part of a strong, motivational and skilled network is one of the major factors to my own success and that of my team. We’re continuously sharing our knowledge and pushing each other to grow.

5. Bad Habits

It takes some inward reflection and being completely honest with ourselves to identify any bad habits that are limiting our success. This doesn’t have to be a hyper critical activity or one where you start banning yourself from doing things you enjoy but it can be extremely helpful to notice what distractions take you away from your goals. Perhaps you spend multiple hours scrolling through social media on your phone or maybe you find it hard to tear yourself away from your favourite box set. Whatever your tool for procrastinating is, being aware of it and being honest with yourself by admitting that it is hindering your progress will help you in the long term. there are lots of ways to break bad habits but my top tip would be to replace it with a good one!It’s completely normal to feel emotions such as fear, anxiety and worry when we try something new or we step outside our comfort zone. When harnessed correctly, these are the emotions that drive us forward.If there was such a pill that removed all limiting factors, would we lose our sense of drive and ambition? Would everyone be the same?By understanding our personal limiting factors and tackling them head on, I believe we can all be limitless and achieve whatever we set out to achieve.