Limits are an illusion.

I heard someone say that startups don’t fail because they run out of money but rather because they run out of heart. 

That thought reminded me of all those moments when we were in the early days of building Doorsteps, and it felt like I had entirely run out of mental and emotional steam. But somehow, I always managed to reach for some more.

Just as with physical exercise, I think our brains lie to us about what we’re capable of, telling us our power is tapped when there’s plenty of energy in reserve.

We see this when our willpower starts running out too. We begin to default to the easiest option to avoid expending any more energy. Our brains get tired and begin to seek the path of least resistance.

I read somewhere once that “willpower is a finite resource that is depleted each time you exercise your self-control”. I guess this makes sense why, to maintain the longer term, we sometimes need to be kind to ourselves and give in to our desires.

The other day, I had felt sure I was mentally spent, but then I found deeper reserves of strength left to tap by connecting my work back to my longer-term goals. My mind had lied to me. Again. But this time, I was ready.

What else, I wondered, might my mind be lying about?

I think for all of us, it is a great deal.

We all have deep pockets of strength that we may never even know exist, as they are closely guarded by a brain that would instead maintain the status quo, then take you to the next level. 

But don’t be fooled by this; you are stronger than you think.