Pushing Past Your Limitations is Where the Magic Happens

We all encounter these thresholds in life - places where old patterns no longer serve us, where comfort zones have become constricting, where we run into "the wall of ourselves." Growth requires the courage to push beyond, to make the sacrifice of effort, and to trust that something valuable awaits on the other side. 

As Dr. BethAnne shares from her book Small Pearls, Big Wisdom: "You are a walking toolbox of possibilities. You only have to decide how to use those tools." Discovering our growth edge requires pushing past the point where we feel most limited. When we challenge our thresholds and move beyond what feels comfortable, we access new levels of potential and self-discovery.

Key talking points include: 

• Marathon training as a metaphor for finding growth beyond comfort zones
• The magic happens in those moments when we want to quit but choose to continue
• Pushing past limitations helps us create new thresholds for what's possible
• Growth edges require sacrifice—physical, emotional, and mental labor
• We are our own "walking toolbox of possibilities" with all tools needed for growth
• The Capricorn Full Moon energy supports hard work, effort and actualizing potential
• The Five of Pentacles reminds us to "look up" and maintain hope during challenges
• Journal prompts: Where do you need to look up? Where are you being encouraged not to give up?

The journey beyond our limitations may require sacrifice, but the rewards - deeper self-knowledge, expanded capabilities, and the discovery of new potential - make every step worthwhile. What threshold are you being called to cross today?

Join us next week for an all-new episode of Your Heart Magic and more psychology, spirituality, storytelling, and heart wisdom.

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Your Heart Magic is a space where heart wisdom, spirituality, and psychology meet. Enjoy episodes centered on mental health, spirituality, personal growth, healing, and well-being. Featured as one of the best Heart Energy and Akashic Records Podcasts in 2024 by PlayerFM and Globally Ranked in the top 5% in Listen Notes.

Dr. BethAnne Kapansky Wright is a Licensed Psychologist, Spiritual Educator, and Akashic Records Reader. She is the author of Small Pearls Big Wisdom, the Award-Winning Lamentations of the Sea, its sequels, and several books of poetry. A psychologist with a mystic mind, she weaves perspectives from both worlds to offer holistic wisdom.

FIND DR. BETHANNE ONLINE:

BOOKS- www.bethannekw.com/books

FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com/drbethannekw

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WEBSITE - www.bethannekw.com

CONTACT FORM - www.bethannekw.com/contact

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro Music (00:13):
Aloha and welcome to your Heart Magic, an
illuminating space wherepsychology, spirituality and
heart wisdom meet.
Here's your host, dr BethannKapansky-Wright.
Author, psychologist andspiritual educator.

Dr. BethAnne Kapansky Wri (00:33):
Aloha everybody.
Welcome to your Heart Magic.
This is Dr BethannKapansky-Wright, and today's
topic is on potential andfinding our growth edge and
pushing past that edge where itfeels like we are running into
the wall of ourself, and findingpotential beyond that.
Yesterday, when I was outrunning, is when I had the sense

(00:58):
of feeling inspired to talkabout the topic of potential
today, and I am in the middle ofmarathon training.
Right now it's the Sunday rightbefore Labor Day weekend, and
so this is kind of the thick ofit.
June and July are the months ofreally building and training and
starting to get in my long runs, and usually for me I will keep

(01:23):
adding a little bit more everysingle week when I do a long run
and then maybe every few weeks,scale back and take a smaller
rest week to get my body a breakand then amp it back up again.
So yesterday was my first 15miler that I've done so far this
summer and I got to ride around10 miles and maybe 11 miles

(01:45):
somewhere in there and it waspretty hot out, even though I
left early and I was prettytired, but I was really
committed.
I've done enough of these toknow that miles in the bank mean
a better day at the race, andby better day I don't mean a
fast day, I just mean a moreenjoyable day where my body
feels ready to do the race and Ifeel good and can be more

(02:07):
present and take in theexperience.
And I had this thought, likeright around mile 12, because I
was pretty close to my house andit would have been so easy to
just call it good for the dayand shortchange myself those
last few miles that I'd plannedon, and it was tempting changed
myself those last few miles thatI'd planned on and it was
tempting.

(02:27):
I wasn't seriously tempted butI had that fleeting thought of
oh my gosh, like it'd be so nicejust to run home and if I
wasn't training and I was justtrying to do a long run for
myself, I might just like cutout here and be like that is
good enough for today.
But I was committed to my 15miles and I had that thought of,
like Bethann, like this iswhere the magic is.
It's these last few miles ofpushing past the threshold and

(02:52):
pushing past what my upperlimitation feels like right now,
because I've done a handful ofruns around that mileage and it
is making myself go a little bitharder, a little bit longer,
tough it out a little bit likedig deep and be a little bit
gritty and just find my waythrough it.

(03:12):
And even if it's an ugly lastthree miles, it creates this new
threshold and it helps me movefrom one level of where I was at
to growing into a little bitmore potential for what I'm
going to need to do this thingin September.
And as I was running, I wasthinking about what a metaphor

(03:35):
that is for life that we reachthis threshold.
We reach this limitation ofself wherever it's at for us,
whether it's something thatwe're actively working on or
trying to grow, whether it issomething that is an inner
threshold, and we start to runinto this ball within ourself
where we realize something's notquite working or something that

(03:58):
was once aligned or an oldidentity no longer fits and we
need to push past and see what'son the other side, and that
it's never easy.
Oftentimes it requires a littlebit of sacrifice, whether that
was literal physical labor, as Iwas doing yesterday, but

(04:18):
sometimes it's energetic ormental or emotional labor.
A lot of times it's all ofthose combined where we are
really working and efforting atsomething to try and push beyond
and grow beyond that and we canhang out at that threshold for
a while.
There's not a timeline attachedto that.
It just depends on what we'retrying to accomplish.

(04:39):
But I think in general, thisidea that when we can push past
that limit within ourself,that's where the growth is found
, that's where the potential isfound, that is where we discover
something new in ourself, thatis where we chart out this
greater sense of self-competencyor efficacy, or curiosity
discovery.

(04:59):
We go past something that wethought was a previous
limitation and we challenge itand we say I'm going to see what
lies beyond this and we alwayslearn something new about
ourselves.
We always discover somethingnew.
It always gives us a deepening,more resonant relationship with
ourself when we allow ourselfto push past the threshold and

(05:23):
move into our potential.
I want to share this passagetoday from Small Pearl's Big
Wisdom.
It is called Toolbox and it'sall about the growth edge and
potential.
Toolbox Potential means littlewithout dedication and action
and you hold worlds of potentialinside of you.

(05:44):
You are the only one who hasthe capability to grow your
heart, increase your mind,develop yourself and harness the
gifts you've been given tocreate a life authentic to you.
You are the only one who canactualize your goodness,
strength, resilience andperseverance.
You are the only one who cangive yourself permission to

(06:08):
dream both tiny dreams of simplethings and grand dreams of
beautiful visions.
You are your own magical agencyof change.
You are a walking toolbox ofpossibilities.
You only have to decide how touse those tools.
Isn't that an empoweringthought?

(06:28):
You are your own best resource.
Sometimes all it takes is adeep breath, an upward gaze and
a reminder to set an intention,to take your capable hands,
clever mind and open heart.
Then go, make somethingmagnificent out of your day.
I think it's a powerful thingwhen we realize how capable we

(06:53):
are and we dare to push pastwhatever it was that felt like a
limitation, where we find whatwe need to do something new, to
discover something new, to doour self-work, to give ourselves
permission to become, to evolveourselves, permission to become
, to evolve, to grow.
I think that is such anincredible thing, and as much as

(07:16):
we are in this co-creativedance with life and we are
receiving from spirit, receivingfrom the universe, working with
the universe and the energies,and sometimes there's things
that we have no control over.
Many times there is and we justhave to surrender to whatever's
coming our way.
Yet at the same time, even inthe surrender, we are still a

(07:38):
toolbox and we can say I'm goingto surrender and I'm going to
grow from this, or I'm going tolearn something new, or I'm
going to make meaning out ofsomething that feels meaningless
and I'm going to createsomething that feels redemptive
or restorative or heartfelt.
In some way.
We get to make choices about somany things and we have so much

(08:02):
power and so much capabilityand I feel like that is such a
beautiful thing.
And I love the timing of thispodcast because it is the full
moon in Capricorn this Thursday,which is the day the podcast
comes out.
And Capricorn is all about hardwork, effort, really doing
things to build a strongfoundation for ourself, and it

(08:26):
asks us to actualize ourpotential.
Capricorn says, hey, takeresponsibility, take
self-competency and efficacy,work hard, own whatever it is
that you are working towards andgrow.
You can grow.
And I was listening to thisYouTube today from the lovely
woman who does the website andthe offering that is under

(08:50):
forever consciouscom.
She has so many beautiful,energetic supports out there.
I really appreciate her workand it was such synchronistic
timing because she was talkingabout this full moon and talking
about those times in life whereif we want something, we're
gonna have to work for it andsometimes we feel like I don't
want to, I'm tired, I don'twanna put the effort in, and

(09:12):
it's understandable, we can getlike that.
But she was making the pointthat sometimes, when we can push
past that and put the effort in, all the rewards are there, the
gifts are there, the growth isthere.
It's so worth it and there's somuch overcoming of challenges
to become a higher expression,to create something better in

(09:34):
our life.
And so it was the idea thatthis full moon really holds that
energy.
And I love synchronicitybecause it echoed what I was
feeling and my inspiration totalk about potential today on
the podcast.
And so I love the timing ofthis potential today on the

(09:55):
podcast.
And so I love the timing ofthis.
I think right now there's somuch encouragement in our life
to look at whatever it is thatwe're pushing through, that
we're working with, that we havebeen trying to grow beyond and
feel encouraged not to give upon ourselves, to keep going, to
hold on, to hope, to continue tofind ways to dig in and just
stay with ourselves and ownwhatever it is that we're

(10:16):
working on and grow through it.
And I pulled the five ofpentacles today as our archetype
card and our journaling promptcard for the podcast.
And what I love about this cardis pentacles represents the
material.
It represents what's happeningin the outer world.
It can represent materialpossessions, tangible things,

(10:40):
and fives often signify change.
And sometimes this card in thetarot deck is synonymous with
feeling like we're in achallenge, we're looking down,
we feel dejected, we're having ahard time with something which
actually speaks to what we werejust talking about when we are
pushing through.

(11:00):
But whenever I see the cardFive of Pentacles, the first
message that I always think ofis this is the card that reminds
us to look up.
This is the card that remindsus, instead of looking down and
thinking how hard it's been, howmuch more we have to go, and
getting stuck in the negativityof that.
It's a card that says look up,look up at the sky, look up at

(11:22):
the stars, look up and breathein something bigger than
yourself and hang on to hope,because hope is on the way, help
is on the way, growth is on theway.
You are right there, at thethreshold of change and good
things are coming for you.
I also wanted to pull a cardthis week to inspire some
journaling prompts.

(11:42):
I love working with archetypecards for my own journaling
process.
I think they really help inviteus into looking at how the card
specifically applies to us.
So a few journaling promptsfrom this card might be where in
your life right now do you needto look up?
How can you look up?

(12:02):
How would that look for you ina tangible way that applies to
you?
Where are you being encouragednot to give up?
Has anything happened thatlooks like a loss, but there is
a silver lining to it, or growththat is coming from it?
And then reflect on what growthis that, what's the potential

(12:24):
for growth that you see, andwhatever it is that's going on
right now for you.
So I've always loved this cardas a card of hope.
Even though sometimes in anytraditional tarot book you read
there might be some negativemeanings associated with it,
I've always seen it as a cardthat reminds us to stay with
ourselves, keep hope and to lookup and to embrace not only our

(12:47):
potential, but embrace thepotential beyond a given moment
that we might feel stuck in, tohave the long vision and know
that there's so much potentialfor change, for growth and for
good things that are on the way.
Thank you so much for joining meon the podcast today.
I will be back next week with abrand new episode.

(13:10):
If you are interested in mybook Small Pearls, big Wisdom,
it's available online on Barnesand Noble and Amazon and other
online bookshops.
Happy full moon to everybody.
Have a bright and beautifulweek and, as always, be well, be
love, be you and be magic.

(13:31):
Be love, be you and be magic.

Intro/Outro Music (13:36):
You've been listening to your Heart Magic
with Dr Bethann Kapansky-Wright.
Tune in next week for a newepisode to support and empower
your light.