Rainy Day Deluges and Limitation

I love the rain. I mean I absolutely love it. I love how the city looks after with all the new growth. I love the tranquility of a day long drizzle with our famous rolling thunder; I love the power of our sometimes frighteningly massive downpours when the thunder shakes the glass, the newbies take shelter in closets and bathrooms, and the weathered veterans stand out front with the neighbors watching to see what's coming. 

I also spent better than ten years working outside and rain was simply not an allowed hinderance. I've been as soaked as a person can be, and remembering some of that makes me smile. The memories also inform me that regardless of what I have to do, I've been wetter, so it can't be that bad. When I was very little, rain meant joy. If my older brother and I were home, the second those first rain drops came down, he'd grab our Koosh paddles and ball (not aging myself here, I'm sure) and run us out into the street, hitting that ball back and forth for as long as we could stand or were called back in. So I suppose rain is a happy nostalgic for me. But I understand it's not for everyone. For others it may be an annoyance or, like for my dad's poor Pyrenees, an absolute terror. For many, it's a limitation on what can be done. 

Rain reminds me of something more than just weather-it mirrors the limitations we face and create, the ones that pour down unexpectedly or build up over time. If you don't have any, I'll add envy to the list of things I'll be talking with my therapist about. If you do have one, you probably have two and that's too many. So let's talk limitations, you and I. It's just us here, and who's better than us? 

Limitations have changed for me over the years. I'm by no means ancient, but neither am I a young buck frolicking ambivalently through challenges I'm not aware of. Age is like the one true ring; keep it secret, keep it safe! Nowadays my limitations come through knowledge. Rather they come through the belief in knowledge. I know I'm too old to start something new. I know I'm too out of shape to train for a century ride. I know I'm too busted to go snowboarding (I can feel the excitement of the medical bill collectors now). I know I'm WAY too old to add a new endeavor to my professional life. There are too many obstacles. There isn't enough time. Besides, what good would it do? Who would want to learn from or be coached by me? What could it even accomplish?

I know these things...or do I just believe I know?

Nobody knows how old my company's founders, Ben and Chris, were when they created PLACE (remember Gandalf's rule). But they weren't twenty. They started this brand new thing with an outrageous goal and an idea that it may never stop growing. Apparently they're unfamiliar with some of the laws of physics. But then, sometimes those laws change as we discover more. They shift and evolve or sometimes disappear outright as we learn. More about the universe, more about those around us, more about ourselves and our capabilities. I have no idea what challenges they faced, but I know where we are as a company and where we're going. And while I'm not sure, I think they may be as surprised as anyone. I try to imagine where I'd be if they had believed their limitations. Probably back on the side of a building. And here's the kicker: Ben is a guy who likes Ford Mustangs. Chris runs for fun! If those bro's can accomplish this, why is anything holding me, or you, back?

Now. When I was younger, limitations were about what I didn't know. Fear of physical injury didn't factor in and maybe should have? There was a November morning years back where I met up for a job interview at a 21 story hotel. The job wasn't for the hotel, it was doing maintenance on the outside of the building while clipped to a rope system. The guy who would become my boss and leader for many years took me to the roof, put a harness on me, had me clip onto the ropes, and over the side we went. No regrets, but what was I thinking? Why did I walk over the edge of a building hundreds of feet above the very hard concrete surface below? Why didn't I stop? I had no limitations about it. I wanted it, I went for it, I got it. 



Then came what I didn't know in life and it stopped me cold. My, at the time, girlfriend and I were informed by our landlord that he would be moving back in to the house we were renting. Sooner rather than later. Immediately I started apartment hunting. Problem: three dogs, four cats, two snakes. Oh. And a tortoise. Guess how many people wanted us as tenants? Zero? Correct. The GF brought up buying a house. I knew nothing about buying a house except that we were young and broke and couldn't buy a house. She insisted, we met with a realtor who explained how limited we would be. I was lost. 

My now Wife (hooray me) said she had a realtor friend and we should talk to her. We did. She showed us how much opportunity and how many options were really out there for us. She was brilliant. She explained everything. We saw homes. Some we hated. Some we loved. Some she told us why we shouldn't love. One she just said "uhhh, no." And then we found our house.

Buying a house was the most impossible, incomprehensible thing I could even imagine. It was not a thing I believed we could do. Because I didn't know. I was limited. I was doubtful, scared, unbelieving. But we bought a house. Our agent acted as our guide and confidant, our friend and villain. She did everything to ensure we made the right decisions for us. She rained down on my limitations and washed them away. And we bought a house. We're still there. You can see our back yard in my last post. And that agent? I work for her now. She's my boss. Life is funny when you get out of your own way. 

So my question to you: what limitations are holding you back? And what are they holding you back from? Imagine if you can, and it can be hard, what your life would look like without one or two of them? Is it heights? Hit me up, I can help with that. Need a book recommendation? I have a list. And if you've ever thought about real estate, especially if you've ever been afraid or skeptical, you're not alone. Whatever it is, it's probably smaller than it seems. We're here for you. We'll clear the skies. 

Michael@cityupgroup.com