Several times in the Mandt System it is mentioned that a course participant should “know their limitations and the limitations of this course”. Our materials and faculty are honest and up front with what that Mandt System is and is not. We also ask that our course participants be up front and honest with themselves about their own skills. It is important for us to recognize our limitations and not allow our ego to get in the way of safety.
Lately I’ve been thinking a bit about that concept of “knowing my limitations” in the context of life in general. I’m a high energy person, and can get quite excited about life. Sometimes this has led me to overextend myself. This weekend It occured to me how drained I was feeling even though I had been home all week. I stopped for a second and realized that within the last week I had worked out 7 times, cooked food for a Thanksgiving potluck, taught a martial arts class, donated blood, worked on house projects, visited with family, and buried a cherished pet cat that had died…. And that’s only a few examples. I had clearly over-extended myself. I’ve done this much of my life, and now as I get older and wiser I’m noticing it more. I hope that I’m learning to respect my own limitations.
Modern society seems to put a lot of emphasis on being busy. More often than not, If I ask someone how they have been, I hear about how busy they have been. Certainly there are many tasks that we are required to do in life. It is also important, however, to remember that we are more than just the tasks that we do. In knowing our limitations and respecting our boundaries we remind ourselves that we are human.
John Windsor – Mandt Faculty
