As we grow and mature there are many people who come into our lives.. Parents, Teachers, Friends, Bosses and Spouses. Some inspire... Some aspire to tear you down or put a cap on your expectations.

"You can't"... "You won't..." "You never..."

It has been my experience, that even the people who loved me the most, have slowly chipped away at my self belief, though I know they had the best of intentions. If we aren't careful, we'll find ourself bending backwards to stay under that constantly lowering invisible bar over our level of expectation and self belief.

Who have you listened to?  Has someone been playing limbo with your expectations and self belief?

Recently, visiting with childhood cousins and playmates; I was reminded of my eagerness as a young girl... As my cousin put it; "You wanted so much out of life"..  She was surprised that I had settled for so much less than I had dreamed of and had let life / loved ones beat the drive out of me, somehow.  Drive that at one time, she and others were sure would propel me to great things.

Do you even remember what your childhood dreams were? Scripture tells us that: Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise bring healing. PR 12:18

JA 3:4-5 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

Words can and do destroy!

We must choose to listen to words that launch ships.. and turn a deaf ear to those that will sink you and your dreams along with you.

Even more important is that we watch what we say to others!  Have you ever been a spectator when someone said something callous and unthoughtful to someone?  Have you seen the pain in a child's eyes when a distracted or angry parent said something that could never be taken back?

Just as we must take personal responsibility for the waste that threatens to destroy our planet, we must take responsibility for the damage that we speak into the lives of our offspring, our friends and our peers.

Seek to affirm, encourage and inspire those in your circle of influence. Let your legacy be the people whose child hood dreams you have inspired them to achieve.  You may find that by enabling others, you will have exceeded your own expectations.

The Last Lecture... If you haven't read this book or seen this video; take the time.. It is truly inspiring. You can watch the video at

Then go out and achieve your dreams and enable the dreams of others. Raise the invisable bar on your level of expectation, turning the valve off forever on all those can'ts and won'ts that echo from your past..