As Long As You’re Breathing, You Have Places To Go And Ways To Grow

In NO LIMITS: BLOW THE CAP OFF YOUR CAPACITY, John Maxwell presents a giant assortment of hugely encouraging ideas. Here’s the theme of this book: To really grow your capacity, you must be AWARE, DEVELOP ABILITIES, and make right CHOICES. Here’s how the author puts it:

AWARENESS + ABILITY + CHOICES = CAPACITY

After just a few minutes of reading, I actually felt more optimistic. Plus, it was obvious to me that the author really wants to help the reader.

NO LIMITS is not just a “think positive” book. It’s very much an ACTION book. In fact, at the end of each chapter, are a series of questions to ponder. The idea is to apply your own situation to the “Capacity” questions—and then take action.

The author presents a list of “capacity” areas, and how best to improve them. If you’re not very creative, John has an entire chapter focused on improving creativity. Out of energy? There’s a whole chapter on that. Have trouble thinking deeply—better read the chapter on deep thinking.

Keep in mind that there is a LOT to absorb in this book. I found it best to read some of the chapters, then pause to just let the points “sink in.” When I read the book, I bounced around a lot, selecting chapters that I thought would be most helpful to me. For example, I zoomed in on the section called, “Energy Capacity—Your Ability to Push On Physically.” Here, the author suggests ways to discover what is draining your energy, and then ways to find what boosts your energy.

Another great chapter was on TALENT, and using your gifts and abilities the best you can. The author recommends forgetting the “Anything is possible” myth. “Gallup has proven with their studies on disengagement in the workplace that the anything-is-possible myth has led to many people spending years fighting uphill battles by doing what they’re not good at.”

Rather than wasting time in your weak areas, focus on what you are gifted at: “Why not figure out what your natural strengths are and develop those for the benefit of yourself and others? “

Much of NO LIMITS involves stories and anecdotes about the author and his own experiences. We hear, for example, how John got the LOWEST score in a class measuring creativity. “In 1965, I was a freshman in college. One day in my Psychology 101 class, we were tested for creativity, and when I got back the results, I was shocked to learn that I had tested at the bottom of my class.”

Well, that would have been a real ego-buster!

So all in all, I found NO LIMITS to be a fun, encouraging read. I would have liked to see concise “bullet point” at either the beginning or the end of each chapter. That would have made the read a little bit easier. The book concludes with this affirmation:

“I believe in you, and I believe in your ability to reach your capacity.”

Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.

John Maxwell is a man with wisdom. Love his books and this one is no exception.

Another wonderful book by John Maxwell. There are so many areas that can be improved on so you can be more effective as a person. John Maxwell's book is amazing.