I saw ‘Limitless’ this past weekend. While I won’t get into whether or not it is a good film--- it had its moments, I have been thinking about a key scene in the film. Like I do with anything I see, I link any potential lessons to my own life. In the film we are introduced to Eddie Morra, a thirty-something man with very little going on in his life. He’s full of untapped potential. He has a book contract on a book he’s yet to start, his girlfriend has just broken up with him, and he’s late on his rent. His life miraculously changes when he gets a pill that provides him with the means to achieve limitless possibilities. He is able to see his goal clearly and make clear, pathological choices that lead him to success. . . I found it interesting that the first thing he does when he’s on the pill is to clean up his messy apartment. The apartment serves as a metaphor for the film and life in general. To truly get where we’re supposed to be, we have to clear and rid ourselves of the things, thoughts, actions, words, people, and ideas that keep us cluttered, unable to achieve our limitless possibilities.
I find myself looking at what’s cluttering me… What is keeping me from all the things I know I am capable of doing. I, like many others, can be my worst enemy and biggest doubter. I realized that I am cluttering myself and am in the process of “figuring out” how to un-clutter. How to get rid, put in boxes, and pack away the things standing in my way…..
The pills also give Eddie tremendous self-confidence. He’s able to converse with a variety of people from various backgrounds. One minute he’s talking to hot-shot Wall Street executives, the next racing through the streets of a European city, and later, he’s dancing, drink in hand, at a New York City hip-hop club. Eddie is comfortable in his own skin. That too is the key to personal and professional success. Again, self-doubt, fear, and an inability to be comfortable in ones skin can also be a great deterrent to achieving the things we are deemed to do in life.
Infinite possibilities are life’s blessing. Isn’t that the basic premise of this wonderful life we have--that we are all in fact limitless. To truly tap into our full potential doesn’t require a pill--- to be limitless takes courage, faith, and hard work, and confidence in oneself.
