We Reach for the Highest Branch We Believe is Possible

Have you ever noticed how we limit ourselves—not because we aren’t capable, but because we believe we aren’t?

We reach for the highest branch that we think is possible, even when far higher branches are waiting for us.

I learned recently that a flea, placed in a jar with a lid, jumps again and again—hitting the top. Eventually, when the lid is removed, the flea never jumps higher than where the lid used to be. It has learned its limits, even though they no longer exist.

Same thing is apparently true for elephants trained in captivity. They are tethered to a post with a simple rope when they are young. They pull and pull but cannot break free. When they grow stronger and could easily snap the rope, they don’t even try.

The belief that escape is impossible has already taken root.

Humans are no different.

Our limitations are often inherited—not in our genes, but in the stories we are told and the experiences we absorb.

We are taught, this is what’s possible for you.
We learn, this is the ceiling you cannot surpass.
We accept, this is just the way things are.

Even those of us who are doctors carry set points for ourselves—limits we don’t even realize we’ve internalized.

These set points shape what we believe we can accomplish, AND how much joy, ease, and fulfillment we allow ourselves to experience.

We can achieve great things, but we tell ourselves we’re not supposed to be happy, relaxed, or free.

Our set point is “hard.”

What if it doesn’t have to be?

This is where mindset work and mindfulness make all the difference.

These practices allow you to see the rope for what it is—a story, not a truth.
They help you recognize the jar and lift the invisible lid.
They shift your set point, creating space for more possibility, more joy, more ease.

They did for me. And they can for you, too.

What if you are stronger than you think?
What if your highest branch isn’t actually the highest?
What if you were never meant to be contained by a jar, held by a rope, or bound by a story that isn’t yours?

What if, starting today, you committed to reaching higher?

If you need help, reach out. This is EXACTLY what coaching helps you do.