Ok, this is a slight exaggeration but the point is this – the corollary to Henry Ford’s famous dictum ’whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re probably right’, is that many of us restrict ourselves with illusionary constraints.

Michael Jordan, when making a speech following his induction into the basketball hall of fame in 2009, said “most limits are man-made”. In other word, we imagine so many constraints and limits that just aren’t there! Try this tip: next time you say to yourself “I couldn’t possibly do that”, pause and ask yourself “I know I couldn’t, but what would happen if I did?” Often, you will find that the reason you are holding yourself back is fear. And frequently, it’s fear of failure and other people’s reactions to that failure.