"Chainsaws and other False Perceptions aka Lies"

I am afraid of operating a chainsaw.  At least that is what I have said over and over for a long time now.  I not only believed it; I KNEW it.  I am here to state that is a lie.

With all the tree damage from the recent snow and ice storm chainsaws are buzzing all over the place.  None in my hands, though.  That is, until today. 

A client had contacted me asking if I could clean her yard up by Friday.  There were a couple of good-sized oak branches that had come down.  My response was, "Sure."  I went over on a Tuesday with my pruning saw and long-handled pruners in tow.  It didn't take long for me to realize the job would never get done that way.  I told her the next time I came I would bring my electric chainsaw.  It has never made sense to me why I can use an electric chainsaw and believe I'm not really using a chainsaw, but that is how it was.  Today I realized that a:  I'm not afraid and b:  an electric chainsaw that cuts through 4" diameter oak limbs is as deadly as a gas-powered one. 

As I was zipping through the branches with my newly-found skill I found myself thinking:  What other limitations have I put on myself without even realizing it?  I make statements about myself and go on with life living in a false perception.  For example, "I don't know how to swim, because I don't like water."  The truth is that I have simply never learned how.  "I can't back up a trailer," so I make a point of never pulling one.  How hard would it be to take the time and again, simply learn how?  "I don't know how to dance," so I don't dance.  A pattern is emerging here--that of beginning with a negative, slapping it in a mental box and going forward, believing it to be true.

I was created to have an abundant life, not one that is marked by self-imposed limitations at every turn.  That chainsaw gave me food for thought.  I'm not saying I'm going to be applying for a cutter's job in my son-in-law's logging company, but it did feel good!