The “Beyond My Reach” Story Is Still a Story

I’m not a monk, and I’m not interested in converting anyone to a religion. I’m a scientist and business builder who spent decades operating from a place of intensity, control, and performance.

So when someone tells me, “I can’t do it,” I don’t hear a truth. I hear a nervous system and a brain protecting the familiar.

The mind does this for a reason. Uncertainty feels unsafe, and your ego prefers a predictable struggle over an unfamiliar freedom. That’s why you might admire someone else’s calm and also reject it in the same sentence. The way out is not blind belief; it is evidence gained through practice.

In leadership, you likely already understand this. You wouldn’t say, “Strategic thinking is beyond my reach,” and then stop learning. No, you practice and build capability. To this point, Forbes contributor Scott Hutcheson wrote a piece on “three-pipe thinking”—the idea of stepping back from urgency to gain clarity and make better decisions. Inner work is the same. It’s a capability built through repetition, reflection, and small experiments in daily life.

You Need a New Micro-Response

The biggest misunderstanding I see is that people assume transformation requires a dramatic life change. Sometimes it does, but most of the time, it begins with a micro-response. One moment where you would normally react, and you notice that you’re reacting.

If you can do that once a day, you are already changing. The old identity (the reactive one) is no longer automatic one hundred percent of the time. A new identity (the aware one) is being installed.

This is also why I like the comfort zone conversation. Not because I’m trying to push people into discomfort for its own sake, but because growth always requires some level of “new.”

In business, you already know this. The market punishes comfort, and your competitors don’t care that your old way used to work. As one Forbes article notes, several tips you can utilize include starting with small pattern disruptions, building tolerance for uncertainty, and making change less threatening.

You don’t have to overhaul your calendar. You only have to practice one micro-disruption and pause before you respond.

When I began, I didn’t carve out an hour. I practiced in the moments that were already there—waiting for a meeting to start, walking to my car, reading a difficult email. Those small moments became my training ground.

A Starting Point You Can Actually Trust

Now let me translate that into “real life.”

For the next seven days, don’t chase enlightenment. Don’t chase perfection. Don’t even chase calm. Just do this: once a day, pause for ten seconds and label your inner state.

“I’m aware I’m rushing.” “I’m aware I’m tense.” “I’m aware I’m trying to control.” “I’m aware I’m afraid.”

From there, do not judge yourself or try to fix your situation. Just practice awareness. At the end of seven days, you will have proof that the “beyond my reach” story is not who you are. It is something you have. And the moment you can observe it, you’re already beyond it.