There’s a story about a girl who goes to the circus. She goes to see the elephants.

Before the show, she notices the elephants aren’t in cages. Notices they’re held captive by ropes, nothing more.

“What stops them from escaping?” She asks one of the trainers. “Can’t they just break the ropes?”

The trainer gives the girl a crooked smile. “Course they can. But they believe they can’t.”

“You see, the elephants come to us as babies, when they’re too little to break the ropes ‘round their legs. After a few tries, they give up.”

“But why not try again after they’ve grown?”

“It’s like I said, they believe they can’t.”

~

When I was young, I believed you had to be born with certain skills to do certain things.

Born with something to be someone.

• You had to be born with the ability to play an instrument to become a musician
• You had to be born an author to become a professional writer
• You had to be born with the entrepreneurial spirit to work for yourself

These are called self-limiting beliefs. They stop you from trying to do something you’re capable of doing.

They’ve held me back from growth and change most of my life.

Here’s the thing: self-limiting beliefs are bullshit.

From riffs

I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. Idolized guitarists especially.

But I didn’t think I could be one. Didn’t believe I’d been born with that talent.

That belief changed when I was 14.

It was summer at the cottage. I was visiting a cousin and saw an electric guitar in his room, a black Yamaha Pacifica.

“You can play that?!”

“Yeah, man.” He picked it up and played Dammit by Blink 182.

I was blown away, so he taught me the first riff. To my surprise, I could play it. Not great, but I could play it.

I begged my parents to buy me a guitar for the rest of the summer. All fall, too. And on Christmas Day, they gifted me a second-hand guitar and amp.

I poured hours into learning how to play. Over the years, I wrote my own songs and formed bands. I even played shows, some of which were paid gigs.

Playing guitar and being a musician is a big part of who I am. Someone I once believed I wasn’t.

To writing

My joy for reading revealed itself in my late teens.

By then, I knew I liked to write song lyrics. But writing stories? That was for proper writers. And I wasn’t born a proper writer.

Yet, I’d done well in English class throughout high school, writing essays and short, creative pieces. So when I began college at 21, my way with words proved another self-limiting belief wrong.

Maybe I couldn’t write a book (not yet, at least), but I could write ads, articles, and scripts. Maybe I wouldn’t be an author (for now), but I would be a copywriter.

My work in college earned advertising awards, and the experience showed me the path to becoming a professional writer.

It would take another decade for that reality to play out—because some things happen in their own time.

To rebranding

I took a lot of personality tests during high school and college.

They did one thing well: identify traits I already knew. They also reinforced things about myself I already believed.

Some tests determined your leadership skills. Basically, they told you whether you were meant to follow or lead in the professional world.

They also told you if you were suited to be an entrepreneur—if you were capable of starting your own business.

These tests said I had leadership qualities, just not the kind that inspires others. They also pointed out a lack of entrepreneurial spirit.

All in all, I was destined for middle management.

So, when I finished college, I found myself as the marketing manager for a family business. Of course, when you work for a small business, your title isn’t entirely accurate. Mainly, I sold boats.

But I learned a lot over my eight years at Frontenac Outfitters Canoe & Kayak Centre.

• About sales and marketing
• About running a business and working as a team
• And about myself—what I wanted out of life and my career

In 2019, the owners hired a graphic designer and rebranded the business.

A light bulb moment occurred when he presented the new identity: I didn’t want to be a salesperson any longer, playing at being a marketer and copywriter. 

College proved I was good at research, strategy, and persuasion. And playing music proved I was comfortable performing for crowds.

Both proved I could write.

I decided to rebrand myself and challenge those personality tests.

To working for me

The day after that designer’s presentation, I started my journey to change.

I wrote every day and networked with old contacts from school. Within a few months, I launched The Davis Daily and published articles regularly.

Most importantly, I put the word out that I was a freelance writer.

I started working for myself and for Frontenac Outfitters. I earned the trust of clients, I started making more money, and I gained more confidence.

18 months later, in July of 2020, a freelance client offered me a full-time copywriter position. That’s when I started my career with an esteemed branding consultancy.

Today, I’ve done things I believed I wasn’t capable of doing, learned skills I believed I wasn’t born with.

• I’ve worked with national associations and tourism brands
• I’ve written countless ads and been a part of award-winning campaigns
• I’ve pitched creative concepts and been on set helping create promotional videos

I’ve challenged my self-limiting beliefs and proved them to be bullshit.

That’s the purpose behind The Davis Daily blog and Life: Under Construction newsletter. To share stories about growth and creativity, wealth and wellness.

To inspire myself, and hopefully others, to embrace change.

And to remind us that we’re strong enough to break the ropes tied to our legs.