Understanding Intellectual Boundaries

Another Wednesday Book Club Night = Another Night of Shutting Down Panera Bread ✅

Honestly, this book resonates with everyone in such a shared way that it makes it hard to not just keep talking about the things we have learned from week to week. We are halfway through the planned book club sessions for this book and I am sad to even think of it coming near it's end. There is SO much to take from this book. With that... let's dive in to Chapters 4 & 5! 

Boundaries are an essential aspect of our lives, and they come in various forms. We delved into the concept of intellectual boundaries, which was new to many of us. We learned that intellectual boundaries involve setting limits on our thoughts and beliefs, and we realized the importance of having healthy boundaries in this area.

One of the first things that struck us was the clarity around how to set boundaries on our thoughts. It was eye-opening to realize that we have the power to choose what we believe, and that we can intentionally set boundaries around our intellectual world. This realization empowered us to examine our current thought patterns and beliefs and assess whether they were serving us well or not.

We also discussed how poorly set boundaries are often learned or picked up from somewhere, such as from childhood experiences, cultural influences, or societal norms. Reflecting on where these boundaries came from was an essential step in understanding why we have certain thought patterns or beliefs that may not be healthy for us. The exercises covered in both the book and workbook were really helpful in finding the originating culprit of how we naturally set boundaries. 

A major vulnerability moment for many of us was counter-dependency. It was eye-opening to learn that counter-dependency has a classification and a name. We realized that we had struggled with it in our lives without even realizing it. The real-life examples of how counter-dependency shows up and how to set boundaries around it were incredibly helpful in guiding us on how to implement small changes in our lives.

As we discussed and reflected on intellectual boundaries, we recognized that setting healthy boundaries in this area is crucial for our mental and emotional well-being. It allows us to be intentional about the thoughts and beliefs we hold, and empowers us to choose beliefs that align with our values and promote our growth and development.

Cheers to having the uncomfortable, but necessary discussions to appropriately correct your learned boundary behaviors. This book is pushing us in hard ways, but nothing worth having isn't worth fighting for, right?! 

Catch you on the next post for our deep dive into Chapters 6 & 7. Crush those goals in your unshakable confidence!