The Upper Limit Problem: Why We Make Things Harder When Life Gets Better

Something unexpected happened after I sold my house, moved into full-time travel, and watched momentum build in my business.

 

Instead of feeling energized by all the good things happening, I slowed down. I stopped posting. I stopped showing up in the ways that felt normal. And, it all felt pretty confusing.

 

In this episode, I’m sharing something that helped me make sense of it: the Upper Limit Problem, a concept from The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks that explains why we sometimes pull back, procrastinate, or make things harder right when life starts getting better.

 

If you’ve ever found yourself getting close to something you really want and suddenly feeling stuck, overwhelmed, resistant, or weirdly uncomfortable… this conversation is for you.

 

We’ll talk about the difference between burnout, misalignment, and upper limits, how creatives often sabotage momentum without realizing it, and what it looks like to gently expand your capacity for success, visibility, joy, and ease.

 

In this episode, we explore:

• What the Upper Limit Problem actually is and why it happens  
• Why creatives often pull back when things start going well  
• The difference between burnout, misalignment, and self-protection  
• Signs you might be experiencing an upper limit (without realizing it)  
• Why growth, visibility, success, and ease can feel unexpectedly uncomfortable  
• A simple mindset shift to help you move through resistance with more compassion

If growth feels uncomfortable right now, nothing has gone wrong. You might simply be learning how to let something good become normal.

 

Mentioned in this episode:  

• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks  
• Work Your Way: A Summer Reset for Creative Humans — coming next week with solo episodes, guest conversations, free monthly Zoom sessions, and limited breakthrough coaching sessions

 

Don’t miss the summer series:

Follow The Complete Creative in your podcast app so you’ll be notified when new episodes drop.

 

Connect With Me

If you’d like to continue this conversation:

Join me on Substack where I share more writing and ideas around creativity and business: https://thecompletecreative.substack.com

You can also connect with me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/creativemindscoach

Work With Me

If you're ready for deeper clarity in your creative life or business, you can start with a Clarity Call, the first step inside my Creative Compass framework, where we begin shaping your personal vision and direction.