Stretching and Reaching…
May 5th, 2015
Howdy.
I am very active. I’m pretty fit. I hike a ton, and I lift heavy things every once in a while.
What I am not, is flexible. So as a new year’s resolution, one of my goals is to be able to touch my nose to my knee (in a hurdlers stretch). Every weekday for 5-10 minutes, I stretch and work at it. I’m not there yet. I’m closer, but not very much closer.
This is a great metaphor for living our best (epic) life. To live an extraordinary life takes stretching and practice. Despite my practice, some days it seems I’ve gone backwards. Like yesterday. My nose was about a foot away, and I couldn’t get it any closer. A week before, I got to within 3 inches. This morning (as proven in this photo), I was within 12 inches, but far from where I was a week ago. Tomorrow could be my best stretch yet. Or not.
Doing my stretching before I go on my morning hike. As you can see, I'm not very flexible.
Even if progress is slow and not linear, it’s happening. But it’s only happening as a result of practice and commitment and a little bit of discomfort. (However, in looking at the photo from today and considering I’ve been trying to reach my nose to my knees for 4 months now and still haven’t done it, I’m realizing I need to practice more than I am!)
Of course I’m stretching in my life in more significant ways. Many more significant ways. (Including but not limited to being a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter, a better sister, a better friend, a better coach, developing another side business, improving my juggling, getting more speaking gigs, creating an online course, submitting stories to get published, trying to be still more, and the list goes on)
But this particular stretch — stretching to become more physically flexible – is one of my most important if for no other reason than it is a daily reminder of what I need to do in order to become more capable and to live my epic life.
Where in your life would you like to stretch?
- Categories: Fitness, Life and Leadership
- Tags: daring to fail, failing, practice, stretching
- Comments: 1 Comment
