“Aim at something and take action!!” This is some guidance I came upon recently while scrolling through Instagram (Coach Chris Hauth on the Rich Roll Podcast). The point is that we as human beings are most happy when we’re making progress toward something, even if it’s a small something! The act of trying to achieve something, big or small, lets us know we are on the right track and helps us to validate our efforts.
Think about something that gets you excited, or even maybe that makes you anxious and a little scared. Is there something you’ve been curious about and thought ‘I wonder if I can do that?’ If so, can you stop and break that goal up into smaller, attainable steps which move you in that direction?
Here’s an example from my life. As you may know already, I really love to be active. My almost daily morning weight training workout gets me in a positive mental state for my day. On a good week, I’ll also do a couple of yoga classes. I also really love to take on seasonal activities like skiing and biking too. But, often I find myself longing for more creativity in my life. It’s made me wonder whether or not I could use movement to increase my expressiveness as a person. To get straight to the point…could I try out and learn some form of dance… specifically hip-hop?!
Please understand this feels solidly outside my comfort zone. I’m not a naturally graceful person nor does any type of dance feel easeful in my body. I’m more like the gritty gal who muscles through stuff, and frequently makes things awkward for no good reason. I don’t know if it helps to picture me as the tomboyish 6 year old, chubby thighs, in the black leotard who insisted on staying home to watch Batman & Robin rather than go to ballet class. It was my sister who had the best point in her pink ballet slippers and won ‘little miss spirit’ in the cheerleading competition.
But the point is, it’s never too late to embrace and nurture those parts of ourselves that we abandoned and hid deep inside. Whether we did it because we felt uninterested or because we felt like we were “not good enough” or because we felt like it was somebody else’s light in which to shine. The key to taking the first step is acknowledging the spark is still there.
Let’s face it we all have a tendency to play to our strengths. It’s a way of protecting ourselves and builds some level of self confidence. But it takes a lot of energy to be in that protection mode and what’s the upside really? Another day of not being fully seen? Of not embracing the full expression of ourselves? Not living the life we were meant to live? The more ‘mature’ (and that’s in quotes because it’s definitely another topic I want to get into soon) I become, the more I’m ready to rediscover and embrace these parts of myself I thought were unworthy.
Does any of this resonate at all with you? If so, and you need some support embracing who you are at your core, and the goals you want to go after, perhaps you’d like to explore what it’s like to work with me. As for me and the hip hop class. I decided to do it…and wouldn’t you know it….there happens to be a studio not a ½ mile down the road from me offering an adult drop in class on Wednesday nights!
