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I Didn’t Know That I Could Do Anything I Do Until I Did It

How many of us want to do something but procrastinate, find excuses, wish, put up conditions of time or place or use an excuse of when the kids grow up, or I move out or when I get a house or when I sell the house, or when I retire…

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I was listening to Medium/Channel Paul Selig earlier this week, and he said: “I didn’t know that I could do anything I do until I did it.” His statement rang like a bell deep in my soul.

Paul did “it.” Many times.

I have so many things I am waiting to do.

What stops us?

I suspect that major reason is fear. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of judgment. Expecting perfection of ourselves and not wanting to prove that we aren’t perfect. Fear of disappointing another.

What is worse? Never finding out I could have done “it” or being embarrassed that I fell a little short but then discovered with a bit more practice, or refinement or one more attempt I could have, be or do “it?”

I am taking a course this year where I am pushing my boundaries and discovering things about myself that I might not have discovered without being with a community of people doing the same thing.

We were to stretch our selves during June. We decided what that stretching looked like. We applied our pressure; we rethought our belief system, we cajoled ourselves.

My form of stretching be it literal or metaphorical, might not seem to be a big stretch since millions of people do it every day, but when you believe that people might laugh, or snicker at or about you, when you don’t want to be embarrassed about how you look, when you don’t want to admit you’ve let yourself go too far — you avoid things that you really do want for yourself.

Photo by Pascal Mauerhofer on Unsplash

I said I was going to try Yoga.

I set up my environment to include accountability. I told my mentee, a co-worker and I told my class accountability partner what my stretch goal was. Once you tell someone, its hard not to go through with it.

I spent money and signed up online. If I didn’t go, I would be without the money and would have nothing to show for it.

I roped my husband into coming. For me it helped my level of comfort knowing there would be at least two new-bees in class and it was an additional level of accountability as he would say, “Hey it’s time to go” if I balked.

Then I worked on my belief system. I asked myself what is the worst that could happen? Trust me I came up with a few. I could get down on the mat and not be able to get back up. The teacher would offer to help me, and everyone would be looking at me with interest or pity. It would be too warm, and I’d be all sweaty, and I would quit. I’d be with all the twenty-somethings who would be able to bend and stretch and be better than a contortionist, while I bent to touch my ankles.

You know what happened? I survived. I enjoyed myself. I was pleasantly surprised.

Prior to going to class, I made a commitment to myself.

1. I would laugh inside at any pose where I thought I might look foolish. I wouldn’t laugh at me — I would laugh at the foolishness of the pose.
2. I would be satisfied that I went and tried it. Going was the success rather than mastering a pose.

Using those two things as a tool, I did go.

My knees were sore but not unbearably.

My legs started shaking like jello in the warrior pose.

The one hour class went so fast that it was over before I ever thought about giving up.

All those excuses I had, those three years of desiring to try Yoga after reading about how good it was for you — and I finally did it. I felt as though I climbed a mountain.

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I think I did.

I climbed my limitations. I faced my demons. I stomped on my excuses. They are like an ant hill now.

What can you face this week that you always wanted to try?

What can you change in your environment that will help set you on that path? What belief will you visit and discover the truth about?

I would love to hear what it was!

Please locate the clap button and send me some love if you were inspired by reading this.

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